Dolores track and field has made a habit of sending athletes to the 2A state championships. The 2022 edition of Bears track and field would love to keep that trend going, as Dolores posted a number of strong efforts at the Mancos Mid-Season Invitational.
The meet served as a showcase for the local schools, as Dove Creek and Nucla joined Dolores and the host Bluejays for the quad meet.
Mancos won both the boys and girls team titles, totaling 10 combined individual and relay victories for the boys and girls teams.
The Bears enjoyed plenty of highlights, too, headlined by Akima Edwards besting the field in the long jump, leaping to a distance of 14 feet, 7.75 inches. Dove Creek’s Rylee Hickman took second, improving her season best in the event by 2 inches (14 feet, 2 inches).
Edwards also collected second-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes (13.92 and 29.03, respectively).
Dolores freshman Maya Lowe also collected an individual victory for the Bears in the 400 meters (1:10.10). Meanwhile, Elia Lowe took second in the 1,600 (6:35) to account for the top two finishers for the DHS girls.
On the boys side, Dylan Rantz collected the best effort of the day in the 400 meters (59.32), while Gabe Allred picked up a second-place finish in the discus (103 feet, 9 inches).
Rantz added a third-place finish in the 200 meters (27.45), narrowly edging out teammate Kelter Christenson (27.63).
For Dove Creek, a pair of 4 x 100 meter showdowns against Mancos both went the way of the Bulldogs, as Dove Creek’s boys posted a time of 46.43, while the girls won their relay in 56.38.
Tara Glover won the discus (94 feet, 10 inches) and finished a narrow second place to Mancos sophomore Teya Yeomans in the shot put (33 feet, 6 inches to 33 feet 4 inches). Ralynn Hickman expanded her leaping repertoire with a win in the triple jump (28 feet, 6 inches), while Aspen Nye took third in the 800 meters (2:51).
On the boys side, Dove Creek’s Quaden Huffaker posted a triple jump leap of 38 feet, 5.5 inches, a mark that could see him through to the 1A state championships in the event.
Some familiar names topped the charts for both Dove Creek and Mancos – Chorbin Cressler swept the 100 and 200, Kade Hankins topped the field in the long jump and 110 meter hurdles, while Mancos’ Connor Showalter took both throwing events by comfortable margins.
Yeomans, along with her shot put crown, also cleared 4 feet, 10 inches in the high jump to take the top spot. The Bluejays swept the distance events, with Edgar Hernandez winning the boys 1,600 (4:45), Teagan Archer taking the girls 1,600 (6:10), and Connor Sehnert winning the 800 meters (2:22).
The local teams have the Ron Keller Invitational in Durango on the horizon, to be competed next Saturday, April 23.
