Lehi Sports
BYU invite sees good efforts from local tracksters
The local high school teams performed well at the BYU Invitational on April 5 and 6. This was the 113th presentation of the “longest running and most prestigious track and field invitational in the intermountain west.”
This year’s competition included 103 teams from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Alaska. In that large field, the combined boys and girls team from Skyridge placed fifth and the Lehi team finished ninth at the Clarence Robison Track at Brigham Young University.
Schools compete in two divisions at this meet. Classes 1A to 3A include athletes from smaller schools, and those from larger schools go against each other in the Class 4A to 6A division.
Utah County is a hotbed for track in the state and this was demonstrated by the overall results. Lone Peak was the combined winner with 104.5 points, followed by American Fork at 92.5, Corner Canyon at 81.5, Mountain View at 79.0 and Skyridge at 61.0. Lehi posted 45.5 points.
In the girls division, local teams were particularly dominant. Lone Peak was first with 71.5 points, American Fork had 47.5 points, Timpanogos was third with 44.5 points and Lehi was fourth with 39.0 points. Skyridge finished ninth with 28.0 points.
In the boys events, the Bruins claimed the top spot with 50.0 pointsand the Cavemen were second with 45.0 points edging the Chargers at 44.5. The Falcons and Knights tied for sixth place with 33.0 points. With few entrants, the Pioneers finished 34th with 6.5 points.
The one gold medal earned by local athletes at this meet was in the 4×100-meter relay race. Lehi’s squad of senior Rosa Welch, senior Stephanie Roper, freshman Macy Soelberg and senior Sarah Ballardbroke the school record set earlier this season to take first in 48.31 seconds.
Ballard collected medals in her other events as well, garnering the silver in the 100m (12.12 sec), bronze in the 200m (24.39 sec) and bronze in the long jump (17-07.50 ft). Welch finished fifth in the long jump. Senior Caroline Moon got fourth place in the 800m run.
The Skyridge girls came in second in 4x800m relay (9:35.64) with seniors Kylie Olsen, Elise Hartsell, Tessa Miller and Halle Mehr.Olsen broke her own school record in the 1600m at 4:57.13 to finish fourth.
Senior Mia Kauffman was fourth in the 300m hurdles and senior Miley Richards came in fourth in the javelin. The 4x200m relay team also claimed fourth place with Makaylie Roberds, Tori Smart, Portia Hugh and Kauffman.
For the boys, Falcon senior Smith Snowden earned silver in the 100m (10.62 sec) and bronze in the 200m (21.75 sec). Senior Cameron Beck broke his own school record with a shot put throw of 55-06.25 feet to finish in second place.
Senior Jayden Gibson got bronze in the 800m (1:55.08). Junior Benton Goodwin was fourth in the long jump, falling just a quarter-inch shy of the new school record he set at the Tiger Trials of 21-06.50 feet.
Pioneer senior Noah Begay finished fifth in the high jump and anchored the 4x800m relay team, which also got fifth place with Owen Amakasu, Caden Barlow and Ruel Shelley.
