The Wave's Kapili Gleason leans back while competing in the high jump.
CARSON CITY — The future is shining bright for the Greenwave track and field team.
Fallon’s boys and girls teams both overperformed in last weekend’s Division I-A state meet at Carson High School, placing five in the top four. The Greenwave boys took sixth with 18 points, while Desert Pines won the division with 55. The Lady Wave finished ninth with 16 points as Spring Creek won over Truckee, 59-50.
“The kids really over-performed this season,” Fallon boys coach Steve Heck said. “Looking at times and marks from the beginning of the season until now, there has been a lot of growth and improvement. With the youth of this team, I was impressed how many kids got to the state meet. The experience of the state meet for these young kids will really help them going into next year. We also had a lot of kids not far from qualifying. This really bodes well for next year’s team. This young group has a lot of potential and should have some great years ahead of them.”
TJ Mauga placed second and fifth in the discus and shot put, Kapili Gleason took sixth in the high jump and Colton Peterson finished eighth in the 200-meter dash for the boys individual events. The 4x200 relay team finished fourth in a tight race while the 4x800 team took eighth.
“He matched his PR from last week, which shows how tough he is considering the condition,” Heck said of Gleason, who was ranked eighth going into the meet. We told the kids times and marks don’t matter this week, it is all about place. Kapili showed what happens when you get out there and give it your best.”
Peterson finished eighth in the 200 in 24.16 seconds to come 1.03 seconds short of medaling while Gleason finished sixth at 5 feet 6 inches. Elko’s Kryin Allen won at 6-8.
“Colton Peterson ran a good 200. It was really close,” Heck said. “He was ranked seventh and dropped one place, but he ran a great race for a freshman. This experience is really going to help him over the next few years.”
The 4x200 relay team of Drake Copley, Broder Thurston, Reid Clyburn and Peterson nipped Elko and Fernley at the finish to take fourth in 1:33.71, while the same team finished eighth in the 4x100 in 46.67 after a couple of shaky handoffs.
Heck was pleased with the 4x200 team beating its cross-valley rival, Fernley, as well as the weather.
“Times were not great on Friday with the severe wind and cold, but they persevered through the miserable conditions,” he said. “It shows how tough those four boys are. Getting on the medal stand for with two freshmen and two sophomores is a huge accomplishment.”
The 4x800 team of Isaiah Williams, JR Demillo, Mario Ugalde and Joseph Terry finished eighth in 9:12.67.
“The 4x800 team ran very well, but the competition was really fast,” Heck said. “They did a great job in the bad conditions and I was very proud of their effort. Mario Ugalde finished his senior career with a great effort. We will miss him, but it will be fun to see the other three boys develop over the next few years.”
For the girls, Whitney Skabelund won both the long and triple jumps and took fifth in the pole vault, Jordan Beyer finished fifth in the high jump and Leann Stands took third in the discus. The 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams finished seventh.
“We did way better. To finish ninth was really good for us,” Fallon girls coach Paul Orong said. “We scored more points than I figured. This team – everyone is coming back.”
Beyer, who started high jumping last month, high jumped to 4-10 for fifth as Lowry’s Kenadee Jepson won at 5-4.
“That was surprising. She’s only been jumping for three weeks,” Orong said of Beyer.
The 4x100 relay team of Emily Evett, Sierra Hickox, Brynlee Shults and Beyer took seventh with a time of 52.55. The 4x200 team, which featured Evett, Hickox, Skabelund and Beyer, took seventh in 1:49.75.
Missing from the mix was senior Tristen Thomson, whose valiant attempt in the regional meet fell short as he nursed a stress fracture. Thomson broke the school record in the 800 and ranked in the top this season in the 1600 and 3200 as well.
“Tristen Thomson had a banner year,” Heck said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way he wanted, but he has left a lasting impression on track and field at Churchill County High School. His 800 record will probably stand for years. The rest of our seniors also did a great job leading the team this year and bringing along the younger kids. They will be greatly missed.”