Cheyenne Swanson's first-place shotput finish (36-8.5) was a highlight for the Wood River High School track and field team during the Great Basin Conference championships May 9-10 at Burley High School.
Swanson, a senior and two-time state discus champion, was one of five Wolverines whose efforts at the six-school conference meet meant they've qualified for the 95th annual Idaho High School Track and Field Championships May 18-19 at Middleton High School.
Joining Swanson will be Hailey seniors Ben Stout, Corrine Smith and Jade Atkinson, and junior Chase England.
Based on state seeding, Swanson has the best chance to earn points at state based on her third-best shotput throw and seventh-best discus (109-6). She finished first in shotput and second in discus at the conference meet.
Stout placed third in the district 800-meter run (2:03.8) and second in the 1600m in a very close finish with Twin Falls senior Erik Harris. Stout's time was 4:41.96 and Harris was clocked in 4:40.77. England made it to state by tying for third place in the 3200m at 10:20.22.
With only the top three individuals and top two relays teams from the conference meet making state, Smith and Atkinson made it in the 1600m and 3200m respectively with third-place times of 5:56.91 and 13:41.7.
The Jerome girls, this year's GBC champs by 118 points over second-place Canyon Ridge, won last year's State 4A meet 96-81 over Bishop Kelly of Boise. Those two teams, plus Rigby, should contend in 2012. Last year's State 4A boys' champ was Rigby 87.5-61.5 over Emmett. Here are Great Basin team finishes from last week:
District boys' team results
Teams: 1—Twin Falls 155 points (33 sprints, 12 hurdles, 49 distances, 36 relays, 25 field). 2—Canyon Ridge of Twin Falls 120. 3—Jerome 107. 4—Minico of Rupert 91. 5—Burley 56. 6—Wood River 57 (0 sprints, 0 hurdles, 21 distances, 0 relays, 0 field).
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District girls' team results
Teams: 1—Jerome 226 points (44 sprints, 12 hurdles, 54 distances, 36 relays, 80 field). 2—Canyon Ridge 108. 3—Minico 102. 4—Twin Falls 58. 5—Wood River 51 (1 sprints, 0 hurdles, 28 distances, 4 relays, 18 field). 6—Burley 7.
State track spreads to multiple sites
Boise State University's Bronco Stadium won't be used any more for Idaho High School Activities Association state track and field meets.
For this year, the 95th annual Idaho High School Track and Field Championships Friday and Saturday, May 18-19 will be spread out in the Treasure Valley at five different high schools, each one hosting one of the five classifications.
Plans call for future state high school track meets to be staged at the 5,000-seat Dora Larsen Park, a multi-use facility on a 14.5-acre site located on the former East Junior High School site in Boise near the corner of Warm Springs Rd. and Broadway.
Construction on the new facility is due to be completed by late August. It will house BSU track and field, and BSU softball, and be used for high school football games in fall.
This year's State 4A meet will be held at Middleton High School. The State 1A meet is at Mountain View High School in Meridian. General admission is $5 per day. At each site, the schedule of events is the same:
Friday, May 18: 3 p.m. field event finals (girls' pole vault, triple jump, discus, and boys' high jump, long jump and shotput); 5 p.m., Parade of Athletes; and 6 p.m., medley relay finals followed by running preliminaries.
Saturday, May 19: 10 a.m. field event finals (girls' high jump, long jump, shotput, and boys' pole vault, triple jump, discus); 1 p.m., running event finals starting with the high hurdles.