Montana Girls Track Team Defends State Title With Record

The Richey/Lambert Fusion girls track team proved that small towns can produce big champions when they defended their Class C State Championship title at the end of May in Laurel, Montana.

Junior Jolee Klempel became the star of the two-day meet with a performance for the record books. She won four individual events including long jump, where her leap of 18 feet 8.75 inches set a new Class C State Record.

Klempel swept the 100-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, and shot put, proving her versatility across sprinting, jumping, and throwing events. Her teammate, senior Brynne Hill, won triple jump for the second consecutive year and placed second in long jump.

The team dominated so thoroughly at their divisional meet that every single member qualified to attend state, either as a competitor, alternate, or manager. Both relay teams also medaled, with the 400-meter team taking second place.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story especially heartwarming is how these small Montana communities are celebrating together. On July 2, Lambert and Richey will host a joint celebration starting at 5:30 p.m. with burgers, followed by parades down Main Street in both towns, finishing with cake and ice cream at the school cafeteria.

Head Coach Joe Day Rider kept it humble when reflecting on the season: "I consider myself lucky to coach a great bunch of kids that make the job fun. They put the work in and endured the lovely spring weather to bring home another title."

Senior Brynne Hill will continue her athletic career at Montana State University in Bozeman, where she'll compete for the Bobcats. Her success shows younger teammates what's possible when you combine small-town grit with big-time talent.

The team set multiple personal bests and school records throughout the season, proving that excellence isn't about the size of your school but the size of your heart.