Last Friday and Saturday, Durango High School’s varsity track and field athletes competed at Littleton’s 52nd Annual Liberty Bell Track and Field Invitational, earning 11 top-five finishes as a team. The meet featured Colorado’s finest competition, producing many performances that are ranked among the top 10 in the state.
Out of the 41 teams that competed at Littleton Public Schools Stadium, the DHS boys placed fifth with 41 points and the girls placed sixth with 35 points. Valor Christian took the boys team title with 62 points and Castle View’s girls were victorious with 70.5 points.
Durango sophomore Lacy Ruggiero was responsible for two of the Demons’ top-five finishes, leading the girls team in the 1,600 meters and the 800. Her time of 5 minutes and 7.24 seconds in the 1,600 was good for the silver medal, while her 2:19.20 in the 800 was fourth overall.
The DHS girls had three other fourth-place finishes. Junior Aileen McManus jumped 33 feet, 11.5 inches in the triple jump, senior Violet Mazenko threw 33-3.5 in the shot put and the 4x400 team of junior Evie Morris, freshman Teagan Kroeger, and seniors Ainsley Sampson and Sofia Voss ran 4:12.28.
Durango’s boys team earned two podium finishes. Junior Owen Cheatham’s discus throw of 145-9 got him a silver medal. Senior Xavier Sutherlin took the bronze medal in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.43.
Three more of Durango’s top-five finishes came courtesy of the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays. The team of sophomore Mason Miller, juniors Gus Halls and Grant Gordon and senior Seb Tripp ran 43.11 to take fifth in the 4x100.
Miller, Halls and Tripp, along with senior Malakai Baier, took fourth in the 4x200 with a time of 1:28.97. The team of Miller, Tripp, Baier and sophomore George Preston ran 3:30.26 to take fourth in the 4x400. Baier also ran the open 400, taking fifth with a time of 50.81.
The Demons look to carry the momentum from Liberty Bell into the Southwestern League Championships this Friday and Saturday in Grand Junction. They hope to earn both the boys’ and girls’ team titles.
