District 12C Track Meet is a fun day in the sun for most. Story of the Day was the success of the Unified Teams

Maggie Darr blazes to win in 300m Hurdles; Sierra Wilcox wins 100m and 200m; Braden Tuning glides to wins in 110m and 300m Hurdles. And Christian Triemstra goes 4-for-4.

Manhattan Christian freshman Molly Hubner soared to the MHSA 12C Divisional Track Meet next week with this leap in the Girls Long Jump Unified on Thursday during the 12C District Track Meet at Belgrade.

By: Jeff Schlapp

The 12C District Track and Field Meet was held on Thursday at Belgrade High School in Belgrade, and for most, it was a fun day to work on their tans. It was a gorgeous spring day with temperatures in the mid-70s by afternoon.

The top five finishers from each event qualified at the district meet, plus the top ten fastest times of the season qualify for the MHSA 12C Divisional Meet, which will be held May 16-17 in Missoula.

The list of qualifiers will be reported in the Sunday edition of the Dugout when it’s released.

Some athletes had already met the MHSA qualifying standard for the state, so they chose not to enter the event:

An athlete who meets or exceeds the qualifying standard in a particular individual event at a regular season qualifying meet or at a district meet (Class B or C) and/or divisional meet (all classes) may enter that event at the state meet.

One of the unique aspects of Montana High School track meets is the inclusion of Unified Events, not only in track meets but also at Districts, Divisional, and the MHSA State Track Meet.

Unified Track is a sanctioned Montana High School Association program that allows students with disabilities to participate in the sport.

This week, we want to introduce you to four unified track stars. The compelling stories will wait until the Divisional Meet, where the top six advance to state. With most kids qualifying, we turn our attention to those who often don’t make the sports pages but work just as hard as the other kids.

Before you spit out the words participation trophy, these athletes must meet the same practice guidelines as everyone else—they must attend eight practices to be eligible.

Molly Hubner, Nikki VanDyken, and Sophia Beiswanger ran for Manhattan Christian. Cole Cameron, a senior, entered the 100m and Long Jump and, thanks to Eliza Kimm (Manhattan didn’t have a runner to race with Cole, and Kimm, an athlete from Manhattan Christian, volunteered so Cole could run), competed in the 4x100 relay.

I met Jessa Foreman, one of the assistant track coaches at Manhattan, who told me that Cole had been running track since middle school.

Stephanie Hoekema, Amber Rustad, and Head Track Coach Mark Eekhoff help coach the Manhattan Christian team.

Manhattan senior Cole Cameron won the Boys Unified 100m dash and Long Jump and led the 4x100 relay to victory on Thursday. Cole took a moment from his busy day to congratulate Molly Hubner for Manhattan Christian's second-place finish in the 4x100 relay at Belgrade High School in Belgrade.