The Lowry High School track and field team took on some of the best schools in northern Nevada at the Northwest Invite at McQueen High School in Reno on Saturday, April 15.
“The kids are looking good right now,” said LHS coach Grant Beatty. “We had a school record and some personal bests. The nice thing is that a good majority of our girls are scoring points for us.”
Kenadee Jeppsen continued her winning ways in the high jump, winning the event with a leap of 5 feet, 3 inches to best the field by two inches. Jeppsen was third in the long jump with a mark of 16-2.50. She had the best leap among the smaller schools. Bishop Manogue’s Amber Elkins won the event with a jump of 17-6. In addition, Jeppsen was 10th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 50.91.
Sophomore Rachel Garrison set a personal best in the discus to place third with a toss of 121-10. She was the top athlete among the smaller schools. Damonte Ranch’s Cassidy Osborne-Butler won with a throw of 124-10. Garrison finished 15th in the shot put at 29-5, which was fifth best among 3A schools.
Hailey Hinkle placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.63 seconds and Madison Montero was sixth in the pole vault, as she cleared 8-0. Montero had the best mark among 3A schools in the pole vault and Hinkle was second-best among smaller schools. Hinkle added a seventh-place outing in the high jump at 4-9 and Montero was 11th in the 100-meter dash at 13.51.
Shelby Garrison finished sixth in the high jump at 4-11 and Audrey Snow was 11th in the 200 meters with a time of 27.97.
Becca Kuskie was busy in the distance events, placing 15th in the 3,000 meters with a time of 12:21.98. She was 24th in the 1,500 meters (5:33.27) and 24th in the 800 meters at 2:45.19.
Hailey Fernandez was 20th in the 200 meters with a time of 28.83 and Whitney Willey was 22nd in the shot put and discus with throws of 27-2 and 80-6, respectively.
The 4x100 relay of Montero, Shelby Garrison, Snow and Fernandez were fifth in a time of 52.54. That time was the best among small schools.
The 4x200 relay of Snow, Montero, Shelby Garrison and Fernandez were fifth at 1:50.67. That was also best among the smaller schools. The 4x400 relay of Jeppsen, Fernandez, Hinkle and Shelby Garrison were fifth with a time of 4:17.10. Once again, the top time among non 4A schools.
The Lady Bucks finished eight as a team with 46.50 points. The top seven schools were from the Northern 4A. McQueen won the team title with 98.50 points and Damonte Ranch (92) was second. Reno (90) placed third and Bishop Manogue (76) and Carson (62) rounded out the top five.
Nathan Kepler turned in strong performances for the Lowry boys, starting with a runner-up finish in the high jump at 5-9. Carson’s Greg Wallace won the event with a mark of 6-3 and was the only athlete to clear six feet. In addition, Kepler was sixth in the long jump at 19-10, setting a personal best.
Junior Erick Lopez led the sprinters with a fourth-place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 23.20, which was best among the smaller schools. He placed fifth in the 100-meter dash at 11.47. The top eight finishers were within .62 seconds of each other.
Fellow junior Victor Rosas was ninth in the 200 meters at 23.78 and 10th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.84.
Bryan Terry continued to be the top thrower for the Buckaroos, placing third in the shot put with a toss of 48-1 and eighth in the discus at 130-7. His throw in the shot put was the best in the small schools by four feet.
Camerino DeLaMora (5.19) and Timur Krapvin (55.51) were 10th and 11th in the 400 meters and Zachary White was 17th in the pole vault, clearing 9-6. Will Kracaw was 19th in the 3,00 meters in a time of 10:21.50 and 21st in the 1,500 meters at 4:35.38.
Bryan Day placed 20th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.89 and Oscar Juanes was 20th in the 400 meters at 56.45.
The 4x200 relay of Lopez, Rosas, Frazier and Krapvin set a new school-record and finished third with a time of 1:34.41. The time was the quickest among smaller schools. The 4x100 relay of Lopez, Rosas, Frazier and Brandon Dowd were fourth at 45.63, beating out Churchill County by .02 seconds.
Lowry tied for eighth as a team with 38 points. Damonte Ranch coasted to the team title with 148.25 points. McQueen was second at 105. Reno (74.75) was third and Bishop Manogue (64) and Spanish Springs (50) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Lowry is in Carson City today for the Carson Invitational. The Buckaroos hosts the Lowry Invitational on Saturday, April 29, at 9 a.m.
The postseason begins on Saturday, May 6, with the Northern 3A Trials in Fallon. The Northern 3A Regional Championships take place May 12-13 at Carson High Schooly. The top three finishers in each event qualify for the NIAA State Championships at Foothill High School in Henderson.
