Mother Nature said ‘Snow!’ Ignacio Track & Field said, ‘Snow what!’ Their Lakewood stay extended a day by inclement weather, IHS’ State Championships-bound trio nevertheless remained focused amidst conditions normally associated with season-opening March meets, and left Jeffco Stadium with spoils to show.
Three athletes, three medals — a group performance strong enough to tally 10 team points and rank Ignacio a respectable 26th in the Class 2A Girls’ final team standings. First out of 41 scoring squads, Cedaredge captured the crown with 118 points, and Greeley Dayspring Christian followed with 71. Colorado Springs Christian (48) and Colorado Springs Banning Lewis Academy (46) decided third place, while Hoehne and Julesburg-based Sedgwick County each accumulated 40 points and tied for fifth.
Forced to wait until Sunday morning, May 22, to compete in the discus, senior Alexis Pontine ended up an IHS-best fifth place. Strong on her very first throw with a 109’2” trailing only Lyons sophomore Gemma Powell’s 119’8”, Pontine would then launch her second try a personal-record 111’10”.
Still with one more guaranteed attempt against her flight, and ultimately awarded three more for the final phase, Pontine was unable to improve further. Neither was Powell who, when all was said and done, remained in first place via her initial throw.
Holyoke senior Lauren Herman, one of two top-10 finishers not fouling on any of her half-dozen tries, achieved a runner-up 118’10” on her fourth effort, bumping CHS sophomore Elizabeth Brooks’ 114-footer (coming via her third) down to third place.
IHS senior Lexy Young ran a 13.59 in her 100-meter dash preliminary, but unfortunately placed eighth in said heat and did not make the final—won by CHS junior Kylee Terry in 12.75 seconds, or one-tenth slower than her second-place preliminary clocking. Young’s time would land her in 15th place overall.
In the 200 meters, however, Young not only made the final—her 27.57 ranked fifth in Heat No. 1, then held up for eighth overall—but finished in seventh place, her 28.03 earning the Lady ’Cats three points.
Terry completed a short-sprint sweep with a winning 25.72, or 0.19 faster than her prelim-pacing time, and Dayspring Christian junior Odone Omofoma placed second in 26.02. Omofoma also took second in the 100 with a 12.82.
Scoring two points for Ignacio, sophomore Maci Barnes finished eighth in the 800-meter run with a personal-record time of 2:30.42. Cedaredge freshman Jessica Black won in 2:17.79, and CSCS senior Elle Stevens followed in 2:24.62.
“Our girls performed well at State Track…despite the weather delay,” said proud head coach Aimee Larsen.