The Bayfield High School boys track and field team proved it will be a state title contender with another outstanding performance Saturday at the Mickey Dunn Invitational in Grand Junction.
The Wolverines finished second with 82 points, as they finished only two points back of Mountain Vista. Class 3A Bayfield beat several elite Class 5A and Class 4A teams at the meet.
“We are gaining momentum,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said.
Bayfield’s 4x100-meter relay team was stunning with a first-place finish in 44.22 seconds. The team was made up of Dawson French, Dylan Hilliker, Wyatt Killinen and Carl Heide as the anchor. Their time was 0.61 seconds faster than second-place Grand Junction.
Carl Heide won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.28 seconds. Roaring Fork’s Justin Thompson was second in 15.40 seconds. Carl Heide also won the 300-meter hurdles in 40.61 seconds to win by more than a second ahead of Moffat County’s Mikinzie Klimper, who finished in 41.98 seconds.
Ryan Phelps won the boys discus throw at 155-feet, 1-inch. Battle Mountain’s Max Christenberry was second at 152 feet. Phelps was beat by his teammate, Killinen, in the shot put in a huge point-scoring event for the Wolverines. Killinen threw the shot 49-07.25. Phelps was second at 48-07.25, and David Hawkins set a personal record with a throw of 46-10.
Killinen was fifth in the 100-meter dash in 11.68 seconds. Hilliker was sixth in 11.70 seconds. It was a unique win for Killinen, an offensive and defensive lineman on the football team, going against Hilliker, regarded as the Wolverines’ speedy ball carrier in football. The winning 100 time came from Fruita Monument’s Cason Gisner in 11.31 seconds.
Dawson Heide was fourth in the 400 in 52.10 seconds. Caleb Egbert of Montrose won in 50.53 seconds.
Killinen, the Heide brothers and Dax Snooks teamed up for the boys 4x400 relay and placed fifth in 3:38.00. The winning time was 3:33.50 from Mountain Vista.
Bayfield’s girls scored seventh out of 24 teams despite having only six athletes. BHS scored 44 points. Mountain Vista won the girls meet with 113 points.
Star junior Jordan Lanning was once again stellar. She won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.42 seconds. Montrose’s Katie Sherwood was second in 16.33. Lanning also was second in the 300-meter hurdles in 47.30 seconds. Mountain Vista’s Kara Lucyk was first in 45.98.
Lanning was beat by Durango’s Alyssa McConnell in the girls high jump. McConnell cleared 5-04.00. Lanning cleared the same height. They both went four inches higher than third-place Kenley Kohls of Fruita Monument.
Lanning also was third in the girls triple jump at 33-10.50. The winning leap was 34-08.75 from Mountain Vista’s Sydney Trichler.
Hannah Whitmer soared to first place for Bayfield in the pole vault, as she cleared 8-01. Palmer Ridge’s Grace Szucs was second at 7-07.
Mikayla Barnes had another strong day in the throwing events. She was second in the shot put at 34-02. The winning throw was 35-02 from Eagle Valley’s Cassie Jaramillo. Barnes also was fifth in the discus with a throw of 103-08. The top throw was 115-07 from Jaramillo.
Durango’s boys finished 15th with 14 points, and the girls were eighth with 43 points at the Mickey Dunn Invitational.
The Durango High School girls 4x400 relay team picked up a first-place finish at the meet with a time of 4:08.23. They won by more than a second ahead of Mountain Vista. Teagan Garand got the team off to a strong start followed by Bekah Moenning, Abby Scott and Emma Fitzgerald.
McConnell won the girl’s high jump ahead of Bayfield’s Lanning to earn another 10 points for the Demons.
The boys 4x800 relay team of Ben Bates, Noah Bodewes, Aidan Fitzgerald and Marcus Flint placed third in 8:32.80. The winning time came from Mountain Vista in 7:57.74.
Garand was second in the girls 200 dash in 26.85 seconds. Battle Mountain’s Sabrina Sutter won in 26.35 seconds. Garand was also fifth in the girls 100 dash, as she finished in 13.10 seconds. Teagan Zwaanstra of ThunderRidge was first in an electrifying time of 12.61 seconds.
Aidan Fitzgerald was fifth in the boys 1,600-meter run, as he finished the mile in 4:34.37. The race was won by Dakota Ridge’s Austin Vancil in 4:24.60.
Scott finished seventh in the girls 1,600 in 5:19.79. The fastest mile was run by Mountain Vista’s Jenna Fitzsimmons in 5:11.02.
Moenning was eighth in the girls 800 in 2:25.49. The top time came from Battle Mountain’s Naomi Harding in 2:16.57.
Durango’s boys 4x400 relay team of Bates, Bodewes, Maxton Warman and Aidan Fizgerald was seventh in 3:39.13.
Braden Evans placed seventh in the boys discus with a throw of 128-01.
Azalea Santillan was fourth in the girls shot put at 34-01.50. She also was seventh in the discus at 100-10.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
