CASPER – Torrington’s Logan Harris broke a 27-year overall state record in the shot put with a put of 63 feet, 8.5 inches Saturday at the state track meet in Casper.
“Every time I go to practice and I look out there I was like ‘I can get that.’ I look at that mark and I think ‘I can get that.’” Harris said. “That’s what I thought when I came here. Yesterday I came here and was just looking at it and I just thought about it all night. I knew I was going to at least try and give it hell to make it – but I did.”
With his second throw of the day, Harris broke the 3A record with a throw of 61 feet, 2 inches. In the finals, he broke his own class record, adding another two inches to the distance.
“After I put one over (the 3A record), I knew I was in a groove,” Harris said.
Harris took to the ring with the final throw of his high school career and recorded a put of 63 feet, 8.5 inches, breaking his own class record and the overall state record set by John Godina (Cheyenne Central), the athlet who went on to be a three-time Olympian in both shot and disc.
“I knew this was going to be the last time I’d ever throw a shot put,” Harris said. “I knew that I’d have to make something out of it.”
“Throughout his whole career, he has kind of set goals and went after them,” coach Mark Sims said. “He just had a plan and he set after it. The credit is due to coach Steinmetz and Logan.”
Although he did not set a state record in the discus, Harris still picked up the gold, recording a throw of 155 feet, 9 inches.
Harris racked up 20 of Torrington’s 30.5 team points. The Blazers finished eighth in the team race. Star Valley won the boys’ title with 165 points.
Nathaniel Woodruff joined Harris in the shot put and added to the team’s point total, snagging seventh with a put of 44 feet, 9 inches. Jacob Wambolt took 10th in the event (41 feet, 9.75 inches). Woodruff also competed in the discus, just missing the top eight with a throw of 125 feet, 4 inches, earning ninth.
Tristan DeMott reached the podium twice over the weekend. In the pole vault, he cleared 12 feet to tie for fourth. He was also on the 1600-meter relay team, along with Aaron Borger, Bo Moorehouse and Mondell Tolman, that finished fifth with a time of 3:38.23.
In the distance events, Borger took 13th in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:11.50. Pake Haun slid into 15th in the two-mile, clocking a time of 11:48.43. The 3200-meter relay team, including Borger, Haun, Cameron Juma and Josh Posten, finished in 9:28.47, capturing 10th.
Frank Rand competed in the two shortest sprints, but missed the finals in both. In the 200-meter dash, he took 14th (24.33 seconds) and he snagged 15th in the 100-meter dash (12.20 seconds). Tolman finished just ahead of Rand in the 100, tying for 13th with a time of 12.17 seconds. Borger competed in the 400-meter dash, earning 13th with a time of 55.11 seconds.
Brice Krick competed in both of the hurdles events, but was unable to make the finals. He took 14th in the 110-meter hurdles (18.98 seconds) and 15th in the 300-meter hurdles (46.15 seconds).
The Lady Blazers had one state title performance. Logan Murphy, Dantia Palmer, Shelbey Prusia and Latosha Wiford recorded a time of 51.85 seconds in the 400-meter relay, capturing first.
“The girls’ 4x100 winning was pretty big,” Sims said. “We had two seniors on the team so that was pretty exciting.”
Prusia also stood on the podium in two individual events. She finished fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.13 seconds. In the 100-meter dash, the senior turned in a time of 13.19 seconds, snagging sixth.
Like Prusia, Murphy finished in the top-eight in two separate individual events. She took fifth in both the long jump (15 feet, 9 inches) and 300-meter hurdles (48.96 seconds).
Nakalyn Garner was the final Torrington girl to reach the top-eight. She paced the Lady Blazers in the pole vault, taking fifth with a vault of 9 feet. Onalise Albaugh tied for 11th after clearing 8 feet and Sarandon Keeran cleared 7 feet, 6 inches to take 14th.
Rounding out the field competitors, Renee Cline took 14th in the triple jump, clearing 31 feet, 5.25 inches. Pamela Pierce was the only Lady Blazer to throw at the state tournament, earning 17th in the discus with a throw of 93 feet, 6 inches.
In the sprints, Palmer just missed the finals for the 400-meter dash, taking ninth in the prelims with a time of 1:04.64. Albaugh also missed the cut in the 200, turning in a time of 29.10 seconds to finish 13th.
Adia Sherbeyn competed in the 800-meter run, sliding to 14th with a time of 2:38.36. Cheyenne Mickle took 17th in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 22.12 seconds.
Albaugh, Murphy, Prusia and Wiford reached the podium in the 1600-meter relay, finishing sixth with a time of 4:18.90.
The Lady Blazers finished 11th in the team race, racking up 32 points. Star Valley won the girls’ team title with 142 points.
“I think we went there and did what we should do,” Sims said. “The girls finished 11th but were only 10 points out of fourth.”
All-state honors were also announced following the state meet. The top-two individuals in each event and the winning relay earn the distinction.
Harris earned his third all-state honor. Murphy, Palmer, Prusia and Wiford were all named all-state for their efforts in the 1600-meter relay.
