MEEKER | The Meeker High School track and field team returned to competition March 28 after a week off for spring break, competing at the Mickey Dunn Invitational at Stocker Stadium, where several Cowboys and Cowgirls posted solid performances.
Junior Tucker Chinn led the Meeker boys with a sixth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles, recording a time of 44.55 seconds. The Cowboys’ 4×200-meter relay team also placed sixth with a time of 1:36.90.
Chinn said improved conditioning and stronger competition helped him lower his time from the season opener.
“I think just being in more shape and having more practice time has led me to drop time in my hurdles,” he said. “Also running with a faster group this weekend pushed me.”
He added that his approach to the race has improved.
“I made sure to attack my hurdles a lot more this meet and to push myself around the curve and through the home stretch, even when I get tired,” Chinn said.
Chinn said the race felt more controlled compared to the first meet of the season.
“This race felt a lot better than the first time I ran it in Rifle,” he said. “I felt way more in shape and seemed to have much better tempo between the hurdles.”
Looking ahead, Chinn said he is focused on refining technique and consistency.
“Right now I’m focusing on keeping my steps consistent between the hurdles and attacking each hurdle as if it is the first one,” he said. “I also am working on keeping my sprint throughout the whole race.”
He added that his goal is to continue improving as the season progresses.
“I am aiming to hopefully clean up my form up to and over the hurdles and my speed nearing the end of the race, so that I can match my PR from last year at the state competition,” Chinn said.
Freshman Jake Grieser finished 10th in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches, and said the early meets have been a learning experience.
“The competition at the first two meets has been at a much higher level,” Grieser said. “As a freshman, I’m just trying to focus on entering the meets as prepared as I can, and I know that starts at practice.”
Grieser said focusing on technique has helped him adjust to the varsity level.
“Focusing on form and approach have really helped me so far this season,” he said. “The first two meets have taught me that there is high competition and it’s given me some goals to chase.”
He added that he has set clear goals moving forward.
“In the high jump, my goal is to continue to set new PRs throughout the season, with my end goal being to qualify for the state track meet,” Grieser said.
Grieser also expressed optimism about the team’s relay groups.
“I’m excited to see where our sprint relays take us this season,” he said. “We’re going to continue to improve those relay times and to just see how fast we can go.”
For the girls, Meeker’s relay teams turned in strong efforts across multiple events. The 4×400-meter relay team led the way with a sixth-place finish in 4:29.97, while the 4×200-meter relay placed eighth in 1:58.06 and the 4×100-meter relay finished 10th in 54.96.
Braydin Raley a member of the 4×400 relay team said the event demands both physical and mental strength.
“The 400 is one of the toughest races in track, so the 4×400 is very competitive and very hard,” she said. “It really comes down to mentality, form and who has the strongest mind.”
Raley added that competition played a key role in the team’s performance.
“I anchored that relay and PR’d, and it really came down to competing,” Raley said. “I think being competitive is one of the most important things in track.”
She said the team is still developing chemistry early in the season.
“Right now it’s about getting into the flow and learning each other,” Raley said. “Leading isn’t about being perfect yet, it’s about being supportive. The 400 is hard, so having teammates cheering each other on is important.”
She added that the team continues to focus on improving through practice.
“We do pacing work each week, and it helps,” Raley said. “But when you cross the finish line, if every part of your body doesn’t hurt, you didn’t do it right.”
Looking ahead, she said the relay group has high expectations.
“We’re going to keep cutting time, especially in the 4×800,” Raley said. “There’s a lot of potential with this group, and everyone wants to work hard and succeed.”
Senior Addie Knowles highlighted the Cowgirls’ field events with a fourth-place finish in the discus, throwing 107 feet, 11 inches. Knowles also placed seventh in the pole vault (7 feet, 6 inches) and eighth in the shot put (29 feet, 11 inches).
Knowles said she was encouraged by her early-season performance.
“I was happy with my performance in discus — getting a 107-11 this early in the season is a good sign,” she said.
She added that the team is continuing to improve as the season progresses.
“The whole team has been working a lot and polishing things up from the first meet,” Knowles said. “Everyone is doing great, and all the seniors have stepped up as leaders and have had strong performances.”
Sophomore Hailey Schwartz added a 10th-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 30 feet, 10.5 inches and said the meet showed improvement from the season opener.
“This meet was a bit better than the last one,” Schwartz said. “After finding what was wrong with my jumps from the first meet and realizing that I needed to warm up more, I was able to add 10 inches to my jump.”
Schwartz said competing against larger schools has helped shape her mindset.
“My takeaway from that day of triple jump was to keep in mind that I was, and will continue to be competing against people from bigger schools,” she said. “Even if I’m not completely satisfied with 10th place, I can just continue to improve instead of getting in my head about it.”
She added that she is focusing on refining technique in each phase of the jump.
“Right now, I am working on increasing my speed down the runway, holding my knee up in my second phase, and increasing my height in my third phase,” Schwartz said. “My goal is to continue to increase the length of each phase by a little bit each time to get the best jump I can.”
Schwartz also said she is working on staying relaxed during competition.
“As a sophomore, I’ve learned to stay loose,” she said. “Before I jump, I tend to get nervous and tense up, which makes me slower and not able to stretch my jump as far. This is still a work in progress.”
Looking ahead, Schwartz said she has set high goals for the season.
“My goals for the rest of the season are to jump over 33 feet and then place at state,” she said. “I will be happy if I make it to state this year, but I’m really hoping to do good enough to place too.”
Meeker track coaches Kirk Hossack and Terrence Casias said they’re very excited with the results from the team’s second meet of the season and are hoping for continued progress this coming weekend.
“We’re very excited with the results from our second meet of the season,” Meeker track co-head coach Kirk Hossack said. “The athletes showed a lot of improvement and strong effort across the board. We’re looking forward to building on that progress this coming weekend and seeing even faster times, higher jumps, and stronger performances in every event.”
The Cowboys will return to Grand Junction on April 4, with events scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Stocker Stadium.
Senior Addie Knowles of Meeker High School prepares to release a throw in the discus finals at Stocker Stadium during the Mickey Dunn Invitational on March 28. Knowles placed fourth in the event with a throw of 107 feet, 11 inches. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
