MISSOULA — Our fourth pair of finalists for this year's KPAX Sports Awards nominations come from Sentinel High School, and the Spartans are represented by Brooke Stayner and Chase Williams.
Stayner has been a four-sport athlete in cross country, basketball, track and field and she added golf her senior year.
She was a captain both in cross country and basketball, but Stayner's best work has come on the track for Sentinel.
As a junior in 2021, Stayner won the 100 and 300 hurdles races as well as the long jump as Sentinel won the team state championship, and this year she once again owns the fastest times in the state in both hurdles races.
Her future is on the track, and Stayner will stay right in town to compete for the UM track and field team once her time at Sentinel has concluded.
"It's been so special to be able to be part of a lot of different groups of people and do different sports that usually don't go together because I've met so many amazing people," Stayner said. "It's honestly just been such an amazing journey for me and all of my relationships with people and for those around me so it's been awesome, especially at Sentinel, I'm lucky to have the coaches that I do and the opportunities that I was given."
Williams helped lead the Spartans to back-to-back Class AA state football titles in 2020 and 2021, and as a senior he was named the Montana AA Defensive MVP.
He was a captain on Sentinel's basketball team this past year as well.
But Williams' work in the classroom is almost unrivaled, as he was a National Merit Scholarship finalist, an AP Scholar with Distinction and is No. 1 in his class.
His future? Well, he's headed to MIT where he plans to continue his studies and athletic career in football...
"It's awesome, I have so many people who have helped me whether it's like parents, coaches, teachers who have been able to teach me things that have enabled me in this process and ultimately get to that place so I'm really appreciative of that," Williams said.
That's four schools down and one to go, and we'll finish up our KPAX Sports Awards finalists with Big Sky High School next Monday.
