Grizzly thinclads compete well at Lovell Invite

As the regular season winds down, with just two weekends left before Regionals, the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies continue to produce strong performances for track and field and did so once again at the Lovell Invitational on Saturday.
Though cool at first, the weather moderated into a nice day, coach Tobee Christiansen said.
“It was chilly in the morning, but it warmed up through the whole day,” Coach C said. “It was another chance for kids to compete and get ready for Regionals.”
Several Lady Grizzlies produced personal records Saturday. Junior Elliahna Scheeler set a PR in the discus for the third consecutive meet, placing third with a toss of 105-8 and prequalifying for the state track meet. Likewise, senior Rylee Winland set a PR in the shot put, firing the shot 33-7, having already qualified for State the week before.
“Elliahna unleashed a good discus throw that qualified her for State, so that was fun,” Christiansen noted. “Elliahna is a perfectionist. She’s put a lot of time in with Coach (Ryan) Boettcher. She prefers the discus and has made some drastic improvement.
“Rylee is the opposite. She prefers the shot put. It’s good for them both to see the success. They’ve put in a lot of time.”
Christiansen also noted the performance of junior Tarynn Schoening in the pole vault. Schoening shattered her personal record in the event, clearing 8 feet to place third and qualify for State.
“She’s new to that event, but she’s caught onto it quickly. She’s a natural athlete.”
Senior MacKelle Moss continued her success in the high jump, clearing 5-3 to place third, just one inch off of her school record set in Burlington two weeks earlier, and she placed fourth in the 400 meters in a time of 1:02.18, a strong time since she had just finished running a leg of the 400-meter relay, Christiansen noted.
The Rocky 4x100 foursome of Shelby Wambeke, Brittly Boettcher, Moss and Kaitey Christensen won the race in 54.09.
Christiansen noted the improvement of freshman Charlee Welling in the 200-meter dash. Welling ran a personal record time of 29.45 in the event to place seventh.
“Charlee keeps improving and getting stronger,” Coach C said.
Junior Boettcher placed eighth in the 100-meter intermediate hurdles in a time of 18.57.
The Lady Grizz put together a 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team for the first time this season. The team of Welling, Schoening, Layla Gardner and Emma Sponsel placed fifth in 5:35.65.
In other field events, both senior Christensen and Welling nearly placed in the long jump, tying for ninth place at 13-5½. In the pole vault, sophomore Gardner tied her personal record by clearing 7 feet, placing fifth, and fellow soph Keylee Christiansen cleared 6-6 to place sixth.
Christiansen concluded his comments on the girls team by complimenting sophomore twin sisters Evynn and Ellie Alvarez for their dedication to the team.
“It’s so much fun to have them on the track team,” he said. “I love their work ethic. Kayla Honeyman does an amazing job with those girls.”
Other girls results were:
100m dash – Shelby Wambeke 10th, 14.12, Kaitey Christensen 11th, 14.18, Brittly Boettcher 12th, 14.31, Ella Pierce 21st, 15.38 (PR), Evynn Alvarez 35th, 17.22; 200m dash – Evynn Alvarez 25th, 36.71; 400 meters – Ellie Alvarez 11th, 1:29.13 (PR); 800 meters – Emma Sponsel 14th, 3:21.32 (PR); long jump – Sponsel 20th, 11-2, Evynn Alvarez 22nd, 8-2, Ellie Alvarez 23rd, 8-0; triple jump – Keylee Christiansen 14th, 28-¼, Sponsel 20th, 25-6¼; high jump - Christensen 12th, 4-9, Christiansen 15th, 4-3; shot put – Elliahna Scheeler tie-24th, 23-5 (PR), Katelynne Herren 26th, 22-11, Evynn Alvarez 34th, 13-3½; discus - Rylee Winland 12th, 84-10, Herren 26th, 62-4.
Boys results
For the Rocky boys, Coach Christiansen noted the performance of junior Hudson May in the 800 meters. May ran a personal record time of 2:05.53, a personal record time that qualified him for State in the event. Junior Bryce Haslem placed ninth
in 2:15.98.
“We’ve been concentrating a lot on our 200 splits,” Christiansen said, “breaking it down and making sure he (Hudson) hits those splits. He’s set some big goals this year. It’s fun to see his times drop as he chases those goals. That’s a kid who’s not afraid to put in the work. He probably could have run a 2:03, but he got boxed in.
“For Bryce, that was his first time running it. That will help him get into a faster heat (at the next meet). He won his heat.”
Senior Noah Bisby placed seventh in the 400 meters, running a personal record time of 1:02.29.
In field events, freshman Joaquin Scheeler set a personal record and placed sixth in the triple jump, sailing 36-2 in the event. He also finished ninth in the high jump, clearing 5-2.
“He started the year working on his throws, but he has the body type to be successful in other stuff,” Christiansen said.
Scheeler set a PR in the shot put with a toss of 34-10, good for 12th place.
Freshman Dalan Wambeke competed in the pole vault for the first time this season and cleared 9-6 to finish 14th.
“You’re going to see him improve. He’s got a knack for it,” Christiansen said.
Other boys results were:
100m dash – Will Watts 10th, 12.50 (PR), William Fuller 17th, 13.03, Race Moorehead 32nd, 15.78; 200m dash – Hudson May 10th, 26.33; 400 meters – Moorehead 10th, 1:11.27; 1,600 meters – Cole Minchow 12th, 5:37.50, Paul Shetler 14th, 6:03.80; long jump – Fuller 13th, 15-10¾, Kellan Jackson 15th, 15-1½, Paul Seratt 20th, 11-4; shot put – Hayden Wambeke 15th, 34-6, Kellan Jackson 22nd, 32-½; discus - Wambeke 13th, 99-1 (PR), Jackson 14th, 95-10 (PR).
Home meet
The Grizzlies will host the Rocky Mountain Invitational this Saturday, weather permitting. Athletic director Rod Winland said rain is expected, and the school will make a decision Friday at noon whether to hold the meet.
If held, the meet will begin with the 3,200-meter relay at 9:30 a.m., plus field events. Running events continue at 10:15 a.m.