MacKenzie, Cade medal for Devils

MISSOULA – Led by MacKenzie Morgan with the girls and by Cade VanVleet with the boys, Noxon track and field teams made an impressive showing at the State C meet in Missoula last week.

New to Noxon track this spring, Morgan, a senior, continued her outstanding campaign by winning second place in the 1600 meters (in 5:19.39), third place in the 800 (2:19.29) and sixth in the 3200 (12:27.14).

Morgan also ran the anchor leg, joining Skye Irgens, Maygan Swanson and Emily Brown in winning fourth place in the 1600 meter relay in 4:20.87.

Brown just missed medaling in the 1600 meters, finishing eighth in that race, besides placing twelfth in the 800.

The Noxon girls finished the meet with 19 team points.

For his part, VanVleet is not just another great shot putter or discus thrower, he is one of the very best at any level in the state of Montana high school sports.

Proving the fact once more at the State C meet, VanVleet, a junior, finished second to Seeley-Swan's Walker McDonald in the shot put. McDonald won with a best effort of 52 feet, 8.25 inches but VanVleet was right behind at 50-11.5.

If VanVleet were competing in Class AA or B this season, he would have been a state champ this spring. As it is, his throw was the third-best marked by any prep athlete in a Montana state meet last week, behind only McDonald and Whitefish's Talon Holmquist, who won the State A title with a mark of 52-3.5.

VanVleet also won fourth in the discus with a best effort of 140-7 in Missoula, scoring all 12 team points for the Noxon boys.

After dueling with Thompson Falls' Cody Burk (the 2021 State B shot put champ, see other story) in several meets during the regular season, VanVleet took to dueling with McDonald in the latter part of season, with good results all around.

"It's been friendly rivalries with those two," VanVleet said. "It's not like we were rooting against each other, we were just trying to push ourselves further. I know that it was really helpful to me having those guys around this year."

VanVleet's career-best marks are currently 51-5 in the shot put and 154-0 in the discus.

Deprived of his sophomore season due to COVID-19, VanVleet says he plans on attending several camps this coming summer prior to his senior season at Noxon, including throwing camps for the discus and shot put and maybe a football camp or two.

Senior Jared Webley was the only other Noxon boy to qualify for and compete in the State C meet, earning his spot in the 200 meter dash.