Doggers run away with east titles

Erick Starkey
Posted 5/16/18

The Lingle-Fort Laramie Doggers boys and girls track teams both won 1A East Regional titles this past weekend in Torrington, propelled by eight first-place finishes.

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Doggers run away with east titles

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TORRINGTON – The Lingle-Fort Laramie Doggers boys and girls track teams both won 1A East Regional titles this past weekend in Torrington, propelled by eight first-place finishes.

“Our coaching staff was very pleased with the performances we got from our athletes across the board,” coach Mike Lashley said. “Many of our athletes recorded season best efforts.

“The weather, while not the best, did not have much negative effect on our athletes,” he added. “They went into the weekend knowing that conditions were not going to be ideal, but they were determined to make sure they were ready to compete.”

Kaelyn Riley had herself a day, picking up four gold medals, including three in individual events. She won the 100- and 200-meter dashes with times of 13.34 seconds and 26.79 seconds. In the 400, she snagged the top spot with a time of 1:02.77. Riley also linked up with Shelby Heilbrun, Jenna Kaufman and Jenny Manus for the 1600-meter relay, with the squad posting a time of 4:30.85 to take first.

The Lady Doggers combined for two additional relay wins. Manus, Kaufman and Heilbrun were joined by Cora Frederick for the 3200-meter relay, winning with a time of 11:42.72. Heilbrun and Kaufman were also two members of the 1600-meter sprint medley team. The pair, along with Kaylan Maez and Jordyn Gaspers, won the event, clocking a time of 4:55.48. In the 400-meter relay, Katelyn Seyfang, Shelly Ann Sorrick, Emily Hatch and Kalli Nichol turned in a time of 1:06.20, finishing third.

“This was the first track meet of the season that we actually had our entire team together,” Lashley said. “That allowed us to fill all relays and enter kids in nearly every event.”

Kaufman rounded out the individual gold-medalists on the track, winning first in the 800 with a time of 2:34.88. Frederick took fourth in the same event with a time of 2:46.47. Frederick paced L-FL in the mile, taking sixth (6:28.35), and in the two-mile, snagging seventh (14:24.29).

Manus joined Frederick in the 1600, taking eighth with a time of 6:37.79. Nichol joined Riley in the 400, picking up a fourth-place finish after clocking a time of 1:25.29.

In addition to her first-place finish in the 1600-meter sprint medley, Maez snagged second in two individual events. She took the silver in the 100-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 18.35 seconds, and the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 53.54 seconds.

Gaspers had the top finish among the Lady Dogger field athletes, capturing the gold in the high jump after clearing 4 feet, 7 inches. Heilbrun and Nichol joined Gaspers in the high jump, both clearing 4 feet, 7 inches to round out the top-three competitors. Gaspers carried her solid efforts to the other jumping events as well, taking second in the long jump with a 13-foot, 3.75-inch effort. She also snagged fifth in the triple jump, clearing 28 feet, 3.25 inches.

In the pole vault, Maez cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to take third. Nichol was not far behind, clearing 5 feet to earn fifth.

Savannah Mirich was the lone Lady Dogger thrower to place and she did so in both events. She took second in the shot put with a throw of 33 feet, 5.75 inches. She also took the silver in the discus with a 92-foot, 3-inch effort.

As a team, L-FL amassed 170 points to run away with the title. Kaycee, with 129 points, and Hanna-Elk Mountain, with 96 points, rounded out the top-three teams.

“I know track is looked upon as being an individual sport, but it takes an unselfish attitude to win as a team,” Lashley said. “To win a regional meet, you have to have depth and we were able to place multiple athletes in several events.”

Boys

For the Dogger boys, the lone first-place finish came in the 1600-meter sprint medley, where Gaven Niles, Hayden Hill, Cole Shepardson and Kelly Peterson snagged the crown with a time of 3:57.54.

L-FL also had two second-place relays. Niles, Shepardson, Hill and Cooper Hill took second in the 400-meter relay, clocking a time of 47.52 seconds. Niles and Shepardson also competed in the 1600-meter relay and, joined by Peterson and Rhett Greenwald, took second with a time of 3:48.60. Rounding out the relays, Cooper Hill linked up with Rayden Alonzo, Caeden Riley and Elias Dodson, taking fourth with a time of 12:14.84.

Landen Fuller placed in the top-three in four individual events. He took second in the 100 with a time of 12.03 seconds, second in the 200 with a time of 23.33 seconds and second in the 800 with a time of 1:57.58. His mark in the 800 lowered his own school record that he set earlier this season. The senior earned third in the 400, posting a mark of 51.12 seconds.

Fuller was joined by Hayden Hill and Ty Mueller in the 100. Hill snagged fifth with a time of 12.69 seconds. Mueller, after reaching the finals with a time of 11.71 seconds in the prelims to take second, posted a time of 23.13 seconds in the finals to take eighth.

In the 800 behind Fuller, Peterson took fourth with a time of 2:11.79. Niles was one slot behind, finishing fifth, turning in a time of 2:15.51. Peterson also ran in the 1600, taking the bronze with a time of 5:03.14.

Rounding out the efforts on the track, Greenwald took third in the 110-meter hurdles (17.61 seconds) and fifth in the 300-meter hurdles (45.83 seconds). Shepardson edged Greenwald in the 300-meter hurdles, taking fourth with a time of 43.22 seconds.

Mueller had the best finish of the field competitors, snagging second in the triple jump after clearing 38 feet, 11 inches. He also took third in the long jump with a 19-foot effort. Cooper Hill earned sixth in the triple jump (34-7.75) and eighth in the long jump (16-5.75). Hayden Hill was fourth in the long jump, clearing 18 feet, 3 inches.

Greenwald picked up a third-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet.

Cordell Forkner had the best finish for the Dogger throwers. He took fourth in the shot put with a put of 39 feet, 6.5 inches, while snagging fifth in the discus, clearing 109 feet, 9 inches. Also in the shot put, Alonzo took sixth with a throw of 35 feet, 10.5 inches and Dodson snagged seventh with a 34-foot, 6.5-inch throw. Riley joined Forkner as a placer in discus, taking eighth after clearing 101 feet, 9 inches.

The Doggers snagged the top spot in the 1A East boys team race, racking up 138 points. Midwest took second with 119 points, edging out Hanna-Elk Mountain’s 115 points. Kaycee was not far behind, taking fourth with 104 points.

Those who placed in the top-eight in individual events, as long as the top-four relays, all will compete at the 1A State Meet.

“We qualified every single one of our track kids for the state meet,” Lashley said. “In my nearly 30 years of coaching track and field, I do not remember that ever happening. That is a testament to the work ethic these kids have, and the fact that they were willing to try new events throughout the season to find a place they could help our team be successful.”

The state meet is in Casper starting Thursday and wrapping up Saturday.

“We are really excited about the state meet this week,” Lashley said. “We have several athletes that are among the best in the state and they have the opportunity to place well in Casper. We are also in a really good spot team-wise for both boys and girls. Both teams have an excellent chance to bring home trophies from the state meet. It ought to be a fun weekend.”

Full results for those who competed but missed the top-eight include:

Girls

Shot Put – 10, Emily Hatch, 21-1.25; 13, Shelly Ann Sorrick, 18-0.25.

Discus – 13, Shelly Ann Sorrick, 57-3; 13, Emily Hatch, 57-3.

Boys

Discus – 10, Rayden Alonzo, 71-9; 12, Elias Dodson, 69-6.