Panthers ready for regional meet in Battle Mtn.

RANGELY I The Panther track team traveled to Battle Mountain on Saturday for the final meet of the regular season, returning with several top placers and personal bests, in preparation for the state qualifying regional meet Saturday at Grand Junction’s Stocker Stadium.
“We continue to be proud and impressed by all of the hard work toward the end of the year,” head coach Stephanie Kahler said.
Leading the Panthers last week, like she has all season, Holly Lepro impressed coaches by winning the shot and discus in Battle Mountain, breaking the school record in the discus. The record has stood since 2000 and was set by Leslie Kurtz. The new record for Rangely High School in the girls’ discus is 123-2.
Senior Colton Coombs finished third in the 100-meter dash in a person best time of 11.63 and scored team points with an eighth-place finish in the 200 meters.
Senior William Scoggins also had a personal best in the 800, finishing in third place in a time of 2:08.69 while classmates Brittany Babineaux and Leslie Hernandez had personal best in the 100. Babineaux also ran her personal best in the 200.
Connor Phelan finished second in the 400 and 200, recording his best times (53.66 and 23.83, respectively) of the season in both.
Andrew Morton also had a second place finish as he long jumped 19-9, his best non-wind-aided jump of the year.
Coach Kahler said Colt Allred “also had a good weekend.” Allred had personal bests in the discus (120) and triple jump (36-8.5), scoring team points with a fourth-place finish in the discus, eighth in the triple jump and third in the shot put.
Kahler said Daniel Connor had a personal best in the shot (24-7.25), two feet farther than his best previous distance, and Chance Sheppard also added two feet to his personal best in the discus.
Tessa Slagle placed seventh in the 3,200-meter run, completing eight laps in 14.21.58.
Rangely’s 4×400 boys’relay team, consisting of Coombs, Scoggins, Phelan and Ethan Allred, had its best time of the season (3:44.69) and finished in third place.
“We are very much looking forward to the regional meet this weekend in (Grand) Junction, where we expect big things out of most of our team,” Kahler said. “We would also like to give a big thanks to all our secretaries and transportation staff at RHS this year for helping us out tirelessly to make the season possible.”