4×100 girls’ relay win gold in GJ

MEEKER | Although the Meeker High School track and field team has been practicing on the new Bob King track this season, it will be Barone Middle School hosting the first track meet on the new facility, while several members of the high school team will be pole vaulting in Glenwood Springs for the first time in several years.
“This will be the first time our pole vaulters compete, so it should be fun,” Meeker head coach John Strate said of the pole vaulting event revived in Meeker’s track program, which athletes will debut in Glenwood Springs. “Those not vaulting Friday are looking forward to helping run the middle school meet here Friday. It looks like 10 teams and more than 600 athletes will be competing. It will be great to put our new facility to use.”
Although some of Meeker’s track athletes are out because of injury and others are only competing in a couple events as they heal, several healthly Cowboys performed well in Grand Junction last Saturday.
“We had a really windy day at Grand Junction but were still able to set some season best times in a few events,” coach Strate said. “The performance of the day went to the girls 4×100 relay of Madison Russell, Krissie Luce, Loran Casias and Gracie Bradfield. Their time of 52.75 won a gold medal at the meet and places them as the second best 4×100 relay team in the state.”
Meeker’s 4×200 girls’ relay team is also the second best 2A team in the state and they finished second behind Montrose in Grand Junction last week. Kassie Luce is on the 4×200 team, along with Russell, Casias and Bradfield.
Coach Strate said a number of individuals placed and had good times but they did not count towards state rankings, due to the high winds.
Meeker senior Casias placed seventh in the 100-meter dash, junior Sierra Williams was sixth in the 800-meter and senior Julia Eskelson ran a season best time (5:35) in the mile to finish fourth.
Senior Maggie Phelan triple jumped for the first time all season finishing sixth with her mark of 32 feet 6 inches and in the high jump sophomore Sydnie Main beat her personal best clearing 4-8 and finished eighth. Main also placed fourth in the shot put and sixth in the discus.
In the 100-meter hurdles senior Peyton Burke bounced back after a rough week last week to take fifth place with her time of 17.98 and freshman Julia Dinwiddie earned seventh in her 300-meter hurdle debut.
Senior thrower Caleb Bradford returned to the team and placed seventh in the discus and eighth in the shot put, with distances of 126-5 and 42-9, respectively.
Senior Cole Brown placed fifth in the long jump and eighth in the 200-meter dash and classmate Austin Russell also earned team points with a third place finish in the 1,600-meter run and a fifth place finish in the 3,200-meter run.
Coach Strate said an FFA event will keep Meeker boys from pole vaulting in Glenwood Springs Friday but girls Peyton Burke, Kinzy Turner, Delenn Mobley and Sydnie Main will debut their pole vaulting skills at the meet.