North Star fares well at state

BOISE – For the last five years, the Kootenai High girls track team has been the consistent representative at the State 1A meet for the North Star League.

Saturday, several feet carried the NSL banner proudly.

Clark Fork sophomore Bailey Hewitt, for example, picked up where multitalented hurdler Darcy Collins of Kootenai left off. And the Coeur d’Alene Charter boys and girls captured gold medals as the 89th annual state track and field meet finished up at Boise State University’s Ed Jacoby Track.

Hewitt was a double winner, capturing state titles in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. She won in the 100 in 16.12 and came back to do the same in the 300 in 48.13.

She became the Wampus Cats’ first state winner since 1986.

Hewitt immediately announced that she wanted to go after the state-meet records Collins established in her spectacular four-year career.

“She’s my role model,” Hewitt said. “I’m glad Darcy doesn’t have any little sisters. She was the one who got me into track. That was when I realized that track is actually kind of a sport.”

Perhaps the reason she didn’t realize it before is that Hewitt has been busy most springs playing her favorite sport – club soccer. She plays for a team in Sandpoint. Interestingly, it’s her favorite sport but she can’t play it in high school because Clark Fork doesn’t field a team.

“This means the world to me,” Hewitt said. “I never expected this.”

Her feats were even more eye-popping considering she suffered a groin injury two weeks ago and had to cut back her training.

The Charter girls earned the school’s first track trophy, taking third with 44 points. Prairie captured the state title with 76 points, one more than Lapwai.

The Charter 800 relay defended its state title. Libby Redline, Heidi Ronningen and Danika Hjeltness were on the relay a year ago and they teamed with freshman Dominique Billingslea this time to win easily.

They earned an at-large state berth last year and shocked the field. So they were expected to repeat.

“This year we wanted it so bad and we had to keep pushing ourselves,” Hjeltness said.

Charter junior Mark Weller was a double winner, taking gold in the 400 (51.37) and then coming back to win the 200 (23.03).

“I really wanted to come here and get golds,” Weller said.

Weller is looking forward to trying to repeat next year.

“If I stay injury-free and keep running for the Lord I think I can do it,” he said.

Raft River’s boys won again, taking first with 65.5 points. Genesee was second (49). CdA Charter was seventh (30).

Other medal winners were: Elizabeth Stadley of CCA took second in the 400 (1:00.56) and Ronningen was fifth (1:02.15); Alyssa Kimm of CCA was sixth in the 1,600 (5:53.91); Billingslea was third in the 200 (26.92) and Ronningen was fourth (27.09); Hannah Valerio of Mullan was third in the 800 (2:27.33); Billingslea was third in the 100 (13.02) and Hannah Nyrop of Kootenai was fifth (13.24); the CCA girls were second in the 1,600 relay (4:19.31); Misha Tumova of Mullan was second in the 100 hurdles (16.68); the CCA boys were third in the 1,600 relay (3:37.63); and Mark Pankratz of Kootenai was second in the 110 hurdles (16.09).