Grizzly seventh-grade boys win RMMS Invitational

The Rocky Mountain seventh-grade boys track and field team defended their home turf Friday, topping a seven-team field to win the Rocky Mountain Middle School Invitational.

Rocky edged Lovell by one third of a point, 123.33 to 123.

The eighth-grade boys placed third with 100 points, seventh-grade girls third (91 points) and the eighth-grade girls sixth (28 points).

Among the highlights Friday was sixth grader Tianna Christiansen winning the seventh-grade pole vault and setting a new RMMS school record with a vault of 7-4, breaking the record held by Alexis Minemyer. Christiansen also won the seventh-grade 200-meter hurdles in 34.11, and she placed fourth in the 800 meters, covering the two laps in 2:56.64.

Taylor Grandalen won the seventh-grade girls high jump, clearing 4-4, and she placed fourth in the 400-meter dash in 1:18.43. 

Sawyer Bassett won the eighth-grade triple jump, sailing 32-9½, and she placed third in the long jump at 13-10½, third in the 200-meter hurdles in 35.15 and fifth in the 100-meter hurdles in 20.16.

Elle Ganoung placed third in the seventh-grade girls long jump with a leap of 12-1½ and third in the triple jump, hitting the sand at 27-9½.

The team of Clair Mumford, Eden Wallway, Kaylie Watts and Mariah Mauch placed first in the seventh-grade 800-meter sprint relay race in a time of 2:38.92, and the quartet of Grandalen, Ganoung, Kate Crosby and Christiansen placed third in the eighth-grade version of the race in 2:28.58.

The foursome of Ganoung, Presli Moss, Alexis Clark and Lauren Hedges placed fourth in the seventh-grade 400-meter relay in 1:03.30.

Other top-10 placers for the Rocky Mountain Middle School Lady Grizz were: Crosby 10th in the 200-meter dash, Watts seventh in the 400-meter dash, Mauch sixth and Watts seventh in the 800 meters, Mauch fifth in the 1,600 meters, Clark fifth in the 200-meter hurdles, Moss sixth in the high jump and seventh in the long jump, Lauren Hedges ninth in the long jump, Millie Hanusa eighth in the discus and Kielley Brimhall eighth in the discus and ninth in the triple jump.

Boys results

Jaxx May had a strong meet for the eighth-grade boys. He won the 100-meter dash in 12.74, won the 800 meters in 2:28.33, took first in the high jump at 5-2 and placed second in the 400-meter dash in a time of 58.19.

Dally Malson won the seventh-grade 200-meter hurdles in 31.70, followed by Hudson Moore in 37.76 and Tyler Crosby in 41.68, and the relay team of Wyatt Blank, Brooks Brost, Cody Kougl and Malson won the seventh-grade 400-meter hurdles in 56.85.

Malson also won the seventh-grade shot put with a throw of 32-6 ½ and placed second in the discus with a toss of 79-1½. Crosby won the seventh-grade pole vault, clearing 7-0, while Benson Jolley placed second in the eighth-grade pole vault at 9-0, Rowan Hanusa third at 6-6.

Brost placed second in the seventh-grade high jump at 4-6, and Blank placed second in the seventh-grade triple jump, splashing down at 30-10, followed by Moore third at 30-8½.

Jaxson Sponsel placed second in the eighth-grade 200-meter hurdles in a time of 45.07, third in the eighth-grade triple jump sailing, 33-3, and third in the long jump at 15-2¼.

Hanusa placed third in the eighth-grade 800 in 2:37.27 and fourth in the 1,600 in 5:52.50. Jason Unruh placed third in the seventh-grade 800 in 2:55.64 and third in the 1,600, running the four laps in 6:33.49.

Maddox Ward placed third in the seventh-grade 100-meter hurdles in 21.81. Derek Hedges placed third in the seventh-grade shot put with a throw of 27-9¼.

Other top-10 finishers in Cowley were: Blank sixth in the 100-meter dash, Brost seventh in the 100, Jolley fifth in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash, Unruh fifth in the 400-meter dash and Ty Samson seventh, Samson fifth in the high jump and Blank ninth, Kougl ninth in the long jump and Samson 10^th, Jayden Scheeler seventh in the triple jump, Kougl eighth and Crosby 10^th, Hedges seventh in the discus and Xavier Hetland 10^th and Jolley sixth in the shot put.

The Grizzlies will make the short trip to Lovell Saturday for the Lovell Middle School Invitational with field events starting at 10 a.m., running events at 11:30. The Big Horn Basin Conference meet follows May 10 in Thermopolis, and the season concludes with the best of the best meet in Lander on May 13.