LAKEWOOD – Track fans across the Four Corners have gotten used to the familiar faces at the front of the field in orange and black. This weekend, at the 3A State Championships at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood, the rest of the state was introduced to the Panthers’ prowess.
M-CHS entered seven individuals and two relays into the three-day competition, and walked away with a haul of all-state performances from senior Zander Cruzan, sophomore Sawyer Smith and junior Avery Wright.
Cruzan started the fireworks for the Panthers, as he blazed a time of 11.10 in the preliminary heats of the 100 meter dash, an event in which a staggering seven athletes broke 11 seconds. Cruzan qualified for the finals of the event, where he took eighth place overall.
Later on Saturday, Cruzan again rose to the occasion as he ran 22.57 in the 200 meters final, an improvement of .16 seconds from his preliminary time, which landed him on the podium again, this time in seventh place.
On the triple jump runway, Smith came up with a personal best on the state’s biggest state, propelling himself 41 feet, 9 ¾ inches to take fifth place in the event.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ sprints, Wright kept her name on the short list as one of the most prolific athletes in the state, as she added to her state medal collection.
After qualifying comfortably in the 100, 200, and 400 dashes, Wright entered Saturday’s finals with high expectations. As has been the case since emerging on the scene as a state champion as a freshman, Wright did not disappoint.
She began her busy day with a silver medal in the 100, where her time of 12.56 was only bested by Coal Ridge’s Peyton Garrison (12.38). Wright added a fifth-place finish in the 200 a few hours later, in a time of 26.32.
Her championships also included an eighth-place finish in the 400 meters (59.41).
Fellow Panthers also accounted well for the themselves, as senior Devon McHenry capped off her strong hurdling career with appearances in both the 100 hurdles (11th, 16.96) and 300 hurdles (14th, 50.42). Classmate Paige Yarbrough broke 100 feet in the discus, taking home a 12th-place finish with a throw of 102 feet, 5 inches.
Sophomore Sophia Shepard made her first state championships in the triple jump, taking 18th place with a leap of 31 feet, 1¾ inches.
Shepard would join Kenzie Huston, Cassandra McCully, and Elaina Short as part of both the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays. The Panthers would take 17th in the 4x200 relay (1:56.01) and 18th in the 4x100 (53.61).
The Panthers also sent senior John Whyte in the 1,600, making his state debut in his final high school race. Whyte took 18th place in a time of 4:42.99.
The Panther boys collected 10 points to finish in 23rd place as a team, while the girls amassed 15 points to finish in the 19th place. Coal Ridge (111 points) captured the team title for the girls, while Resurrection Christian (73 points) was the 3A boy’s champion.
