Lehi Sports
Lehi boys win Region 3 track title
Megan Wallgren / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi boys track and field team emerged on top in a fiercely competitive Region 3 Championship meet on May 6 and 7 at Lone Peak High School.
The Pioneer boys claimed the varsity title with 152 points, finishing ahead of Corner Canyon (144), American Fork (94), Lone Peak (89) and Skyridge (54).
On the girls’ side, Lehi placed third with 92 points behind Corner Canyon (162) and American Fork (119), narrowly ahead of Lone Peak (91) and Skyridge (76).
In the combined standings, Corner Canyon led with 306 points, while Lehi secured second place with 244, followed by American Fork (213), Lone Peak (180) and Skyridge (130).
Lehi’s region success was fueled by a combination of individual excellence and balanced effort across sprint, distance and field events.
The hurdles were a clear strength for the Pioneer boys, with multiple athletes contributing key points.
Senior Carson Howard led the way with a pair of standout performances.
He topped the podium in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.28 seconds and earned a silver-medal finish in the 110m hurdles in 15.20 seconds. Both times qualified him for state competition, where he is ranked in the top 10 for the 300m distance.
Sophomore Aiden Whiting added depth to the lineup, taking the bronze in the 300m hurdles with a personal-best time of 40.82 seconds and finishing fifth in the 110m hurdles (16.25).
Senior Fisher Beck rounded out the group, placing sixth in both events, running 17.12 seconds in the 110m hurdles and 44.42 seconds in the 300m hurdles.
Lehi’s sprint group contributed top performances both individually and in relays.
The boys 4x200m relay team took the Region 3 title with a state-qualifying time of 1:28.50. Running for the Pioneers were seniors Carter Cutler, Ryan Hemingway and Matthew Heap plus junior Cameron Wren.
Individually, Wren also earned a silver medal in the 100m with a state-qualifying time of 10.85 seconds and added a sixth-place finish in the 200m, crossing at 22.21 seconds.
The boys 4x100m team claimed the bronze in 42.77 seconds, a state-qualifying mark. Running were Cutler and Heap, freshman Jack Wilson and Wren.
The boys 4x400m squad finished second in 3:24.68, also punching their ticket to State. The team included Heap, seniors Austin Sorensen and Keaton Burr, plus junior Payson Casper.
The girls 4x200m team claimed a silver medal with a state-qualifying time of 1:46.60. Running were seniors Macy Soelberg, Halle Roberts and Gracie Tait, along with sophomore Emma Sweeney.
Tait placed second in the 200m individual race with a personal-best 25.10 seconds, qualifying her for state competition. She was also fifth in this event at the BYU Invitational the weekend before.
Freshman Eilley Baker took the bronze in the 400-meter run with a personal-best 57.95 seconds, another state-qualifying mark. Baker also placed sixth in the long jump with a personal-best mark of 16-feet-2.25-inches.
Distance events were another major strength for the Pioneer team. Junior Luke Shumway earned gold in the 1600m in 4:27.64 and silver in the 3200m (9:42.01). Junior Everett Quist captured the 3200m title in 9:36.23 and added a fourth-place finish in the 1600m, crossing in 4:33.93.
Sophomore Milo Amakasu placed third in the 1600m (4:30.34) and fourth in the 3200m, while sophomore Brayden Barlow added a fifth-place finish in the 3200m. Senior Austin Sorensen contributed with a personal record 1:58.39 in the 800 meters, finishing fourth.
For the girls, sophomore Laney Martin led the way, claiming the Region 3 gold medal in the 3200m, crossing in 11:26.14. She was also fifth in the 1600m.
Also in the 3200m, sophomores Kaitlyn Liston got bronze in 11:53.02 and Maggie Peterson claimed fourth in 12.02.03, adding valuable points to the team total.
Junior Remy McAdams placed third in the 800m with a time of 2.19.33. McAdams also helped the girls 4x800m team capture the Region 3 title with a time of 10.20.31. Also running for Lehi were Baker, Martin and junior Evangeline Christensen.
Although they did not compete in this event at the region meet, two other Pioneer distance runners placed at the BYU Invitational in the 3200m. Senior Miles Braithwaite captured the bronze medal in the boys race, while McAdams came in seventh in the girls event.
They are seeded fifth and eighth, respectively, in the standings for State. In the 1600m, Braithwaite is the fourth seed and McAdams 10th on the state list.
Lehi’s field athletes delivered several impressive performances, highlighted by senior Jaden Daw, who garnered gold in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 22-3.25 feet.
Daw is ranked third in the 6A state long-jump standings, making him a strong contender in the state competition. Daw also placed fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5-9.0 feet.
Senior Ryan Hemingway placed fourth in the long jump with a personal-best 21-4.5 feet state-qualifying mark. Freshman AJ Leonard cleared 5-9.0 to take fifth in the high jump.
In the throws, junior Sterling Fillmore collected bronze in the discus with a mark of 134-11.75 feet, and was fifth in the shot put, hitting 50-8.0 feet, a state-qualifying throw.
For the girls, Tait added a silver medal in the javelin, throwing 114-11 feet. Tait is on track for a strong showing at the state meet, seeded first in the javelin and third in the girls 200m sprint. She finished fifth in the javelin at the BYU Invitational.
Sophomores Ava Cutler and Kayla Trejo added to Lehi’s dominance in the javelin, finishing fourth (84-9.0) and fifth (78-5.0), respectively. Both throws were personal records.
Junior Preslie Clover contributed with fourth place in both discus (93-3.0) and shot put (28-11.0).
With strong momentum and numerous state qualifiers, the Pioneers are looking to build on an impressive region performance as the team turns its focus to the 6A Utah State Championship meet on May 14 and 16 at BYU’s Clarence F. Robison Track & Field Complex.
Photos by Jim Ballard.
