Girls take first in relay at state track

The 2017 high school track and field season wrapped up this past weekend, with the State Championships at Casper. The girls team was among those in a three-way tie for fifth place at 43 points, and Jules Ward, Chandra Maddock, Haley McDermott and Makayla George were named All-State in Outdoor Track by the Wyoming Coaches' Association.

The four girls took first in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:14.02, coming just short of breaking the 4:13.22 school record. Ward, Maddock and McDermott had personal records in the event.

Ward, for the second year in a row, also nailed not only a personal record in the 1600 meters with a second place finish of 5:22.75, but broke the school record as well. Last year, she placed first in the event with a time of 5:27.19. Ward plans to continue her running career at the University of Alaska - Anchorage.

Coach Ernie Mecca said the weather, cold and snowy, was without a doubt the worst he's seen at a state rack meet in his 25-plus years of coaching, though the kids were resilient, buckled down and still performed well with even freshmen students scoring points and medaling.

Looking at the girls team, Mecca said it was impressive for them to be in a three-way tie, their first year competing in 3A. Additionally, they were four points from fourth place and 16 from third.

Mecca also pointed out the career personal records for Makayla George, who placed ninth in the triple jump at 33'1.25", and Liz Rhodes, who placed 11th in the discus with 104'1".

Several underclassmen stepped up as well, Mecca said, and overall the team had a great finish and a great foundation for next year.

Additional girls results are:

Ward - 3200 meters, second, 11:57.20; 20.5 points

Maddock - 800 meters, fifth, 2:29.07; 8.5 points

McDermott - 800 meters, eighth, 2:30.48; pole vault, 15th, 7'6"; 5.5 points

Tahja Hunt - 3200 meters, sixth, 12:47.95; 1600 meters, eighth, 5:44.27; four points

George - high jump, 15th, 4'6"; 2.5 points

The 4x800 relay team of Maddock, McDermott, Ward and Aspen Jensen placed second with a time of 10:16.87. Jensen scored two points.

Regarding the boys team, which came away from State with a 14th place finish - 10.5 points - Mecca said going to state with only five runners can be a bit tough. However, he noted all five scored and were able to get on the medal stand.

Chandler Maddock finished sixth in the 400 meters with a time of 50.99, in one of the stiffest races Mecca has ever seen in terms of closeness. He noted the top four placers all had times under 50 seconds. Maddock also had a personal record in the pole vault, at 12', and he was the top scorer for the team with 7.5 points.

Cullen Becher was fighting a respiratory infection, Mecca said, so his seventh place time of 2:04.36 in the 800 meters and his ninth place time of 4:47.09 in the 1600 meters were huge. The 1600 meters time was a personal record. Becher won 2.25 points.

Kolby George, Mecca said, is a runner who's continued to get better and better as the year went on. George placed 15th in the 1600 meters at 4:58.27, and 12th in the 3200 meters at 11:16.08. Both times are personal records, and he earned .25 points.

The 4x800 relay team of Cullen Becher, Ethan Becher, George and Ryan Johnson placed eighth with a time of 8:56.70. Ethan and Johnson each earned .25 points.

As for the overall season, Mecca said the weather was favorable for the most part, with only the Meeteetse meet being cancelled. All of the students had multiple personal records through the season, Mecca said, noting this is the youngest and most inexperienced team he has coached, for both boys and girls.

Finishing off the season were two weekends of intense track and field in Thermopolis, with high school and middle school invites one weekend followed by regional competition the next. He's hopeful the action at the track also resulted in an economic boost for the town, and noted the volunteer effort to make the invites happened was huge. He expressed his appreciation to those who made our local meets possible, and to the athletes for putting forth the strong performances they did for the season.