Area athletes to compete at State Track and Field Championships

Area athletes to compete at State Track and Field Championships

May 17, 2001

ONE OF THE perks for qualifying for the 4A State Track and Field Championships this Friday and Saturday at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood is getting a new T-shirt. Montezuma-Cortez High School thinclads competing include (top row, left to right) A.J. Herrmann, Levi Hill, Josh Lee, Colin Tansey, Jeff Yarbrough, James Durnin; (middle row) Connie Berger, Julie Christensen, Nate Foster, Walt Pape, Jeff Anderson; (bottom row) Marie DeBolt, Kendra Taylor, Dawn Keck, Tasha Toles; (not pictured) Kristi Christensen.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports editor

LAKEWOOD AND PUEBLO — It’s the meet they’ve been waiting for all year.

A contingent from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 4A and a large group from Dolores, Dolores County, and Mancos high schools at the 2A level will compete this Friday and Saturday, May 18-19, at the State Track and Field Championships.

The Panther boys and girls will head to Lakewood to compete at Jefferson County Stadium. The Bears, Blue Jays, and Bulldogs will go to Pueblo to participate at Dutch Clark Stadium. Only the top three placers at Regionals and any who pre-qualified in previous meets earned the right to go State.

MCHS boys will be represented by Josh Lee who qualified at last week’s Western Regionals in Grand Junction in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. A.J. Herrmann qualified in the 110 high hurdles and Jeff Yarbrough made it in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Jeff Anderson finished third in the high jump last weekend at Regionals to earn a ticket to State. The boys 4X200 relay squad of Nate Foster, James Durnin, Yarbrough, and Lee will compete.

"For some of these kids, it is their first time out (going to State)," MCHS head coach Bob Archibeque commented. "For some of them it will be a real learning process. It should be a real eye-opener to them as the level of competition is a whole step up.

"We have an outside shot on a few of the kids to make the finals. They will have to achieve their best performances of the season to make the finals. I do think Josh Lee, who was in the finals last year, has a real good shot at it again this year. A couple hurdlers have been doing well and could make it. Jeff Anderson has been jumping well."

All but one (Lee) of Archibeque’s group are underclassmen.

"This group will get their feet wet. We have a lot to look forward to in the coming years," he added.

On the girls’ side, the Panther 4X100 relay team of Tasha Toles, Kristi Christensen, Kendra Taylor and Dawn Keck will be going to State. Also going will be Marie DeBolt, and Julie Christensen. Connie Berger qualified in the high jump.

"I haven’t seen our draw (in the 4X100) but it will be tough for us because the competition is so good," MCHS head girls coach Doug Anderson remarked. "There will be three preliminary heats with the top two plus the next two overall lowest times advancing to the finals. If the girls get good handoffs and run their best, then we’ve got a shot at the finals. But one small mistake in that race, we would be done."

Anderson reported that Berger, an exchange student from Germany, has a shot at placing just as long as she doesn’t miss some early jumps. "If she has at least one miss left after clearing 5 feet, 2 inches, then she might have a chance to place," he noted.

Mancos will be taking a full bus load to the State meet at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo. Both the Blue Jay boys and girls finished second in the team standings.

For the girls, Amanda Kennedy qualified in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Jori Yeomans earned two spots in two middle distance running events, the 800 and the 1600. Rachel Russell will throw the shotput and discus. Teammate Kassi Paxton is a surprise entry in the discus after she shocked the field by taking first at last week’s Regionals, throwing a personal record 98 feet, 9 inches to earn first. Russell placed second to qualify in that event. In the triple jump, Kerri Morgan’s jump was good enough for try for State.

Mancos will take two girls’ relay teams. The 4X100 team of Morgan, Lacey Morris, Brittany Aspromonte, and Kennedy and the 4X400 team of Yeomans, Morgan, Aspromonte, and Morris.

For the boys, Philip Wilson will run the 100 and the 400. Jesse Rousett will compete in the 400. Travis Clark will throw the discus.

The Mancos boys’ relay teams also did well. The 4X100 team of Wilson, Chase Davis, Jakob Tallent, and Doyle Edgerton will go to State. The 4X200 squad of Wilson, Edgerton, Davis and Nick Rubino also is headed there. The 4X400 team of Wilson, Rousett, Tallent, and Edgerton and the 4X800 team of Sven McNeil, Matt Sucherman, Preston Hennrich, and Edgerton.

Dolores will be taking one boy and five girls to Pueblo.

Cody Beaver won the 110 high hurdles with a new meet record of 14.97. He also won the 300 hurdles. Beaver will also be competing in the 100 as he took second in that event.

Kristen Gustafsen earned her right to go to the State meet in the 3200. Jennifer Trevillian will go to Pueblo to compete in the high jump.

The 800 medley relay team of Sheena Burns, Kori Ackles, Ashley Ramirez, and Trevillian will get a shot at State.

Dolores County girls will be competing at State in the 4X400, the 100 hurdles, and the long jump. Shandra Johnson placed third in both the hurdles and long jump. The 4X400 team of Charlene Atkins, Christine Atkins, Amanda Johnson, and Krystal Neely placed third. Alyssa Redshaw will run in the 100 and the 200 who had prequalified in both of those events.