With a cold wind swirling through Panther Stadium and flecks of dust in the air, the Dolores High School boys' and girls' track teams both placed in the top-five of the team standings at the Cortez Invitational Track Meet on March 25.
Girls place third
On the girls' side, Dolores benefited from five first-place finishes and placed 3rd overall in the meet's 10-team field.
Leading the way for the was sophomore Teegan Hite, who placed 1st in the 1600-meter run (6:24.07) and 1st in the 3200-meter run (14:26.8). in both races, Hite hung back during the early portion of the race before kicking things into gear and cruising to easy victories.
"I felt pretty good," said Hite. "I was able to keep a steady pace throughout my races and then I used my kick at the end. I've been working hard in practice."
Also earning two top individual events for the Lady Bears was senior Taylor Elder, who placed 1st in the long jump (16 feet, 1 inch) and 1st in the triple jump (32 feet, 5 ¼ inches).
Nichole Kibel finished 1st in the 100-meter dash (13.95), Jessica Schleisser placed 2nd in the discus (90 feet, 3 inches), Larissa Umberger placed 4th in the 100-meter hurdles (17.73) and Josie Bernholtz finished 4th in the 400-meter dash (1:11.40).
Rounding out the Lady Bears top-five finishers were Sierra Shwartz and Sharvargus Noyes, who placed 5th in the 300-meter hurdles (56.48) and 5th in the high jump (4 feet, 2 inches) respectively.
Boys place fifth
On the boys' side, Dolores benefited from several season-best performances and placed 5th out of 10-teams.
Mikeal Ford placed 2nd in the 100-meter dash (11:55) and Tristan Medina placed 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles (47.38) and 5th in the 110-meter hurdles (19.52).
Other top-five finishers for the Bears included Ruben Gomez, who placed 5th in the long jump (17 feet) and Branden Donaldson, who placed 4th in the triple jump (37 feet, ½ inch).
Currently away on Spring Break, both Dolores track teams will return to practice next week in preparation for the Abel Velasquez Invitational, which will take place at Ignacio High School on April 11.
