Final chance to qualify for state track

By bobby [email protected] I This year, in order to qualify for the Colorado State Track and Field Championships, an athlete must post a time or distance in the top 18 in the state as there is no longer a regional meet where the top three times/distances qualify. After last week’s meet in Battle Mountain, the Cowboys have 10 boys and girls with top 18 times/distances and will get a final chance to qualify more this weekend in Grand Junction at the Western Slope League meet, the final meet before next weekend’s three-day state meet, where all classes compete on the same track and field in Denver.Kathryn Doll led the girls to a third place finish in Battle Mountain (the highest 2A finish in the field), winning three events and finishing second in another. Doll won the 200 meter dash, long and triple jumps and finished second in the 100. Doll’s junior classmate Katie Morgan showed her athletic ability by triple jumping for the first time and placing sixth.Junior Jordan Brown continues to high jump well and is currently qualified for the state meet as is sophomore Bailey Atwood in the shot put and discus. Atwood finished third in the discus and fourth in the shot put in Battle Mountain.The Meeker boys are led by state qualifying seniors Jared Frantz, Jake Nieslanik and Ryan Wix, along with junior speedster Toby Casias, all have qualified in multiple events, including relays. The four Cowboys won the 4×100 meter relay in Battle Mountain and finished third in the 4×200 with Frantz, Nieslanik, Casias and freshman Kevin Eli.Freshman Jake Boesch continues to cover long distances in a short amount of time, breaking the five-minute mile barrier and will try to improve his state-qualifying position in the 3,200-meter run this weekend.“We currently have 10 kids qualified for the state meet and there is a good possibility we could get a few more into the top 18 this weekend,” assistant coach John Strate said.