The 4×800-meter relay team of Brighton Bair, Ellie Hossack, Taylor Garcia, and Jayde Turner finished in fourth. Photos by Tiffany Jehorek
MEEKER | The track season reached a milestone last weekend for the Cowboys as they competed in the three-day league track meet.
“It was a great meet for the kids,” said head coach Hallie Blunt. “We had boys and girls place in events that they hadn’t all year, and that was so fun to see.”
In individual running events beginning with the 100-meter dash, Ainsley Selle placed sixth, in the 400-meter dash Taylor Garcia fourth and Brighton Bair fifth, for the 1,600-meter run Bair took fourth, and in the 100 Jon Cardile placed fifth.
“Our girls relays shined this week and all are qualified or nearly qualified, I was especially proud of our 4×800-meter relay, it was the first time they had run it this year, and they are sitting in eighth place in the state,” said Blunt.
In the girls relays the 4×100 of Ellie Hossack, Jayde Turner, Adi Selle and Ainsley took fourth, the 800 sprint medley relay also took fourth and run by Ainsley and Adi Selle, Reese Clatterbaugh and Natalie Kracht, and finally the 4×800-meter relay of Bair, Hossack, Turner and Taylor Garcia finished in fourth.
“Bair ran the best 800 she has ever run,” said Blunt. “Jayde has not ran an 800 this year and Hossack has never run one in competition, and then Garcia finished it for us and she has been working so hard improving every week.”
In the boys relays the 4×100 of Casey Brink, Judd Harvey, Brendan Clatterbaugh, and Connor Blunt took second and improved their time by over a half second and the 4×200-meter relay of Cardile, Harvey, Brendan and Connor placed fifth improving their time and on the cusp of qualifying for state.
“We are on the podium for the 4×100 relay and it was great to see how close the boys were to West Grand, it was not until the last 50 meters was West Grand able to pull ahead,” said Blunt. “They are a fast team and currently sitting in third place across the state. Their anchor is one of the fastest in the state.”
In individual events beginning with triple jump Reese Clatterbaugh placed third and Sam Hightower also took third. In high jump Cardile took second and Hightower fourth. All three pole vaulters placed with Brink winning the event, Connor Blunt taking second and Brendan Clatterbaugh fourth.
This week is the last chance meet, the final meet before state and the final opportunity to qualify for state. The state meet takes the top 18 kids in each event regardless of when it happened throughout the year. As individual participants Harvey is qualified in shot and Brink and Connor in pole vault.
This weekend’s meet will be at Grand Valley and begins at 10 a.m.
BY TIFFANY JEHOREK
Special to the Herald Times