Wave track and field hits record jackpot

A dose of new competition led to many personal and season bests for the Greenwave track and field team.

Fallon crossed the state border Friday for the Del Oro Invitational where it recorded 49 personal records and 12 season records in the team’s lone out-of-state meet. The Greenwave placed 16th in the varsity boys, 14th in the varsity girls and eighth in the junior varsity girls. Fallon didn’t score points in the JV boys.

“We had a very successful day even though we did not score many points,” Fallon boys coach Steve Heck said. “We go over the hill to California to get the kids some new competition and a chance to get some good marks. We definitely accomplished what we wanted to. Nearly everybody had a season or personal best mark on the track.”

Colton Peterson, Zeke Washington, Jacob Weber, Trevor East, Justin Cathey, Donovan Wright, Tristen Mathisen, William Howard, Kayden Orong, Alex Perazzo, Morgan Lawry, Bryan Ugalde, William Dick, Daniel Tapia, Garrett Tognazzini, Angelo Vann and Caden Bowman each had career marks for the boys while John Kirkland, Clayton Steelmon, Broder Thurston, Drake Copley, Spencer Knight and Peterson each had season bests.

“These marks will help with our seeding as we head into the regional meet next week,” said Heck, whose team competes in today’s Conclave of Awesomeness at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex. “We also brought a lot of our younger kids up to the varsity level at Del Oro. Had we left them down at the frosh and soph level, they would have scored a lot of points in the frosh and soph division but we need them to fill varsity spots and relays.”

The girls were no different as Sierra Hickox, Kyndal Collins, Tiffany Sorensen, Chandler McAlexander, Savannah Robinson, Shasta Mori, Glenda Lee, Kiara Verdugo and Corin Ramos each had personal records, and Emily Evett, Amanda Pursley, Shelby Hickox, LeAnn Stands, Cassidy East and Ramos each had season bests.

“They’re starting to get better now,” Fallon girls coach Paul Orong said. “They competed pretty well for the most part. We had some people (stand out) who usually don’t get a lot of recognition.”

Of those who medaled for the varsity boys, T.J. Mauga and the 4x400 relay team placed in the top eight. Mauga took second in the discus at 145 feet, 6 inches. The relay team of Michal Whitaker, Reid Clyburn, Thurston and East finished eighth in 3 minutes, 34.10 seconds. Duenas fell one place shy of medaling as he leaped 38-5.5 in the triple jump and led the long jumpers for Fallon with an 18-4 effort for 14th.

Whitney Skabelund continued her ascent for the varsity girls by medaling in three events, including the 100-meter hurdles and the long and triple jumps. She placed third in the triple at 33-2, fifth in the long at 16-1.5 and eighth in the 100 hurdles at 16.64. She was also ninth in the 300 hurdles at 49.44.

Stands’ season-best 107-8 in the discus placed her fifth and she was shy of the top eight in the shot put at 32-1. Misaki Claire finished eighth in the discus at 99-1.25.

In the junior varsity division, Vann and Knight led the boys with Vann taking seventh in the long jump at 17-10 and Knight vaulting to 9 feet in the pole vault for eighth.

Allie Lister placed in three events in the JV division, taking fifth in the pole vault at 8 feet, and fifth in both the long and triple jumps with leaps of 13-5.25 and 29-7. Sorensen was third in the discus at 91-6.5 and eighth in the shot put at 28-3, and Collins was third in the 100 at 13.46 and sixth in the 200 at 28.06. McAlexander finished eighth in the 800 at 2:39.43, followed by Robinson in ninth at 2:39.95.