Indoor thinclads open at Gillette

A large field of 17 schools provided the Lovell High School indoor track and field teams with excellent competition at the Gillette ITK Invitational meet last Saturday.

“It was great to finally get out and compete after three weeks of practice,” said head coach AJ Montanez.

The Bulldogs placed 15th with four points, and the Lady Bulldogs were not able to score a point at the meet.

Gavin Robertson was the Bulldogs’ lone placer as he tied his PR (personal record) in the high jump with a leap of 5-6 to place fifth. He also set a PR in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.97, which placed him 14th, and then placed 10th in the long jump with a mark of 18-11.

The only other PR was set by Jett Hessenthaler in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.88, which placed him 109th in the event. Regarding his team’s performance at the ITK Invitational, Coach Montanez felt the athletes competed well.

“I am happy with the way we went out and competed,” he said. “Though we had some PRs, there’s always work to be done, especially this early in the season.”

Other solid performances for the Bulldogs were turned in by Jaxon Pluhar, who placed 14th in the 400 meters with a time of 57.78 and then placed 11th in the high jump with a height of 5-4. Jacob Thomas also ran the 400 meters and placed 19th with a time of 58.89. In the shot put Halen Strom placed 14th with a throw of 42-4.

Girls results

For the Lady Bulldogs Janelle Hessenthaler performed well in the 55-meter dash, placing 54th in a time of 8.23, and then finished the 200-meter run in 30.56, which placed her 47th. Emily Jensen placed 110th in the 55-meter dash with a time of 8.83 and 81st in 200-meter run, finishing with a time of 32.17. Also competing in the sprints was Kaitlynn Robison, who placed 123rd in the 55-meter dash in a time of 8.97, then placed 124th in the 200 meters in 34.41. She also competed in the long jump with a mark of 10-10.5, which placed her 58th.

The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will now have a couple weeks to practice and prepare for their next meet on February 15 in Casper at the Natrona Invite.

“We have a long season ahead of us with only two more competitions before State,” Montanez said. “These athletes are dedicated and continue to put in hard work. I am confident that our times and distances will be getting better as the season progresses.”