Dove Creek track teams excel at SJBL meet

Kobie Beanland wins 400-meter dash; JD Dennison impresses in throwing events

Thankful for the opportunity to square off against familiar foes at the San Juan Basin League track meet in Ignacio on May 1, members of the Dove Creek High School boys’ and girls’ track teams performed well.

On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs were led by freshman phenom Kobie Beanland, who placed first in the 400-meter dash (1:04.06), third in the 100-meter hurdles (17.71), and third in the long jump (14 feet, 3¼ inches).

Also performing well for Dove Creek was senior hurdler Larissa Randolph, who made the most of the final SJBL meet of her high school career when she finished second in the 100-meter hurdles (17.58) and second in the 300-meter hurdles (50.52).

Cassie Gatlin led the girls’ team in the throwing event with second-place finishes in the discus (92 feet, 1 inch) and the shot put (30 feet, 1½ inches). Other top finishers for Dove Creek included Madilyn Hankins, who crossed the line third in the 400-meter dash (1:07.40), and Bridge Seely, who placed third in the 1600-meter run (7:38.84).

The Dove Creek girls’ team finished fourth overall behind with 99 points behind Dolores, Bayfield, and team champion Del Norte.

On the boys’ side, the Bulldogs were led by junior JD Dennison, whose strength was on full display during second-place finishes in the discus (117 feet, 6 inches) and the shot put (40 feet, 8 inches).

Walker Cressler registered third-place finishes in the 200-meter dash (24.98) and the triple jump (33 feet, 10¾ inches), while Logan Myers crossed the line second in the 110-meter hurdles (19.19).

The Bulldogs finished fifth overall as a team with 58 points. Mancos won the boys’ portion of the 11-team meet with 210 points overall.

Next up for both Dove Creek teams will be the Terry Alley Invitational in Pagosa Springs on May 5.