Jordan Lanning soared to a Class 3A state track and field championships meet record, while the Bayfield boys leaped into title contention after the first day of competition in Lakewood.
Lanning, a junior, knew she had the girls high jump state championship wrapped up after she cleared 5 feet, 4 inches, but she wasn’t done in pursuit of a new personal record. She jumped higher than she ever had before Thursday, as she cleared 5-07.75 to set a new Class 3A meet record and a stadium record for Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood.
Lanning got off to a brilliant start to a state meet she has looked forward to all season. She also will compete in the girls 100- and 300-meter hurdles, as well as the long jump.
“The first act is over,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said of Lanning. “We expected her to come in and make it happen in her best event, and hats off to coach (Suzette Winters Baker) for really helping her and prepping her for this meet all year long. Jordan going for the record is fabulous, and I think she’s going to have an amazing last three events in these last two days.”
Five events were held for Class 3A on Thursday. Through those events, Bayfield’s boys team has a one point lead in the team rankings. The Wolverines have scored 26 points. The Classical Academy is second with 25 points and Roaring Fork is third with 21 points with plenty of events still ahead.
“We’re here to do this as a team, no questions about it,” Heide said.
The top-nine finishers in each event help their teams score points. First place receives 10 points, second place is awarded eight points, and it continues in a descending order until ninth place is given one point.
BHS’ boys were dominant in the pole vault. Senior Chad Winkler placed second, as he cleared 13-09. Steamboat Springs junior Eric Casey won at an even 14-feet. Bayfield’s Colton Fine, a senior, was third after he soared 13-03. Bayfield sophomore Dawson French was seventh at 12-06.
“We knew we had a big advantage with our pole vaulters all year if they could come up big, and by golly, those pole vaulters did,” Heide said. “Winkler getting a personal record, going way high, and then Colton going out great as a senior, that’s huge, and so is Dawson coming up with the ever-so-important three points. To get 18 points in pole vault, it’s huge when this is going to come down to two points or so at the end.”
In the discus throw, Ryan Phelps, an all-state selection in football and basketball, continued his dominant senior season with a second-place finish in the discus throw. He threw 156-02 in his first throw. Reece Davidson, a senior from Faith Christian, threw the discus 159-feet on his fourth of six throws to win the title. Phelps will look to place in Friday morning’s shot put, along with teammates Wyatt Killinen and David Hawkins.
“Ryan was going for No. 1. He competed and had a great second throw that cleared 160 by a foot and a half, but he was out of the sector. He was there to win it. He’s a champ and expects to be the champ, but eight points is huge. I know him as a competitor, and he’s going to make some noise in his final high school event tomorrow. He’s been perfecting his spin all week, and he’s fired up.
“Hawkins has the No. 2 throw in the state and has done nothing but improve, then Wyatt can score valuable points. Just like the pole vaulters, those shot putters are going to come in and get the job done.”
Also big for Bayfield was seeing Dawson Heide advance out of the preliminaries in the 400 and Dax Snooks advance in the 110 hurdles. They are now in strong shape to help the team score points in the finals.
After four events, the Durango High School girls team is in fourth place with 11 points in Class 4A. Niwot leads with 21. Silver Creek is second with 17, and Roosevelt is third with 14.
Durango’s girls place third in the 4x800 relay. Emma Fitzgerald, Anna Smagacz, Madeleine Burns and Abby Scott finished in 9:32.38. Battle Mountain won in 9:16.13 and Niwot was third in 9:27.43.
Durango junior Alyssa McConnell placed sixth in girls high jump. She cleared 5-02.50. Silver Creek senior Rylee Anderson won with a height of 5-07.50.
The Durango boys placed sixth in the 4x800 relay. Marcus Flint, Noah Bodewes, Luke Tichi and Aidan Fitzgerlad finished in 7:59.98. Mead won in 7:55.55.
The Durango boys were in 12th place after Day 1 with all of their big events still to come.
Natoni Cundiff placed eighth in the Class 2A boys shot put to score two points for the Bobcats.
Cundiff, a senior, threw the shot 43-04. The winning throw came from Ellicott senior Jacob Tu’ufuli at 48-08.75. Mancos’ Caden Showalter was fifth, as the junior threw 45-00.50.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
