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When it comes to the Frenchtown Invitational, track and field teams should probably pack a lunch, and maybe even dinner.

Competing in the ultra-large Frenchtown Invitational Friday, coach Trenna Ferris broke her team into varsity and junior varsity competition, taking advantage of the opportunities presented during a very long day of track and field competition.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, the meet was moved up to Friday to better catch the fleeting good weather of spring in Montana and that move proved fortuitous as the weather Saturday was rather winter-like.

"The Frenchtown Invite as a very tough meet and a very long day," Ferris said. "The competition included eight Class A schools, seven B and six C schools, and all teams had varsity and JV athletes."

In the varsity portion of the meet, Jody Detlaff, Hattie Neesvig and Chesney Lowe paced the girls and Cody Burk, Justin Morgan and Breck Ferris led the boys.

Detlaff, who gave up her dual spring career of softball and track and field to concentrate on track and field only this spring, placed fifth in the high jump (with a best mark of 4 feet, 8 inches), in addition to taking seventh in the shot put (30-6) and eighth in the discus (92-2).

Neesvig also cleared 4-8 in the high jump but finished sixth based on criteria in that event. She also marked 30-2.5 in the triple jump to place eighth in that event. Both marks were personal bests for the promising Hawk freshman.

Lowe, who threw the javelin over 100 feet two weeks ago, marked 89-4 in Frenchtown to place tenth Friday.

With the boys, throwing star Cody Burk kept up his torrid pace this spring by winning second in the shot put (with a heave of 47-8, a new personal best), sixth in the discus (135-2) and improving his season-best mark in the javelin to 127-0.

Morgan churned out a third place finish in the 3200 meters ("crushing his previous State qualifying time," Ferris said of Morgan's 10:13.90 clocking), and won sixth in the 1600 in another personal best time of 4:44.92. "Justin is running with such drive and purpose," Ferris said. "Nothing is getting in his way."

The boys finished 11th in varsity team scoring and the girls 16th.

Ferris said several athletes fared well in the JV division of the Frenchtown Invitational.

Faith Palmer won first place in the 400 and 3200 meter runs and fourth in the javelin, Mollie Nichols placed fifth and Seraphina Fischer sixth in the 400 meters as the Hawk JV girls placed seventh with 27 team points.

John Hamilton

READY TO SPIN out a discus throw, Hawk freshman Blakely Lakko in action at Frenchtown Friday.

Kael Brown, Levi Myers, Lance Palmer and Watson DiBona teamed up to take sixth in the boys JV 1600 meter relay, Briar Palmer placed fourth in the 3200 and Lance Palmer fourth in the discus.

Coach Ferris said her team registered 14 personal records with the boys and 12 with the girls in Frenchtown.

"Overall, the weather was beautiful, our athletes competed with some tough teams, and it is another practice for the post season," she said. "Our athletes are starting to see where they might fit in best and continue to improve and/or compete at their best level."

The Hawks will host the annual Thompson Falls Invitational Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. but otherwise have no other meets on tap this week, returning to action April 23 for the first day of the two-day Seeley-Swan Invitational in Missoula.