The Broadus Track team had an excellent Divisional tournament, as they qualified 12 members of the team for state events, winning multiple events in the process.

The boys team placed 2nd, while the girls placed 5th, scoring 100 and 57 points, respectively. The top teams in the Southern C were Park City in the boys (a large team, which Coulter said will be stepping up to Class B next season), and Roberts in the girls. Roberts features Taylee and TJ Chirrick, sisters who transferred in from Billings West and who dominated the competition in a girls basketball state run, and who continue to dominate in track.

First place individual performances at the Southern C included Mia Mader's 5'0" first place in the high jump, Thomas Oylear's first place in the 1600 and 3200, the boys 4x400 meter relay first place (featuring Thomas Oylear, Matt Hansen, Eli Heacock, and Jaxon Bilbrey), and the girls 4x100 meter relay first place (featuring Mia Mader, Zeason Schaffer, Maddie Zimmer, and Kiara Kelly). Other performances are listed at the end of the article.

The Hawk team will test their skills against the top competitors in the state this Thursday and Friday in Laurel.

Coach Jerry Coulter told us that Broadus may have a bit of a home field advantage at Laurel, having competed their twice this season.

"We stay in the same hotel as last week, and eat a good breakfast, which really helps get the team ready for the day," he commented, adding a hint of familiarity to what may otherwise be an uncomfortable stay in a new locale.

With that being said, a number of the top competitors from the state come from the Western Division, which Broadus has not seen in competition.

We compared the top times and distances of athletes throughout Class C, noting that Broadus had entries in the top five of four events. The boys 4x400 relay team was situated fifth, with 8 seconds separating their best time from the first place best time of Manhattan Christian.

Thomas Oylear was ranked first in the state in the 3200, and second in the 1600. Oren Arthun of Manhattan Christian was Oylear's closest competition in each event by two seconds, that is, leading Oylear by two seconds in the 1600, and trailing by two seconds in the 3200.

Zeason Schaffer was tied with several athletes for second place in the girls high jump with a 5'2" jump. Audrey Sampson of Plentywood had the highest jump of the year in Class C prior to State, clearing 5'5".

Coulter was optimistic about the chances of seeing some Hawks on the podium at State, where six competitors in each event will medal and step up on the podium. He also understood the challenge involved with competing at the state level, noting that Broadus won Divisional titles in 2014 and 2015 in boys, and failed to score a point at state. "We'll face the best of the best at State, and have to bring our A-game to compete."

Divisional Meet @ Laurel 5/18/23

BOY'S RESULTS (100 points, 2nd) – 100 M – Matt Hanson, 4th, 11.91; 200 M – Matt Hanson, 7th, 25.40; 400 M – Eli Heacock, 2nd, 52.81, Jaxon Bilbrey, 5th, 54.02; 800 M – Thomas Oylear, 2nd, 2:06.79, Eli Heacock, 3rd, 2:07.29, Josh Rasmussen, 7th, 2:20.35; 1600 M – Thomas Oylear, 1st, 4:39.53, Eli Heacock, 2nd, 4:40.62, Josh Rasmussen, 4th, 5:05.19; 3200 M – Thomas Oylear, 1st, 10:12.17, Josh Rasmussen, 4th, 11:28.99; 110 M Hurdles – Matt Hansen, 2nd, 16.95; 300 M Hurdles – Zach Jones, 8th, 50.03; Discus – Landon Capp, 7th, 112'8"; Long Jump – Jaxon Bilbrey, 3rd, 20'3¼"; Triple Jump – Jaxon Bilbrey, 3rd, 40'1¾"; 400 M Relay – Jaxon Bilbrey, Thomas Oylear, Matt Hansen, Eli Heacock, 3rd, 46.63; 1600 M Relay – Jaxon Bilbrey, Thomas Oylear, Matt Hansen, Eli Heacock, 1st, 3:37.45.

GIRL'S RESULTS (57 points, 5th) – 100 M – Mia Mader, 2nd, 13.61; 200 M – Mia Mader, 5th, 28.51, Alivia Landa, 9th, 30.27; 400 M – Maddie Zimmer, 6th, 1:05.82, Alivia Landa, 8th, 1:07.45; 800 M – Maddie Zimmer, 7th, 2:42.80, Shaylee Bilbrey, 10th, 3:04.52; 1600 M – Gracey Bradley, 9th, 7:01.08, Shaylee Bilbrey, 10th, 7:05.46; 3200 M – Gracey Bradley, 7th, 15:54.77; 100 M Hurdles – Gracey Bradley, 9th, 20.66; High Jump – Mia Mader, 1st, 5'0", Zeason Schaffer, 2nd, 5'0"; Long Jump – Zeason Schaffer, 2nd, 16'3¾"; Triple Jump – Zeason Schaffer, 4th, 31'2¼"; 400 M Relay – Maddie Zimmer, Mia Mader, Kiara Kelly, Zeason Schaffer, 1st, 53.63; 1600 M Relay – Maddie Zimmer, Mia Mader, Alivia Landa, Zeason Schaffer, 3rd, 4:38.63.