Huge turnout for Lovell track and field as season begins

Coming off a state championship on the boys side, the Lovell High School track and field team is seeing a bumper crop of participating athletes as the season begins, head coach Joshua Sanders said this week.

As of Monday, the team had 33 girls and 32 boys competing, with some additions or subtractions likely still to come, Sanders said, for a total of 65 athletes working out.

“We haven’t had that many girls out for a while, so that’s fantastic,” Sanders said. “We’re between 60 and 70 in our numbers. Isn’t that fantastic? I love that.

“And we have five coaches helping. The district has done just a great job of supporting us with this.”

Josh Sanders handles the horizontal jumps, Caleb Sanders the middle distance to long distance races, Bob Weber the high jump and pole vault, A. Jay Montanez the throws and Josey Allen the sprints and hurdles. Gavin Robertson is a volunteer coach, and Sanders noted, “I love having him around.”

The boys team will be defending their 3A state title. Lovell edged Cody 117-110 in 2025, and while the team lost some key points to graduation in Robertson and Taggart Shumway, plus others, Sanders hopes the team can make up the points with other athletes.

“We did lose those seniors who got us a lot of points in the jumps. I think I remember last year at State that we had 70-plus points in the jumps,” Sanders said. “So, yeah, we’re losing some good contribution from those seniors, but I think there are other people who were younger last year who this year can fit those roles.

“I think our strengths are going to be in the jumps and the sprints. And I also think Jacob Thomas will be able to help in middle distance. He was injured last year about halfway through the season (calf), and he was coming on really strong.”

The Bulldogs have some outstanding athletes returning in seniors Matthew Newman and Owen Walker. Newman won the state title and set a new school record in the triple jump, leaping 47-5, and he placed second in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles, as well as fourth in the high jump.

“Matthew Newman is a jumping machine,” Sanders said. “What he’s accomplished has been tremendous. He was a quarter inch off the 3A triple jump record and broke our longstanding school record. He’s super springy.”

Walker won the high jump at State and placed second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.

Senior Halen Strom leads a strong group of throwers after placing second at State in the shot put and eighth in the discus. He had a strong indoor track season, Sanders noted. The group of returning throwers includes seniors Brody Muller and Tazz McArthur, plus senior Kyle Wilson, who sat out last year after performing well as a sophomore. Now a sophomore, Grant Hill is bigger and stronger, Sanders noted.

Senior Owen Edwards returns in the pole vault, though he’s currently nursing a knee injury.

Sanders also said sophomore Hunter Krei is coming on in the sprints, along with sophomore Anthony Garcia and junior Nathan Cornia.

Lovell girls

The girls team has “huge numbers,” Sander said, noting, “I think we’re building strength there in our girls team. I really do.”

Top returning performers are twin sophomore sisters Avery and Ali Walker in the triple jump. Avery set a school record in the event and took the podium as the best of the best in the event at State for a leap of 37-10. Ali placed fourth at State.

“They are premier jumpers,” Sanders said.

Also strong last season was senior Becca Nichols, who placed sixth at State in both the 100- and 200-meter dash and is also strong in the triple jump.

Junior Brooklin Clark was strong in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, and junior Kandace Asay came on strong in the 100-meter dash and the 400 meters. Sophomore Caylee Herman returns in the 800 meters.

Junior Celeste Lindsay, hot off a strong indoor track season, returns in the throws after sitting out last season with a knee injury.

“She couldn’t participate last year, so I think she’s really excited, because when you’re not able to do it for a year, that kind of stinks for you,” Sanders said.

Other strong throwers are sophomore Christina Zollman and freshman Morgan Harshman, Sanders said.

Showing promise in various events are freshmen Macie Anderson, Gracie Angell and Eliza Wagner, Sanders said.

Cody opener

The Bulldogs will open the season tomorrow (Friday) at the Cody Invitational. Running and field events begin at 11 a.m.

The D&D Invitational in Worland follows on April 2, followed by the LA Kohnke Invitational in Powell on April 11.