Bulldogs compete twice in final regular season meets

Lovell High School track and field coaches split the squad last week to get athletes as much competition as possible, sending a few athletes to the Cody Trackstravaganza Thursday and others to the Bobcat Invitational in Thermopolis Friday.

It’s all part of the process of putting together the best lineup possible for Regionals and State as coaches put the final pieces in place.

“We don’t have everything figured out, but we’re going to have to before Regionals,” head coach Joshua Sanders said. “We’re doing really good in a lot of areas. We look at how kids will perform at State, and we look at the performances around the state to decide in what events to place kids.”

For the Cody meet, coaches mostly entered athletes in events where the top four competitors for the regional meet weren’t fully set yet, with a few vying for the post-season spot. And since Thermop – with 25 teams attending – had to limit the number of entries for each school, that kind of competition couldn’t be done on Friday.

Thus, Sanders noted, “we didn’t take the whole team to either meet. I really liked Thermopolis. We saw different teams (than normal), and the relay events were full.”

Boys results

Sanders named freshman Hunter Krei as the male athlete of the week for his work this week. Krei won the 100-meter dash in a personal record time of 11.21, which Sanders said was a feat with 25 teams attending. He also ran a leg of the 400-meter relay team that tied the school record, running with Gavin Robertson, Matthew Newman and Nate Cornia to win the event in 43.65. The time tied the record set by Adnan Khan, Blake Wilson, Newman and Robertson just last season.

Robertson was strong in the 200-meter dash, running the second fastest time of his career to win the event in Thermopolis in 22.54.

“He’s peaking at the right time,” Sanders said.

Newman ran the 800 meters for the first time this season in Thermopolis Friday and won the event in a time of 2:04.45.

“It was something he wanted to do,” Sanders said. “He enjoys pushing himself and seeing what he’s capable of.”

Sophomore Kaeson Anderson had a strong meet, setting two personal records and placing in two events. Anderson placed fourth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, running a time of 43.97, and he set a new PR in the 110-meter high hurdles, finishing 11th in 17.68. He also cleared 5-8 in the high jump to place sixth and set a personal record in the triple jump at 37-5, finishing 11th.

“Kaeson is starting to get back to form,” Sanders said, noting that Anderson was ill early in the season.

The Lovell pole vaulters are showing consistency, Sanders said, clearing the bar at or around season bests. Senior Taggart Shumway, who broke the school record at 14-2 at the Lovell meet, cleared 14 feet Friday to win the event in Thermopolis. Talon Burton placed seventh at 11 feet, and junior Owen Edwards cleared 12-6 in both Cody and Thermop to place first Thursday and fourth Friday.

Owen Walker won the high jump at 6 feet, with Newman third at 5-10.

Junior Halen Strom set a personal record in winning the shot put in Cody, heaving the orb 50-5, with Tazz McArthur fifth with a personal record throw of 39-2½ and Jace Pluhar ninth at 38-7½.

“He finally got that 50,” Sanders said of Strom’s 50-foot throw. “That’s been a personal goal we’ve highlighted. He’s been after that mark.”

Strom also won the discus in Cody with a toss of 134-9, with Pluhar second at 123-9, McArthur fourth at 120-3 and Grant Hill seventh at 112-11.

Other boys results this week were:

100m dash – Anthony Garcia 13th (Thermopolis), 11.79 (PR), Nate Cornia 19th (T), 12.02 (PR), Jett Hessenthaler 57th (T), 12.82, Kelvin Robertson 33rd (Cody), 13.74; 800 meters – Stetson Asay 12th (T), 2:12.98, Cutler Wilkerson 43rd (T), 2:42.18, Gabe Buchholz 46th, 2:45.18; 1,600 meters – Wilkerson 33rd (T), 6:04.02, Buchholz 34th (T), 6:19.26; long jump – Cornia ninth (T), 18-8 ½, Garcia 13th (T), 18-6, Hunter Krei 15th (T), 18-3, Karson Seitz 7th (Cody), 17-6 (PR), Robertson 11th, 12-10; shot put – Hessenthaler 36th (T), 34-9, Sam Cordova 46th (T), 31-10, Grant Hill 15th (C), 28-10, Gage Pillow 64th (T), 28-3½ (P), Kajyn Cliame 74th (T), 24-8 (PR); discus – Dean Anderson 42nd (T), 93-5, Cordova 46th (T), 91-9, Cliame 74th (T), 64-7.

Girls results

The female athlete of the week is sophomore Kandace Asay, who placed third in the 400-meter dash in Cody with a personal record time of 1:04.56. She also ran the strongest leg of the 3,200-meter relay that qualified for State with a time of 10:46.37, joining Jenna Hessenthaler, Caylee Herman and Elana Schilthuis, and she ran a leg of the 1,600-meter relay team that placed third in Thermop in 4:18.04, qualifying for State. Running with Asay were Brooklin Clark, Ali Walker and Becca Nichols. Asay placed eighth in the 100-meter dash in Cody, as well, at 14.11.

Another highlight for the Lady Bulldogs was the performance of freshman Avery Walker in the high jump. Walker cleared 5-1 to win the event in Thermopolis, a personal record, with Asay tied for ninth at 4-7. Walker also placed second in the long jump in Thermop with a leap of 16-4.

Nichols continued her strong season this week, setting a new personal record in the 100-meter dash in Thermopolis and qualifying for State in a time of 13.02, good for second place. 

Janelle Hessenthaler placed fifth in the 100 at Cody, running 13.87, and she ran 13.56 (PR) in Thermop, finishing 11th.

Schilthuis, a junior, placed sixth in the 3,200 meters in Thermopolis, running the eight laps in 14:05.73, and freshman Addie Weber was 12th in 15.27.48.

Sophomore Brooklin Clark placed second in the 300-meter low hurdles Cody with a personal record time of 49.78, which Sanders called “a great time,” and she finished ninth in the 100-meter intermediate hurdles in Thermop at 17.59, 3/100ths off her personal record.

Clark also placed fifth in the long jump in Thermopolis, hitting the sand at 15-4¼, and sophomore Hannity Felkins placed third in the triple jump in Cody, sailing 30-10½.

Other girls results this week were:

100m dash – Avery Walker 17th (T), 13.76 (PR), Jaycie Allen 21st (T), 13.93, Brooklin Clark ninth (C), 14.21 (PR), Kaitlynn Robison 14th (C), 16.01; 200m dash – Claire Shumway eighth (Cody), 34.09 (PR), Robison ninth (C), 34.38; 400m dash – Janelle Hessenthaler 19th (T), 1:11.67; 800 meters – Caylee Herman 12th (T), 2:44.77, Candace Walker 17th (T), 2:54.96 (PR); 100m hurdles – Ava Edwards ninth (C), 19.13 (PR), 28th (T), 19.24; 300m hurdles – Edwards 28th (T), 58.64; long jump – Allen 14th (T), 14-9¼, Ali Walker 15th (T), 14-9, Hannity Felkins seventh (C), 14-1½, Edwards ninth (C), 13-11½, Hessenthaler 10th (C), 13-5½, Claire Shumway 11th (C), 13-5; triple jump – Candace Walker 21st (T), 28-1½; shot put – Felkins 10th (C), 27-5, Christina Zollman 12th (C), 26-½, Caitlyn Allen 17th (C), 20-6, Brezhae Espinoza 18th, 20-3 (PR); discus – Zollman 10th (C), 80-9, C. Allen 14th (C), 71-3 (PR), Espinoza 17th (C), 57-8.

Regional track

The Bulldogs will stay close to home for the Class 3A West Regional meet this year, with the meet taking place in Powell Friday and Saturday. Action begins Friday at 1 p.m. and continues Saturday at 9 a.m. at Powell High School.

The state track meet follows on May 22-24 in Casper.