Lehi Sports
Lehi, Skyridge track teams make strong starts at Early Bird Invite
Megan Wallgren / Lehi Free Press
The outdoor track and field season opened with a wave of early-season personal bests from Lehi High School and Skyridge High School athletes at the Early Bird Invitational on March 12-14 at Mountain View High School in Orem.
In a competitive field of 23 boys teams and 23 girls teams, the Pioneers placed fourth in the boys standings and 11th in the girls, finishing sixth overall out of 28 combined teams.
The Falcons followed closely, placing fifth in the boys standings, seventh in the girls and eighth in the combined team rankings.
A highlight for the Lehi team was a record-breaking performance from senior Gracie Tait, who surpassed an 11-year-old school record in the javelin with a throw of 124-feet-9-inches. The record-setting throw earned her a gold medal and an automatic state berth as well.
Tait, the top scorer for the Lehi girls, also showed her versatility with a personal best and fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash, completing the event in 25.70 seconds.
Lehi junior Sterling Fillmore also claimed gold, winning the boys javelin with a throw of 165-5.0 feet. Fillmore’s personal-best performance also earned him a spot at the state meet in May.
Another standout for the Pioneers was senior Carson Howard, who was the top scorer for the Lehi program and earned 17 points across multiple events.
Howard claimed the bronze medal in the high jump with a mark of 6-2.0 feet. He finished fourth in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.52 seconds and was fifth in the 300m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 41.86 seconds.
“We had so many good surprises at the Early Bird Invite this weekend,” said Lehi coach Emily King. “Usually, lifetime bests and state qualifiers start rolling in more when we are halfway through the season, but we had 44 lifetime bests, six state qualifying marks, and even one school record.”
Skyridge’s efforts were highlighted by a gold-medal finish from senior Ty Baird in the high jump, clearing 6-6.0 feet. It was a personal record and state-qualifying jump.
Senior Briggs Parker, the top scorer for the Falcons, added a pair of strong sprint performances. He earned the silver medal in the 200m with a time of 21.68 seconds and captured the bronze in the 100m in 11.01 seconds. Both times qualified him for state competition.
Freshman Madeline Birkeland led the Falcon girls in scoring. She earned a silver-medal finish in the long jump with a mark of 16-5.5 feet, a personal best as well as a state-qualifying jump. Birkeland also placed seventh in the 400m with a time of 1:00.11, another personal record.
With dozens of personal records already set and multiple athletes hitting qualifying marks, both teams appear poised for strong seasons ahead as the outdoor schedule continues.
