CARSON CITY — The Lowry High School track and field team provided one if its best performances in recent memory at the Northern 3A Regional Championships last weekend in Carson City.
The Buckaroos turned in seven first-place finishes and the Lady Bucks were second as a team. A number of athletes are headed to Henderson this weekend for the state championships.
“It was a good weekend for us,” said LHS coach Grant Beatty. “We (coaches) really thought we had a chance to win the girls team title. We fell just short, but still had a great regional. The kids did a great job.”
Senior Kenadee Jeppsen will look to defend her high jump state title, after winning the event with a mark of 5 feet, 4 inches. After some encouragement from coach Maite Smith-Hernandez, Jeppsen attempted to break the school record with a jump of 5-5.25, but just came up short. Smith-Hernandez holds the school record at 5-5.
Jeppsen is also headed to the state championships after finishing third in the long jump with a leap of 16-8, and she was seventh in the 200 meters with a time of 28.19 seconds.
Sophomore Rachel Garrison set a personal best in the shot put to win the event by a quarter of an inch with a toss of 34-5. That throw was the fifth of her six attempts. Garrison posted a runner-up finish in the discus with a throw of 118-2.
Madison Montero missed out on winning the 100-meter dash by .01 seconds. The senior stopped the watch at 13.19, but Elko’s Phoebe Fagoaga edged her out at 13.18. Montero is headed to Henderson in the pole vault as well, after a third-place finish, with a mark of 8-6.
Hailey Hinkle qualified for the state meet in two events. The junior was second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.33, which was a personal best. South Tahoe’s Maya Brosch won the event at 44.86.
Hinkle set another personal best in the 400 meters and was third at 60:17. Brosch was first at 59.02 and Truckee’s Brenna Wapstra-Scott was second with a time of 59:27.
Three relay teams for the Lady Bucks are going to Henderson for the state championships. The 4x200 relay of Audrey Snow, Shelby Garrison, Hailey Fernandez and Montero were first with a time of 1:48.59. The 4x400 relay of Jeppsen, Fernandez, Hinkle and Shelby Garrison were first at 4:08.63. The 4x100 relay of Snow, Rachel Garrison, Fernandez and Montero placed third with a time of 52.30.
Sophomore Becca Kuskie placed fifth in the 1,600 meters (5:31.88 and seventh in the 3,200 meters (12:21.63), while Whitney Willey was ninth in the shot put at 26-0. Hinkle (4-10) and Shelby Garrison (4-8) were fifth and sixth in the high jump and Snow was fifth in the 200 meters with a time of 28.10 and eighth in the 100 meters (14.00).
There were strong performances from the Lowry boys as well, with Erick Lopez sweeping first place in the top sprinting events. The junior led the way in the 100-meter dash at 11.13 and he was first in the 200 meters with a time of 23.00.
Senior Bryan Terry cruised to the shot put championship with a personal best throw of 52-4.75 to beat Churchill County’s TJ Mauga by nearly five feet. Terry was second in the discus with a toss of 159-8. Mauga beat him on the final throw of the event with a toss of 162-6.
Senior Brandon Dowd advanced to the state meet, after finishing second in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 12-6.
The 4x100 and 4x200 relays finished second and qualified for state. The 4x100 group of Raymond Orzech, Jacob Frazier, Victor Rosas and Lopez stopped the watch at 44.28. The 4x200 relay of Timur Krapvin, Frazier, Rosas and Lopez had a time of 1:33.46.
Rosas just missed out in the 100 meters with a fourth-place finish at 11.49 and the junior was fifth in the 200 meters with a time of 24.09. Scottie Smith (5-8), Nathan Kepler (5-8) and Zachary White (5-2) placed fifth, sixth and ninth in the high jump. In addition, White finished sixth in the pole vault with a mark of 11-0, which was a personal best.
Will Kracaw placed seventh in the 1,600 meters (4:56.16) and 10th in the 3,200 meters (10:42.78) and Erick Zamora was eighth in the shot put with a toss of 28-11.25, which was a personal best.
Lowry finished fifth as a team with 84 points. Elko won a close team battle with 119 points, followed by Churchill County (117) and Truckee (114).
The NIAA State Championships take place Friday and Saturday at Foothill High School in Henderson.
