With the warm sun beating down on a red track at the Farmington High School Invitational on March 20, the Dolores High School boys and girls track teams came through with season-best results.
"It was the third week in a row that we had great weather, and you can't ask for anything more," said Dolores head coach Nick Kohler. "The kids did good. Several of our relays are ranked in the top 10 in the state for Class 2A."
Girls finish seventhy overall
On the girls' side, Dolores benefited from top-six individual finishes from three of its athletes and finished seventh overall in the 10-team field. Aztec High School finished first in the meet.
Among the top Bears finishers was senior Taylor Elder, who placed fourth in the long jump (15 feet, 11 inches) and sixth in the 100-meter dash (13.82).
"Taylor PR'd last week in the long jump, and I didn't know if it was for real or a fluke," said Kohler. "She jumped right at 16 feet again, and I was excited about that."
Also cracking the top 10 Dolores were sophomore Teagan Hite, who placed sixth in the 800-meter run (2:47.70) and sixth in the 3200-meter run (13:40.83); and junior Larissa Umberger, who placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (19.00) and ninth in the 200-meter dash (29.99).
"Larissa will be going to state in the 100 hurdles," said Kohler. "Teagan is an ex-soccer player, and she is just a wonderful distance runner. The farther the race, the better she will be, and she keeps getting better and better."
Shavargus Noyes placed 10th in the high jump (4 feet, 4 inches) and 11th in the 100-meter hurdles (19.00); freshman Dannika Noyes placed 12th in the 400-meter dash (1:12.96); senior Olivia Wright placed 14th in the 100-meter dash (14.55); and freshman Sierra Schwartz placed 15th in the 100-meter hurdles (19.37) and 15th in the 300-meter hurdles (56.16).
Boys place eighth overall
On the boys' side, Dolores benefited from a top-three individual finish and placed eighth overall in the 10-team field. Miyamura High School finished first in the meet.
Producing the top-three finish for Dolores was senior sprinter Mikeal Ford, who placed third in the 100-meter dash with a season-best time of 11.91.
"Mikeal did great. He ran as a freshman, and he was the only freshman at the state meet in the 100. This year, he came back from baseball to focus on the track and by the end of the year, he'll be standing on the podium. He could be a top-three runner in the state."
Also cracking the top 15 for the boys were sophomore Tristan Medina, who finished 11th in the 110-meter hurdles (18.94) and the 300-meter hurdles (45.91); senior Guy Wallace, who finished 13th in the 200-meter dash (26.12); and junior Brandon Donaldson, who placed 14th in the 100-meter dash (12.45).
After competing at the Cortez Invitational on March 25, Dolores will take time off for spring break before returning to action at the Abel Velasquez Invitational in Ignacio on April 11.
"You just have to hope that they stay a little bit active and don't come back too out of shape," said Kohler, when asked how his team will approach the break. "We've got a lot of shin splints and muscle aches, so it's the perfect time of the year for some time off."