Scottie Girls Produce Five Podium Appearances at State

The Glasgow Scottie girls track and field team amassed 20 points at the MHSA Class A-B State Track & Field Meet in Laurel, held May 27-29, to take 10th place as a team. The Scottie boys earned four points and a 20th place finish. The Glasgow girls took five trips to the podium, while Stephen Bailey earned the boys' points with a fourth place finish in the pole vault.

Tyann Graham was the big points earner for Glasgow, putting up eight points in the pole vault. The junior set a personal record and took second place after clearing 9-00.00. Teammate Eve Stone also set a personal record in the vault. The freshman cleared 8-06.00 to earn fifth place and two points for the Scotties. Sophomore Kira Beck tied with five other vaulters for seventh place after clearing 8-00.00.

Graham's second-place finish in the vault is the best for the Scottie girls since Jess Svingen in 2003. "She brushed the bar pretty hard, but somehow it managed to stay up there," marveled Tim Phillips, Glasgow head coach. He added Beck did not have the day she or the coaches had been hoping for, but "sometimes things just don't click."

Stone also represented the Scotties in the high jump and long jump. She tied for eighth in the high jump with six other athletes after clearing 4-08.00. She set a personal record and finished in 10th place in the long jump with a distance of 15-05.50, nearly a foot farther than her previous best. "Eve had probably one of the best post seasons I've seen from a freshman.She has been continually jumping farther and higher, and vaulting higher too," Phillips said.

Scottie junior (previous Courier articles had identified her as a senior) Iris Mckean helped lead the girls team with two top-six placings and six points. She set a season record and finished in fourth place in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:31.95. McKean took a fifth place finish in the 3200 meter run, finishing in 12:09.86. Phillips was full of praise for his distance runners, calling McKean's 1600m "a thing of beauty." He added, "To medal in two distance races at state is never easy so we are certainly proud of her."

Fellow distance runner Emily See earned a fourth place finish in the 3200m run, adding four points to the Scottie girls' score. The freshman set a personal record of 12:07.34. She also set a personal record in the 1600m, finishing in 5:42.22 and eighth place. "Emily was with the pack that she needed to be with throughout the [3200m]; for a freshman to do that is very special," Phillips said. See and McKean also ran legs on the 4x400 relay team with Kira Beck and Ava Lloyd. The foursome took 17th place with a time of 4:36.72. Lloyd also ran in 400 meters, placing 18th with a time of 1:08.17.

Phillips acknowledged he did not have too many sprinters in the mix this season. He praised Lloyd for her hard work and for becoming a solid mid-runner for the team. Blaire Westby, who had been nursing a foot injury, scratched her events at state, at Phillips insistence. "Blaire has show so much courage and grit to help us in district and divisional, but we just haven't been able to train, and I didn't think it was worth the risk to run her this weekend," the coach explained. "Hopefully she'll get healthy quickly and be ready to set the world on fire this fall."

Bailey was the only points earner for the Scottie boys with his fourth place finish in the pole vault, after coming back from a shoulder injury midway through the season. He cleared 12-06.00 and earned four points for the boys team. "For those of us who have known him since he was a freshman," said Phillips, "this is just a unbelievable progression for him!" Fellow Scottie junior Ted Tryan placed ninth in the vault after clearing 12-00.00. Damien Nesbitt placed 14th with a height of 11-00.00 and Colter Cumber took 15th after clearing 10-06.00. Phillips will be looking to Bailey and Tryan stepping into senior leadership roles next year, while lamenting the loss of this year's senior Cumber. He also expects Nesbitt to compete at the same same level after getting a full season of vaulting in.

Despite not putting points on the scoreboard, a number of Scottie boys turned in excellent performances and several personal records. Dalton Sand finished just outside the top six in the 800 meter run. The junior's time of 2:02.68 was a personal record. Sand also ran the 1600m, finishing in 14th with a time of 4:52.02. "Dalton's 800m was a testament to how tough he is. He started tying up with about 300 meters to go, hit one wall and went through it, and made it through about two more down the stretch. He got into sixth for a second, but the Huntley kid just held him off," Phillips said. Sand's time is the fastest since Paul Yoakam ran the 800m in 2:00.00 25 years ago.

Sophomore Reed Larsen ran the 800m for the Scotties, taking 20th with a time of 2:13.08. Phillips said, "Reed was a couple seconds off his personal record in the 800, but I think he got some real important experience." Fellow sophomore Lane Thompson set a personal record in the 1600m with his time of 5:00.12. Phillips praised Thompson for very nearly making his goal of under 5 minutes. Thompson also took 17th in the 3200m with a time of 11:03.36. Senior Carl Zabrocki was 19th in the event, finishing in 11:11.20. The head coach noted Zabrocki did not have his best day at state, but added the Scottie senior has has a remarkable career in both cross country and track.

Freshman Tatum Hansen ran 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles for Glasgow, earning 10th place finishes in both events. He set a personal record of 16.68 in the 110m preliminaries and ran the finals in 16.94. His time of 43.44 in the 300m hurdles was also a personal record. "In the hurdles, Tatum had a very good weekend," exclaimed Phillips, who expects the freshman to return strong next year and looks for him to place at the state meet as a sophomore.

Blake Lloyd, Cumber, Hansen and Larsen each ran a leg of the 4x100 relay, where the boys placed 10th with a time of 47.83. The 4x400 relay team of Lloyd, Larsen, Devin Nesbitt and Sand set a two-second personal record of 3:45.33 and placed 17th and Phillips noted he is looking forward to seeing how the team performs next year.

Phillips, in addition to praise for his athletes, commented on his coaches and the roles they have played in guiding the Scotties. Coach Menge garnered comments for his work with elevating his jumpers to each next level, while Coach Capdeville was lauded for his ability in placing his vaulters at state. He thanked Coach Westby for her dedication to the sprints, relays and hurdles while also serving as "Team Mom."

Coach McKean, who is in charge of the distance runners, engendered high praise from Phillips who lauded Glasgow's results as proof of the strength of the program. "I wouldn't hand off a program that is so dear to my heart to many people in the world," said the avid runner, "but he is one of the few."

Though Glasgow did not send any throwers to the state meet, Phillips did not neglect Coaches Nelson and Schmidt. "I appreciate all the work you've put in and know we will be getting that side of the program back where we've been next year," Phillips said to the coaches guiding his young throwers.

Phillips is already excited about March 2022, when the next track and field season begins. He is planning "summer track camp" nights where coaches and athletes can work to further develop their skills. Looking to make up for the lost year due to coronavirus, Phillips encourages all his athletes to attend and asks parents to follow the Scottie Track & Field Facebook page for updates. Everyone is also welcome to text or phone the coach at 406-263-1144.

"In conclusion, it's been a very rewarding year," Phillips said. "I never like to lose, but seeing the progress that the athletes made this year takes the sting out of that."