Grammar Breaks State Record, Young Wins High Jump as Hawks Shine at State C Track Meet
The CJI Hawks closed the 2026 track and field season with a historic showing at the State C Track Meet in Laurel, bringing home three individual state championships, a new Class C state record, and several new school records.
Junior Dane Grammar led the way with another dominant performance in the throwing events. Grammar repeated as State C champion in both the shot put and discus, breaking the Class C state record in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 58 feet, 3 inches. The previous Class C shot put record was 56-7.5, set by Power’s Ben Toeckes in 1995. Grammar surpassed that mark by 1 foot, 7.5 inches, and won the event by more than 14 feet over second-place Kolt Lensing of Roy-Winifred, who threw 43-11.5.
Grammar added his second state title of the weekend in the discus, winning with a throw of 173-4. That mark came just 11 inches short of the Class C state record. Grammar had already set a new Northern C divisional record and a new CJI school and all-school record in the discus with a throw of 177-11 at the divisional meet.
The state titles capped a dominant postseason for Grammar, who broke his own CJI school and all-school records in both throwing events multiple times throughout the season.
Freshman Audrey Young added another championship for the Hawks, winning the girls high jump at 5-2. Young cleared the same height as three other competitors, but won the state title on misses to give CJI its third individual championship of the meet.
Young’s championship continued a strong run of success for CJI in the girls high jump. Brynn Kammerzell, the two-time defending State C champion in the event, had prequalified earlier in the season but was unable to compete at divisionals or state because of an injury.
Freshman Brooke Streit also had a strong state meet and continued her record-setting season. Streit placed third in the girls 400 meters with a personal-best time of 1:00.40, setting a new CJI school record in the event. The previous record had been held by Brianne Wolfe since 2006. She added a podium finish in the triple jump, finishing in 6th place at 33' 3.5".
Streit also set the CJI school record in the 800 meters earlier in the season at the Archie Roe Invitational in Kalispell on May 9, running 2:21.57. That record had also been held by Wolfe since 2006.
CJI’s girls throwers added more podium points at state. Freshman Timber Hull placed fourth in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 35-3.25. Senior MaRae Smail placed eighth in the discus at 111-3 and 11th in the shot put at 33-4.5. Smail had set new CJI school records in both events at the Northern C Divisional Meet on May 21 in Great Falls, throwing 35-4 in the shot put and 113-1 in the discus.
The CJI boys 4x400 relay team also made school history at state. Garrison Riggin, Hudson VanDessel, Cooper Streit and Ryland St. John placed sixth with a school-record time of 3:34.09. The previous boys 4x400 record was set in 2007 by Tyler Han, Derek Fraser, Chase Diemert and Johnny Fauerbach.
St. John placed eighth in the triple jump with a jump of 41-3.75. He had set the CJI school record in the event one week earlier at the Northern C Divisional Meet with a mark of 42-6.
Several other Hawks also competed at state. Cooper Streit placed 11th in the 800 meters in 2:06.80 and 18th in the 400 meters in a personal-best 53.61. Ryland St. John placed 13th in the 400 meters in a season-best 52.63 and was 16th in the 200-meter preliminaries in 23.91. Connor Mattson placed 18th in the 3200 meters in 11:55.90.
Ryan Ramberg placed 14th in the 300 hurdles in 45.12, while Hudson VanDessel placed 21st in the same event in 46.71. Ramberg and St. John also competed in the 110 hurdles preliminaries.
The CJI boys 4x100 relay team of Avery DeVries, Levi Nelson, Cooper Streit and Ryland St. John placed 11th in the preliminaries in 45.40.
On the girls side, Scarlet Sundgren placed ninth in the pole vault, clearing 8-6. Kingslee Horel placed 22nd in the discus at 87-4, Kaylee Horel placed 12th in shot put at 33' 2.5", and Hull added a 25th-place finish in the javelin at 95-3.
The CJI girls 4x400 relay team of Mariah Ramberg, Gwen Sundgren, Brooke Streit and Gwen Jackson placed 10th with a season-best time of 4:24.60. The 4x100 relay team of Gwen Sundgren, Scarlet Sundgren, Mariah Ramberg and Brooke Streit placed 13th in the preliminaries in 53.14.
By the end of the weekend, the Hawks had produced one of the most memorable state meets in recent program history. Grammar repeated as a two-event state champion and broke a 31-year-old Class C record. Young added a state title as a freshman. Streit, Smail, St. John and the boys 4x400 relay team added their names to the CJI record board.
It was a fitting finish to a season filled with strong performances, and one that leaves the Hawks with plenty to celebrate and plenty to build on.
