The Durango High School boys track and field team ended its regular season with another first-place team finish Friday and Saturday at the Dennis Teeters Tiger Invite in Grand Junction.
The DHS boys finished first out of 21 teams with 104 points, and the Durango girls placed fourth in the team race with 72 points, 29.33 behind winner Coal Ridge.
Ignacio’s girls, meanwhile, placed 15th with 10.33 points, and its boys finished 19th with 3.5 points.
Land Lambert highlighted Durango’s meet by running a new school record in the 3,200-meter race. He won the race by almost a minute in 9 minutes, 15.06 seconds.
Jaxon Fancher won the 400 in 50.48 seconds, a mark that qualified him for this week’s state championships.
Durango’s Will Knight placed first in the shot put, at 51 feet, 7 inches, and discus at 153-06. The Demons also placed first in the boys 4x800 relay in 8:21.71 seconds, and Jacob Fenberg and Halle Moore won the pole vault competitions at 11-04 and 9-02, respectively. Willow Lott won the girls 3,200-meter run in 11:14.20.
Athletes with the top 18 times, distances and heights in their respective class qualified for state, and DHS will be represented.
Landon Roberts will join Fancher in the 400 with a season-best 50.34.
Lambert (4:17.72) and Damian Frausto (4:18:15) both qualified in the 1,600 meters. Frausto also qualified in the 800 (1:57.51). His time in the 3,200 was fast enough, but Frausto will focus on his other events, which include the 4x800. Lambert, Luke Swenk and Charlie Dillman will run with Frausto in that relay.
Fenberg qualified in the pole vault with a season-best 12-00.
Josh Bates also qualified in the shot put (47-00) and discus (149-11) and will join Knight in those events (52-08.50 and 155-08).
The boys 4x200 also qualified with a 1:31:94 and the 4x400 qualified with a 3:26.98. That 4x200 relay includes Kaleb Roberts, Landon Roberts, Maddox Bryant and Fancher. The 4x400 is almost the same, except Allan Hardee will run instead of Kaleb Roberts.
The DHS girls, meanwhile, qualified for the 4A championships in six individual events and two relays.
Lott will represent the team in the 3,200 (11:14.20).
Angela McManus qualified in the 800 (2:17.85).
In the pole vault, Moore (10-04) and Seneca Wilson (9-06) both qualified.
Sydney Flores qualified in both the shot put (38-01.75) and discus (117-01).
The girls also qualified in the 4x400 (4:06.89) and the 4x800 (9:39.17). Mason Turner, Avery Cerwin, Sofia Voss and McManus will run the 4x400 while McManus, Cerwin, Voss and Abby Fehr will run the 4x800.
Landon Roberts also jumped 21-01 in Grand Junction, but finished 1.25 inches out of a qualifying spot in the long jump.
In Class 3A, a handful of Bayfield Wolverines also scored spots in the upcoming state meet.
Nykole Meshaw qualified in the high jump (5-06) with the best 3A jump so far this year.
Deegan Barnes will represent BHS in the discus (129-11).
Alaysia Kremer qualified in the shot put (33-07).
Abby Tate qualified in the 400 (1:03.13).
Pole vaulters Elissa Mars (8-06) and Shayden French (8-02) also qualified.
Montezuma-Cortez qualified three athletes for the state meet. Zander Cruzan qualified in both the 100 (10.89) and 200 meters (21.79). Anon Plemons qualified in the pole vault (10-06), and Sawyer Jones qualified in the triple jump (42-02.25).
In Class 2A, Lexy Young, Maci Barnes and Alexis Pontine will represent Ignacio at the state meet.
Young qualified in both the 100 (13.44) and 200 (27.45). Barnes ran a 2:32.44 in the 800 to qualify, and Pontine threw the discus 103-04 to punch her ticket.
Mancos will take a large contingent to the 2A championships.
Teya Yeomans qualified in the shot put (34-00.50) and high jump (4-11).
Teegan Archer qualified in the 1,600 (5:53.85). Edgar Hernandez also qualified in the boys 1,600 (4:38.27). Adaline Kearns made it in the 800 (2:37.15). In the high jump, Josh Lindner (6-01) and Mason Goodwin (6-04) both qualified.
In the shot put, Goodwin (46-07), Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle (46-09) and Connor Showalter (52-11.50) all qualified. Showalter qualified in the discus (139-03), and the girls qualified in the 4x800 (11:11.81).
The state meet will be held Thursday through Saturday at Jeffco County Stadium in Lakewood.
Complete heat sheets for the state meet are available https://bit.ly/3litg50.
