Look how they run: Sanpeters have great showing at track meet

By Matt Harris

Staff Writer

6-6-2019

 

PROVO—Twenty-six of Sanpete’s top track and field teams and athletes competed in 26 of 64 possible events at the 2A and 3A state tournament at BYU last Saturday.

Out of six North Sanpete athletes, six Manti athletes, five Gunnison athletes and two Wasatch Academy athletes, along with several relay teams, Sanpete’s best took third or better in eight events, including a stellar performance from Gunnison’s Jade Wimmer, who won the 2A girls’ 200- and 400-meter finals in addition to a fourth place finish in the 800-meter finals.

Gunnison’s girls fielded a team that placed eighth overall in the 2A girls state tournament standings, led by Wimmer’s phenomenal sprinting. Wimmer ran times of 25.87 seconds and 58.66 seconds in the 200- and 400-meter finals to win both events, and she then took a fourth-place finish in the 800-meters.

Last year as a sophomore Wimmer broke the all-time 400-meter school record. She is also the second fastest girl from Gunnison to ever run the 200-meter dash.

In girls’ throwing events, Gracie Moysh threw a shot put the distance of 34’11.00” to take second place in that event.

“Gracie has God-given talent and abilities,” Gunnison Asst. Track Coach Carl Wimmer said. “She is extremely strong and has deceptively fast speed. I knew she would be a good thrower, and she is.”

For Gunnison’s boys, Ethan Carter placed seventh in the 100-meter dash.

Garrett Francis placed fourth in the high jump. Rusty Jones, the Gunnison high jumper coach said, “The sky is the limit for Garrett, literally. With a bit more work and refinement, Garret will be making a serious run at being state champion next season.”

Kort Sorensen took seventh in the long jump.

“If Kort sticks with track and field, he is likely to become one the best long jumpers we have ever seen come from Gunnison High School,” Gunnison track coach Hollie Evans said.

The Bulldogs relay team placed eighth in the 4×100-meter relay.

For North Sanpete boys, Wyatt Roberts took fifth place in the 3A boys’ 400 meters. Junior Scott Hatch took to the proverbial medal stand in high jump when he cleared 6’0”, which was good enough for second place just a smidgen behind a first-place finish from Delta.

The Hawks’ power thrower, Laramie Roberts, claimed third place in the discus with a throw of 124’01.00,” and he also claimed sixth place in the shot put.

In boys’ team events, North Sanpete ran in the 4×100 and sprint medley relays, placing sixth and eighth, respectively.

North Sanpete girls made some waves as Isabelle Hightower took second place in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, running respective times of 12.85 seconds and 26.40 seconds. Aubry Cook ran in the 1600- and 3200-meter finals and placed eighth and sixth, respectively.

North Sanpete’s Tairei Laupapa took fifth in the shot put.

For Manti, on the boys’ side, they looked awfully good in the 110-meter hurdles, with Trevor Robinson taking second and Josh Blauer taking third in the same event. Robinson ran a time of 15.76 seconds, with Blauer, 15.86 seconds, only a tenth of a second behind.

Jaden Sterner took sixth in the 400-meter finals.

Manti’s boys’ relay teams placed seventh in both the 4×100-meter and the sprint medley relay.

For the Lady Templars, Sharlie Alder placed seventh in the 400-meter finals.

In girls throwing events, Manti’s Breana Barson took fifth in the discus, and Sanilaiti Takeiaho took fourth in the shot put.

Manti girls’ sprint medley relay team placed seventh.

Wimmer wasn’t the only three-race runner to come out of the valley in this tournament, because Wasatch Academy girls fielded the likes of Ashley Lagat. Lagat did not perform to the same level of success as Wimmer, but she ran for eighth place in the 800-meters and sixth place in the 1600- and 320-meter finals.

The Tigers’ Sheilah Cheruyiot also ran in the 1600- and 3200-meter finals, placing squarely in fourth place for each event.

Wasatch Academy’s girls’ sprint medley relay team took fifth in the finals.

By ribbon count, Sanpete’s locals came home with two firstplace finishes, five second-place finishes and two third-place finishes.