Bayfield’s Maddie Foutz was in high demand Friday at the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 3A State Track and Field Championships.
The junior’s day was highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the pole vault after she cleared 9 feet, 7 inches for a new personal record.
The junior athlete’s route to the podium was interesting. After her first pole vault attempt of 9-1, Foutz had to hurry across Jefferson County Stadium to compete in the girls 4x400-meter relay. The team of Bridget Goddard, Isis Gonzales, Foutz and Amber Johnson ended in 15th place with a time of 4 minutes, 23.76 seconds and missed qualifying for finals. Immediately after the relay race, Foutz hurried back to the pole vault area to finish her day on the podium.
“She works hard and really listens to coaches,” Bayfield head coach Gary Heide said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “She’s incredibly athletic and talented. With her mentality, she’s a top competitor. To do what she did and still PR, that takes a tough athlete to do that.”
Foutz’s weekend is not over. She will help Bayfield’s 4x100 relay team compete in the finals Saturday, as the team finished ninth in the preliminary event. The team of Tymbree Florian, Foutz, Shaylea Freier and Johnson ran in 51.86 seconds to qualify for the final day.
Bayfield’s Sam Westbrook’s trip to state was capped off with another fourth-place finish. Westbrook threw 47 feet, 8.75 inches in the finals of the boys shot put. It was Westbrook’s second fourth-place finish this week after he threw 141-9 in the discus Thursday.
“He’s a great competitor. To come in for the first time at state and to keep up with the big time seniors, I think is fantastic,” Heide said. “Between football, wrestling and track and field, I think the future is unlimited for Sam. He’ll have a great senior year.”
Senior Katie Hawkins also found the podium in the girls pole vault, as she took sixth with a jump of 9-1. It was Hawkins’ last event as a Wolverine, and she signed to compete at Fort Lewis College in the pole vault next season.
“Hats off to her, she’s a great leader on the team,” Heide said. “I’d like to wish her good luck at Fort Lewis. She’s a very constant and dedicated athlete, it shows on the field. She’s a great role model for other athletes.”
Freshman Carl Heide took sixth in the preliminary boys 300-meter hurdles event in 41.37 seconds, and that qualified him for the finals. He will look forward to trying for a podium spot after narrowly missing the cut in the boys 110-meter high hurdles Thursday with a time of 16.08.
In other action, in the 2A girls pole vault, Ignacio’s Chrystianne Valdez finished her senior season on the podium with a sixth-place finish after she cleared 8-2.
The state meet will wrap up Saturday.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
