Nine Wood River High School track and field athletes in 11 events have qualified for the State 4A track and field competition Friday and Saturday, May 17-18 at Eagle High School west of Boise.
They earned their state tickets Wednesday and Thursday in Twin Falls during the six-school Great Basin Conference 4A meet that featured athletes from Twin Falls High School, host Canyon Ridge, Jerome, Burley and Minico of Rupert.
Wolverine senior Ian Keys broke school records in the 100-meter and 200m dashes in placing first in those two events with times of 10.80 seconds and 22.07 respectively.
Freshman Sara Lichtenberg provided the other first-place finish for the Wolverines of coaches Melanie Schrader and Heather Miller by winning the girls’ high jump in 5-0.
Wood River boasted four second-place finishes in the distance runs.
Senior Chase England was the 1600m runner-up in a personal-best 4:45.40 and he also placed second in the 3200m in 10:29.46. Junior Haley Montgomery was second with a personal record in the 800m (2:27.24) and second in the 3200m final (12:16.00).
Five Wolverines placed fourth and advanced to state since the top four individuals in each event and fastest two relays made the grade from the Great Basin meeet. They were:
Senior Nicole Pratt with a personal record in 300m intermediate hurdles (50.56); junior Janel Passey with a personal record in the 1600m (5:42.97); sophomore Kenya Schott with a personal record in the 800m (2:31.14); and sophomore Taylor Douthit with a personal-record in the discus (133-01).
Also, sophomore Alexis Gonzalez made state in all three distance runs by finishing fourth in each. His 800m time was a personal-best 2:09.33, his 1600m time was a personal-best (4:52.40) and he also made state in 3200m (10:32.97).
Wood River’s girls finished fourth as a team with 59 points (26 distances, 6 hurdles, 16 relays, 11 field) and the Hailey boys placed fifth with 57 points (21 sprints, 28 distances, 4 relays, 4 field).
The well-balanced Jerome boys (12 sprints, 12 distances, 28 hurdles, 28 relays, 49 field) nipped Minico’s sprinters 129-126 for the team championship. Third place went to Twin Falls 102, fourth Canyon Ridge 91 and sixth place to Burley 49.
Jerome’s girls (12 sprints, 58 distances, 20 hurdles, 36 relays, 71 field) dominated second-place Canyon Ridge (143). Third place went to Twin Falls 94, fourth to Wood River 59, fifth to Minico 58 and sixth Burley 1.
Coach Schrader said, “It was a great effort by everyone! Our goal for the meet was for both our boys and girls to beat Burley. The athletes executed the races and relays according to our plans and we succeeded—even surpassing expectations for the girls and beating Minico by one point.”
Wood River assistant coach J.C. Nemecek added, “Our athletes arrived in good spirits, approached their events in a positive manner, supported each other and showed they were saving their best for last. The number of personal records was amazing.”
Other individual PRs last week came from Cameron Bingham (pole vault), Josh King (discus), Kyle Mungal (400m), Emilia Bingham (100m high hurdles), Janel Passey (1600m), Mariah Stout (1600m), Amanda Passey (1600m), Hallie MacPherson (1600m) and Shelby Barnes (1600m).
The outstanding Great Basin girls were Canyon Ridge senior Kayla Lee and Jerome senior Jasmine Nesbitt.
Lee amassed a perfect 40 points with gold medals in the 100m (12.80) and 200m (26.22), plus long jump (17-0) by one foot and triple jump (38-10.5) by nearly four feet. Nesbitt swept the distance races, winning 800m by nearly four seconds, 1600m by 15 seconds and 3200m by 21 seconds. Nesbitt (32.5 individual points) also anchored Jerome’s sprint medley relay that nipped Canyon Ridge in a photo finish.
Top boys were Minico senior Caleb Worley plus two juniors, Jeremy Stark of Twin Falls and Scott Warner of Canyon Ridge.
Worley won 400m in 49.77 seconds, placed second behind Ian Keys in 200m dash at 22.26 and joined Minico’s first-place 4x100m and 4x200m relays that won easily.
Stark captured 800m by 2.27 seconds, 1600m by 4.67 seconds and was on Twin Falls’ first-place sprint medley relay team.
Warner won pole vault (13-0) and long jump (20-5.25) and was on Canyon Ridge’s first-place 4x400m relay and on the third-place medley squad.
Team results and Wood River top-six placers from the GBC meet:
Boys’ results
Teams: 1—Jerome 129. 2—Minico of Rupert 126 (36 sprints, 0 distances, 10 hurdles, 30 relays, 50 field). 3—Twin Falls 102. 4—Canyon Ridge 91. 5—Wood River 57. 6—Burley 49.
100m: 1—Ian Keys (WR) 10.80 seconds. 200m: 1—Ian Keys (WR) 22.07. 400m: 6—Kyle Mungal (WR) 55.72.
800m: 4—Alexis Gonzalez (WR) 2:09.33. 1600m: 2—Chase England (WR) 4:45.40. 4—Alexis Gonzalez (WR) 4:52.40. 3200m: 2—Chase England (WR) 10:29.46. 4—Alexis Gonzalez (WR) 10:32.97.
4x100m relay: 5—Wood River (Kyle Mungal, Brandon Yagla, Josh King, Ian Keys) 48.19 (PR). 4x200m relay: 5—Wood River (Kyle Mungal, Brandon Yagla, Torrin MkKenzie, Cameron Bingham) 1:44.68.
Discus: 4—Taylor Douthit (WR) 133-01.
Girls’ results
Teams: 1—Jerome 197. 2—Canyon Ridge 143. 3—Twin Falls 94. 4—Wood River 59. 5—Minico 58. 6—Burley 1.
800m: 2—Haley Montgomery (WR) 2:27.24. 4—Kenya Schott (WR) 2:31.14. 5—Janel Passey (WR) 2:39.67. 1600m: 4—Janel Passey (WR) 5:42.97. 3200m: 2—Haley Montgomery (WR) 12:16.00.
100m high hurdles: 5—Emilia Bingham (WR) 18.04. 300m intermediate hurdles: 4—Nicole Pratt (WR) 50.56.
4x100m relay: 5—Wood River (Lexi Browne, Brooke Sundholm, Emilia Bingham, Bailey Rierden) 56.46 (PR). 4x200m: 4—Wood River (Lexi Browne, Sara Lichtenberg, Brooke Sundholm, Nicole Pratt) 1:55.45 (PR).
4x400m: 3—Wood River (Nicole Pratt, Sara Lichtenberg, Kenya Schott, Haley Montgomery) 4:34.93. Sprint medley relay (100, 100, 200, 400): 4—Wood River (Emily Todd, Bailey Rierden, Lexi Browne, Kenya Schott) 2:05.44.
High jump: 1—Sara Lichtenberg (WR) 5-0. Triple jump: 6—Bailey Rierden (WR) 31-9.50.
