Girls place second at state track meet

Bonners Ferry High School senior Samantha Hiatt defended her state title in the pole vault and placed in two additional events to lead the Lady Badgers to a second-place finish at the 3A state track meet.

Classmate Melody Braden won silver medals for taking second in the 1600-meter in 4:29.45 and 3200-meter in 11:50.39 at the meet in Boise. In doing so, Braden also set school records for both events.

The girls took the lead after the first day of field events. Junior Alicia Hedrick took second in the discus with a throw of 107-10.

Hiatt took the gold in the pole vault for the second straight year at 10 feet, third in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.69 and fifth in the 300-meter hurdles in 49.09.

Senior Camille Robertson took third in the pole vault at 10 feet. Senior Samantha Kelly took seventh in the pole vault at 8 feet.

Erin Hiatt took eighth in the 400-meter dash with a 63.93, and fifth in the 800 at 2:28.54 and long jump at 15-5. She also anchored the medley relay team of Olivia Langs, Samantha Hiatt and Emily Pauls to a fifth-place medal.

Braden’s two silver medals solidified the team’s second-place finish.

Sugar-Salem, behind a strong core of sprinters, scored 90 points and took the first-place trophy for the second straight year. Bonners placed second with 64.5 points.

On the boys’ side, Badger Jordan Stockton placed fourth in the long jump at 19.5-5. Senior Ryan Winebark took seventh in the high jump at 5-10 and Colton Watt placed fifth in the 300 hurdles in 42.38.

The Bonners boys placed 18th overall with 11 points.