With the end of March quickly approaching and the high school track season in full swing, the Montezuma-Cortez High School track teams hit the road to compete against some of the region’s best athletes.
The second of the two top-flight meets, the Mickey Dunn Invitational, took place at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction on March 31 and included athletes from 23 high school teams.
The Panthers’ top finishers at the annual event included senior Sonny Boren, whose speed was on full display during a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash (23.38), a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash (52.51), and a 14th-place finish in the 100-meter dash (11.88). Also cracking the Top 15 for the boys team was senior Trey Yarbrough, who crossed the line 14th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.28.
The M-CHS girls were led by junior Morgan Short, who registered fourth-place finishes in the 200-meter dash (27.13) and the long jump (16 feet, 1 inch). Sophomore Devon McHenry finished 10th in the high jump (4 feet, 6 inches), and freshman Elaina Short crossed the line 13th in the 200-meter dash (28.93). Senior Taylor Willbanks led the Lady Panthers in the throwing event with a 13th-place finish in the shot put (28 feet, 6½ inches).
Prior to competing in the Mickey Dunn Invitational, M-CHS traveled to the Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational, which took place in Chandler, Arizona, on March 23-24.
The highly competitive meet included teams from California, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oregon, and even Canada, and featured some of the top high school track athletes in the country.
Leading the way for M-CHS was Aryelle Wright, whose time of 1:01.77 was good enough to place her 37th in the 400-meter dash. The junior also finished 75th in the 200-meter dash (27.24). Also registering two Top 100 finishes for the girls team was Morgan Short, who placed 79th in the long jump (14 feet, 6 inches) and 80th in the 200-meter dash (27.37).
Other top finishers for the M-CHS girls team included senior Ashley Wood, who crossed the line 48th in the 100-meter hurdles (17.65) and 73rd in the 300-meter hurdles (52.03). Willbanks finished 71st in the shot put (27 feet, 5½ inches) and 79th in the discus (71 feet).
The boys were led by senior Austin Foxworth, who finished 89th in the 110-meter hurdles (19.28) and 118th in the 300-meter hurdles (48.73). Other top finishers for the M-CHS boys team included Boren, who placed 101st in the 400-meter dash (53.94) and senior Kade Partington, who placed 88th in the shot put (37 feet).
Next up for both M-CHS track teams will be the Abel Velasquez Invitational in Ignacio on April 7.
