The 4x400 relay team was all smiles after setting a new school record of 3:27.59 minutes. Their performance earned them first place, defeating several Class A schools at the Frenchtown Invitational held in Missoula. Pictured L-R Logan Robinson, Hunter Shelmerdine, Dakota Wood and Caleb Maughan.
Junior Terra Bertsch clears the bar at 10 feet, setting a new school record for the pole vault.
MISSOULA - Three Seeley-Swan school records fell April 6 at the opening track meet. The records include the Girls pole vault, Boys 200-meter and the Boys 4x400 relay.
Terra Bertsch cleared 10 feet to break a 2017 school record of 9 foot, 10 inches held by Cera Strumpfer.
Bertsch was a freshman on the track team in 2017 when Strumpfer set her record. However Bertsch didn't compete in the event until she was a sophomore. She said she always enjoyed watching the pole vault and looked up to Strumpfer.
After watching from the sidelines that first year at Seeley-Swan, Bertsch decided to give it a try. It paid off and last year she won the State Class C meet clearing 9 foot 6 inches.
Bertsch participated in a summer pole-vaulting camp and said changes to her technique and take-off has allowed her to use bigger poles to reach new heights.
While there is still snow on the field in Seeley, Bertsch managed to get some practice at an indoor facility during her spring break to get a jump on this season.
Clearing 10-foot auto qualified Bertsch for the state meet. She hopes to add another foot to her record this year.
The second school record to fall was the oldest record on the board for the Boys set more than four decades ago.
With a time of 22.73 seconds, senior Logan Robinson defeated the 200-meter record of 23 seconds set by Kevin Kratzer in 1976.
Robinson credits his success to participating in indoor track this last winter. A coach he met though an indoor meet combined with the coaching at Seeley-Swan has changed the way he thinks about sprinting.
He said he was surprised by how little he really knew before. He learned about sprint mechanics, diet and how to take better care of his body for sprinting.
In addition to his success in the 200, his 100-meter time of 11.43 seconds earned him a first place at the meet. He is just a quarter second off the school record for the 100-meter and he hopes to break that record this season too.
Robinson's times auto qualified him for state in both events.
Robinson also got in on the third school record to fall - the Boys 4x400 relay set just last year.
Hunter Shelmerdine, Dakota Wood and Caleb Maughan joined Robinson for the record setting relay. The Boys finished in 3:27.59 minutes shaving nearly a full second off the previous record.
Wood, Shelmerdine and Robinson were on the relay team that set the record last year along with Maughan's older brother Logan.
Shelmerdine said he didn't think there was any doubt that they could break it again this year but everyone was surprised to do it on the first meet.
Shelmerdine said they have their sights set on the state Class C record. It is only a couple seconds faster and it is still early in the season.
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