Miserable is the only adjective that matches the conditions at the Kelly Walsh High School track for the opening day of the 2022 state track championships. A high of 33 degrees, mixed rain and snow all afternoon and intermittent winds under heavy cloud cover made the track a treacherous one for athletes from all four corners of Wyoming.
The conditions deteriorated as the day went on, resulting in the postponement and rescheduling of numerous field events as well as the 100 meter and 110 meter high hurdle preliminaries.
As poor as the weather was, the resilience of the student athletes was on the other end of the pendulum.
Boys and girls from across the state competed well despite the conditions, and Fremont County was able to claim an individual and a relay gold medal in the wet, cold arena that was the opening afternoon of a long, cold weekend of competition.
Larissa McElroy took gold in the 3200 meter run for the Lady Chiefs. The Wyoming Indian senior won the event as a freshman and took the crown again three years later.
Joining McElroy on the podium were Wind River’s Cora Remacle in seventh place and Georgetta Moss of St. Stephen’s who collapsed at the finish line diving to a stop for 8th place.
The relay title went to the Lander quartet of Caynen Brown, Shawn Cozzens, Gage Gose, and Blaine Goklish in the sprint medley relay. The Tigers took first in a fantastic time considering the conditions of 3:43.08.
Other county athletes placing on opening day were the Dubois Lady Rams with a seventh place finish in the sprint medley relay. Keira Wadge, Sienna Seabolt, Summer Halway, and Whitney Wright ran during some of the heaviest snow of the day for their medals.
Dubois discus thrower Jack Hinkle finished eighth in the discus with a throw of 106-4.
Shoshoni’s sprint medley team of Hannah Howe, Abrianna Kiser, Riana Tidwell, Kaitlyn Kiser also earned seventh place medals in the Class 2-A division.
Wind River’s Mina king was sixth in the long jump with a leap of 15-5 and Wyoming Indian’s Donte Duran ran the 3200 meters in 10:58.57 for third place.
Lander freshman Amya Eddy was runner-up in the Class 3-A 3200 meter un in a time of 11:36.11, with teammate Kyra Simonson seventh.
The Shoshoni and Wyoming Indian boys finished sixth and seventh respectively in the spring medley relay. Braeden Cash, Caleb Abbott, Shinnosuke Shiga, and Bodie Jensen ran for the Wranglers, while the Chiefs quartet was Jason Slow Bear, Josh Slow Bear, Keiran McCorley, and Donte Duran.
The Lady Tigers team of Alexa Colman, Avery Bever, Ellie Kaufman, and Ameya Eddy finished second in the sprint medley relay in Class 3-A.
Riverton sophomore Kaden Chatfield battled the elements and the eight laps of the 3200 meter un to finish eighth in 10:08.96.
A revamped Friday schedule awaits the athletes with meet officials scrambling to get all the events rescheduled and finished quickly to get back on schedule.
