Laramie Track Tries to Finish on a High Note [VIDEO]
The final weekend of the track and field season has Laramie High School athletes at the state championships in Casper.
LHS has 13 girls and 12 boys competing over three days at Harry Geldien Stadium from Kelly Walsh High School.
After no track season a year ago, Laramie is thankful for this opportunity to compete.
Head coach Greg Schabron said he and the rest of the track coaching staff like how all the kids that qualified for state are looking going into this weekend.
“We’ve got a quality group of kids going into these different relays, open (events), and field events. Overall, team score-wise, we’re going to be a little weak just because of the lack of depth, but the quality of athletes we have going, we’re very confident in their ability to place, and place well, especially coming from the much stronger region in the state.”
The Lady Plainsmen came in sixth at last week’s 4A East Regional Track Championships. They won three events. The Plainsmen were seventh at the track regional. Their best finish was a runner-up in the pole vault from senior Aidan Morris.
Schabron added, “We’re trying to emphasize that with the athletes, too. You had round one, round two’s not going to be much different.”
Senior Libby Berryhill is qualified in all three distance races, the 800, 1600, and 3200 meters. She will also run on the sprint medley relay. Berryhill won the 800 and 1600 last week at regionals, while also helping that medley relay to first place.
Fellow senior Travis Judd will be busy this weekend, as well. Judd competes in the long and triple jump, plus he will run on two relays, the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.
KOWB’s David Settle talked with the two seniors about their last high school competition, their events, the team prospects, and a little more.
Laramie competed at the same venue as the state meet in last week’s regional. Coach Schabron believes that’s an advantage for his squad.
“I think, especially for the younger kids, it’s kind of nice because they know, okay, here’s where I go to check-in, here are good places to warm up, that type of thing.”
Schabron feels good about the chances for their relays this weekend. He also likes where Aidan Morris is in the pole vault and knows Berryhill has chances in her events.
He added, “We’ve been working one day at a time and not having the kids thinking too far forward.”
The state track championships begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday with six events. The main portion of the meet will be on Friday and Saturday. The action begins at 9 a.m. on both of those days. The championships will wrap up around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.