Track and field teams from the Intermountain League and beyond competed on Friday in Cortez. The Montezuma-Cortez boys defended their home track to win the Intermountain League Meet/Panther Invitational with 135.5 points, just three ahead of Alamosa. The Mean Moose, however, captured the girls’ title with 166 points, 11 more than Pagosa Springs in second.
Bayfield won four events, helping its boys finish third and girls place fifth. Durango also sent some athletes to Cortez, in addition to the Liberty Bell Invitational in Littleton. The DHS boys finished eighth and its girls placed sixth while Ignacio’s boys placed 10th and its girls 13th.
Bayfield’s boys won two events at the IML championships. BHS won the title in the 4x200 with a time of 1 minute, 36.45 seconds. Deegan Barnes won the discus for BHS with a top throw of 128 feet, 8.00 inches. Kyle Rima of Ignacio placed third in the discus (110-11), 1-01 behind Jace Montoya of Alamosa. Barnes also placed third in the shot put (42-02.75).
The BHS girls also won two titles. Nykole Meshaw captured gold for BHS in the long jump, leaping 16-03.50 to win the event by just over six inches.
Alaysia Kremer won the shot put for the Wolverines with a top throw of 34-06.50.
Mark Torres (11.29) and Ayden Casillas (11.34) of BHS crossed second and third in the 100, behind Zander Cruzan of M-CHS. Cruzan won four events: the 100 (10.68), 200 (21.82), 400 (53.58) and long jump (20 feet, 5.25 inches).
Casillas also placed third in the 200 (23.39), followed by teammate Jonathan Chapman in fourth (23.73).
Bayfield also got top-five finishes from the girls’ 4x100 relay (fourth, 57.21), Katie Killinen (shot put, 28-00.5), Byron Pringle (400, 57.62), Tristan Sager (3,200, 11:52.84), Porter Sutherlin (fourth, 12:00.73) and Gabriel Archuleta (fourth discus, 103-07.00; fifth shot put, 39-07.50). BHS’ boys also finished second in the 4x100 (45.76), fifth in the 4x400 (3:50.82) and fifth in the 4x800 (11:14.03).
Maci Barnes had Ignacio’s top finish, placing fourth in the girls’ 1,600 in 5:53.82. Barnes also placed fifth in the 200 (28.68). Juliann Avila placed fifth in the high jump (4-04) while Lauren deKay placed fifth in the pole vault (7-00.00) for IHS.
Seneca Wilson of Durango cleared 8-06 to win the girls’ pole vault, finishing just ahead of teammate Sydney Wells, who also cleared 8-06 on a later attempt.
DHS also had top-five finishes in the girls 4x200 (second, 2:00.48) and girls 4x400 (fifth, 4:55.81). Allan Hardee crossed third in the boys 400 (55.96), Brodie Dorko placed third in the 800 (2:08.87), Ethan Flores crossed fifth in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles (18.00; 45.68), Maddox Bryant cleared 5-08 to place fifth in the high jump and its 4x100 relay crossed fifth in 46.80.
At the Liberty Bell, which had 39 teams competing, Charlie Dillman (2:02.79) and Luke Swenk (2:05.25) both clocked their fastest times of the year in the 800 for DHS.
Jeanne Campbell had the team’s highest finish, placing seventh in the high jump (4-10.00). Sofia Voss placed 15h in the 800 (2:22.37) and 17th in the 1,600 (5:25.81). Oshi Reider placed 19th in the girls discus (87-03.00).
Swenk finished 14th in the 1,600 (4:32.67) and Oliver Clark finished 14th in the high jump (5-06). DHS also had a top-20 finish the boys 4x400 (19th, 3:52.99).
