Douglas High’s Kevin O’Connell, right, hands the baton to Connor Jackson during the Tigers’ 4x200 meter relay at the Big George Invite at the end of April.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
With regional track across all classes in Northern Nevada taking place Friday and Saturday, several area athletes will be qualifying for the state championships in Henderson on May 19 and 20 at Liberty High School.
In both Class 5A and 3A, the top four in each event will head to the state meet.
The following includes top performances this season.
Class 5A boys
In the 200-meter dash, Douglas’ AJ Thurston has the third quickest time this season with a 22.53. Fellow Tiger, Joshua Nelson, posted the eighth quickest time in the same event.
Thurston currently holds the seventh quickest time in the Class 5A North in the 100 (11.22).
In the 1,600, Douglas’ Jackson Davis has posted the fifth quickest time (4:29.73) while Carson’s Sawyer Macy has the sixth quickest time in 4:30.43.
In the 3,200, Macy holds a top four time in 9:46.69 while Davis is seventh in 10:10.16.
Dylan Spear-Holub has tied for the fifth in the Class 5A region in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.4.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Spear-Holub has the fifth quickest time, posting a 42.63 at the regional trials last weekend.
Douglas’ 4x100 relay has been consistently improving; its 43.72 is third in the Class 5A North. That foursome includes Mateo Esquivel, Connor Jackson, Nelson and Thurston.
Jackson, Nelson and Thurston combined with Kevin O’Connell for the team’s quickest 4x200 this spring in 1:30.91.
The 4x400 team has the fifth-quickest time as O’Connell, Luke Davis, Nelson and Thurston posted a 3:37.41 March 18.
In the 4x800, the Douglas boys also have made waves with the second-fastest time of 8:25.92, coming at the Big George Invite at the end of April.
Carson’s quickest time in the same event is fourth in the Class 5A North, but injuries will force the Senators to replace its final leg of the relay.
In the field, Kyle Koontz is currently seventh in shot put with a PR of 43-11.5.
Meanwhile in the discus, it’s Carson’s Alexander Myrehn who could potential grab a spot at state with his best throw of 135-8.5, placing him seventh in his class.
Trace Estes has recorded the second highest jump in the high jump this spring, clearing 5-10, but that mark is tied with four others.
In the long jump, Connor Jackson is sixth with a leap of 20-0.5.
Class 5A girls
In the 200, Bliss Moody currently holds the quickest time in the Class 5A North with a mark of 26.22 set at the Big George Invite.
Grace Strabala is ninth in the 100 and 200 as a freshman for the Tigers.
As the distance events come up, Carson should have several athletes push the top times in the North.
Hannah Budd has the fifth-quickest time in the 800 in 2:27.31 while fellow Senator Vea Miner is sixth in 2:28.81.
In the 1,600 Budd also holds the fifth-quickest time in 5:17.66. Sophomore Jinnie Ponczoch’s season best is 5:22.71, which is sixth in the Class 5A North.
Budd, Miner and Ponczoch are fifth, sixth and seventh in the 3,200.
Douglas’ Ava Coons has continued to lower her times in the 100-meter hurdles as she sits fourth with a PR of 17.01. Carson’s Anne Davis is right behind her with a season-best time of 17.06 for fifth.
Freshman Katelyn Coons boasts the second-quickest time this spring in the 300-meter hurdles as the first-year Tiger posted a 48.81 at trials.
Carson’s Kaylynn Bloomfield is third with a top time of 49.01.
In the 4x100, Douglas’ Kaylee Bradford, Strabala, Elizabeth Gneiting and Moody have combined for the third quickest time this season in 51.01.
Carson’s 4x4 squad of Ava Brehm, Allyson Murphy, Bloomfield and Budd put together a 4:23.47 for the fifth-fastest time this spring in the event.
In the 4x800, Ponczoch, Budd, Miner and Brianna Rodriguez-Nunez have the quickest time in the North of 9:58.52, which they set at the Big George Invite on April 29.
Sophie Marchut and Megan Strand are top four in the shot put and discus for Douglas. Marchut has the second best throw in both events this season while Strand is third and fourth, respectively.
Carson’s Anela Mitchell is fifth with a throw of 30-4 in the shot put while sitting in sixth in the discus with a PR of 96-8.
Moody currently has the second-best high jump, clearing 5-2. Right behind her are teammates Ava Coons and Logan Karwoski, who are tied for fourth with Carson’s Makenzie Fernandez at 5-0.
Moody leads the 5A North in the long jump with a PR leap of 17-10, which broke Douglas’ school record April 29.
Elizabeth Gneiting is fifth in the long jump with a best jump of 16-4 for the Tigers.
Gneiting is also fourth in the triple jump, just in front of Carson’s Rachel Bush.
Class 3A
Dayton High has several athletes that could qualify for the state meet.
In the 200 meters, Molly McGrew is fifth at 27.45, but the senior is third in the 400 with a time of 1:01.8.
Dayton’s 4x100 team of Elysia Torres, Gwyneth Binkier, Isabel Soto and McGrew have the fourth-quickest time of 1:53.16.
Torres, McGrew, Allison Hoffman and Whitney Winward have the fifth-fastest time in the 4x4 in the Class 3A north of 4:27.40.
In the discus, Rachel Ply is third with a PR throw of 87-11. The senior is second in the high jump at 5-0.
On the boys side, Daniel Newby has the sixth-quickest time in the 200 meters with a mark of 23.8.
Class 1A
The top three placers from each event qualify for state.
Sierra Lutheran High School is coming off a team regional title on the boys side last season. The Falcon girls were third as a team at regional last spring, likely having several athletes that will head to state again this season.
Seniors Flynn Schiebe and Hunter Rowlatt are 1-2 in the boys 100 meter with times of 11.26 and 11.72, respectively.
Schiebe is also at the top of the 200-meter list with a 23.05 while Rowlatt is third and sophomore Nathan Tack is fourth.
Schiebe didn’t make room for anyone at the top of the 400 either, posting a 50.85 which is nearly five seconds faster than any other time in the 1A North this spring. Tack is also third in the 400 with a time of 55.53.
Joshua Fox’s quickest time this season in the 800 is 2:20.12, which is the second quickest mark.
Chandler Ricks, Fox and Max Woelfel are fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 3,200.
All four relay teams for the Falcons boys hold second in the 1A North this spring.
In the shot put, Rowlatt is second with a 39-4.75 and second in the discus with a throw of 115-6.
David Luhr Immen is tied for first in the high jump with a clearance of 5-8.
He is also tied for third in the long jump with a mark of 18-4.
The junior could add the triple jump to his state qualifying list if he can move up one place.
For the Falcon girls, Kayla Carpenter is fourth in the 100 and 200. The sophomore is tops in the 400 at 1:04.55.
Senior Saige Gregory has the third-fastest time in the 800 and the second-quickest 1,600 this spring.
She is also second in the 3,200.
Riley McHenry had the fifth-best 100-meter hurdles time in the 1A North during the regular season of 20.02 while teammate Dakota Reed posted a 20.03.
McHenry and Lydia Carpenter are second and third in the 300-meter hurdles.
All four relay teams are either first or second in Class 1A North.
Chloe Friend will have a shot at qualifying for state in the shot put with the third best throw in the 1A North of 29-11.5.
Lydia Carpenter is tied for first in the pole vault with a clearance of six feet while Francesca Antonucci is second on the long jump.