LAKEWOOD – After a busy weekend full of special performances at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood, Montezuma County and Dolores County track and field athletes returned home with a haul of all-state finishes to close out the 2024 campaign.
Here is the rundown of notable performances:
Montezuma-Cortez sophomore Marlee Mack had strong performances in the 100 and 300 hurdles at state. She placed sixth in the 100 hurdles (15.92 seconds) and seventh in the 300 hurdles (47.01). She also took eighth in the long jump (16 feet, 5 inches).
Freshman Tessa Jackson finished in a three-way tie for eighth in the girls high jump at 4-11.
Meanwhile, Panther senior Levi Bramwell placed 12th in the 110 hurdles, and the boys 400 relay team (Tay Wheat, Raul Soto, Isaac Dozal and Colby McMillian) finished 11th in its preliminary heat with a season-best time of 44.21.
The girls 1,600 relay team (Marlee Mack, Tessa Jackson, freshman Josie Mack and senior Savannah Haselroth) took 14th in its heat with a time of 4:21.95.
Mancos sophomore Jonah Ritter improved on his qualification times in both the 100 and 200 meters to scorch the JeffCo track. He tallied Saturday bests of 11.27 in the 100 dash and 22.77 in the 200 dash, taking fourth and fifth, respectively.
Classmate Aysia Mathews (32-2¼) also claimed an all-state finish in the triple jump, taking eighth overall. She also finished 12th in the high jump and 17th in the long jump.
Senior Teya Yeomans competed in the shot put for the Bluejays.
Dolores sophomore Michael Rantz broke the Bears’ school record in the 400 meters, racing to a time of 51.26 in the finals to take fourth in Class 2A.
On Friday, Rantz joined sophomores Aaron Nielson and Bridger Beyhan, as well as junior Tray Traweek in the 1,600 relay, finishing 14th (3:42.34) in their preliminary effort. The girls 3,200 relay quartet of Maya Lowe, Keira LaRose, Kendall Chavez and Elia Lowe took 12th in 10:53.35.
The Bulldogs enjoyed a stellar weekend with plenty of hardware to show for their efforts. Junior Ralynn Hickman came just inches shy of a state title in the long jump, placing second (15-6¼) to earn the best finish among area athletes over the weekend.
Senior Cody Alexander placed third in the 110 hurdles (16.54) and sixth in the 300 hurdles (43.67). Classmate Colten Fury placed fifth in the long jump (19-6½), before leading a trio of relays to all-state finishes.
The 400 relay team of Fury, senior Aiden Chadd, and sophomores Jonathan Davis and Josh Kibel took sixth (47.28), while sophomore Mason Forst joined Fury, Alexander, and Davis for a sixth-place finish in the 3,200 relay (9:10.44). Sophomore Daniel Gray joined the mix in the 1,600 alongside Fury, Alexander and Davis, placing eighth (3:50.01) for the Bulldogs.
Dove Creek junior Sheldon Gardner (32-8) placed 10th in the shot put.
The Dove Creek boys placed 14th overall in the team results with 26 points.
