The Bayfield High School track and field team is finding its stride.
Behind another pair of fastest-man performances from Keith Wickman, the Wolverines boys team took second at the Terry Allen Invitational in Pagosa Springs on Saturday. The girls took fifth.
Host Pagosa Springs won both the boys and girls fields.
Wickman took the top spot in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, crossing the finish line in 11.54 seconds and 23.37 seconds, respectively.
Nate Tate, running his first 200 of the year, took third in 24.62.
Then, two of Bayfields fastest combined in the 4x100-meter relay for another first place. Combined with T.J. Pazell and Conner Kennedy, the team ripped through a 45.18.
They ran really well, BHS head coach Sherry Kimball said. I was very pleased with their performance.
The 4x200 team of the same runners took second in 1:35.96, and Kennedy hopped to a couple of individual podium finishes in the high and long jumps, going 5 feet, 10 inches vertically for second place and 18-4½ horizontally for third, respectively.
The Wolverines put together a pair of strong distance races, too, with Trevor Gabbard winning the 3,200 in 10:49; Luke Webb took fifth in the 11,600 in 5:10 after returning from an injury.
So that was a good win for him, Kimball said.
Brady Fields took third in the 110 hurdles in 18:50 and sixth in the 300 hurdles in 47.54.
In pole vault, John Arnold again set the bar highest for the Wolverines, winning the event, which took place Friday in Bayfield, with a 13-3 jump. Teammate Michael Voss was second at 12-3 and Tyler Meyers third at 11-3.
Aubrey Brown took first in the discus with a 130-foot, 8-inch throw.
I think theyre really coming on, Kimball said of the boys team. They had some much better performances, and I think theyre peaking at the right time.
The girls were more up and down, Kimball said.
The 4x100 team was one of the best finishes Morgan Allred, Trista Hooley, Amy Roach and Ashlyn Schulder took second in 52.78 to scoot the team up in the state rankings.
The 4x200 team, which substituted Jessie Roukema for Roach, took fifth.
Aubrey Lorenzen did the distance work for the Wolverines, placing second in the 3,200 in 13:39 and third in the 1,600 in 6:49.
Sam Espinosa won the shot put with a 34-1.74 toss.
Bayfields female pole vaulters also swept the top spots in that competition, with Hooley taking first with a 7-9 jump, and Brittany Hunter and Katie Hawkins tying for second with 7-3 jumps.
It seems like were having some illness issues, but I think were going to work through that and do a really nice job this next Saturday for our league, Kimball said.
Ignacio Bobcats
The Bobcats followed the Wolverines lead in Pagosa Springs, putting up peak performances for the boys and slogging through a slight valley with the girls.
The boys took third overall, the girls eighth.
Wyatt Hayes did everything for Ignacio on Saturday, taking second in the 400 in 52.38 by taking two seconds off his personal record.
He also won the long jump with a 19-5 jump for another PR and ran one leg of the 4x200 team that finished in 1:39.9 for a third personal best. Austin Haire, Mike Perez and Charles Rohde ran the other 4x200 legs.
Behind Hayes in the long jump, Nick Herrera took fifth in his first week jumping with a 17-11½ leap.
Herrera also took third in the high jump, clearing 5-8, while Klayson Smith, who is battling the flu, cleared 5-10 for first place.
Smith also took fourth in the pole vault in his first week in that event, leading a pack of 9-9 clearing Bobcats that included Christian Knoll and Haire; they finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
Kelton Richmond took fifth in the discus with a 113-9 throw.
A second place in 3:44 in the 4x400 by Hayes, Knoll, Haire and Perez rounded out the boys field.
Much like Bayfields girls, IHS coach Kathy Herrera said the Bobcats were dealing with allergies and illnesses Saturday.
Nevertheless, Michelle Simmons took third in the 200 in 27.39, then added her speed to a 4x100 team that included Sky Cotton, Dynesha Drake and Chrystianne Valdez to finish fourth in 54.11.
Cloe Seibel set a PR by four seconds in the 800 with her fourth-place 2:39.5.
Sister Ellie Seibel took fifth in the high jump with a 4-6 bound, and Cotton took fifth in the long jump, travelling 14-6.
In the pole vault, Jayce Stricherz took fourth, clearing 6-3.
You know, I thought our kids battled pretty hard (Saturday), Herrera said.
Were extremely proud of the way that the kids are starting to come along.
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