Lehi Sports
Skyridge track teams build momentum towards State
Megan Wallgren / Lehi Free Press
Skyridge track and field athletes picked up momentum heading into the state meet with strong performances as they faced a loaded field at the Region 3 Championships on May 6–7 at Lone Peak High School.
Competing against some of the state’s top programs, the Falcon boys scored 54 points, while the girls added 76, with Skyridge finishing fifth in both divisions and in the combined team standings.
Senior Briggs Parker led the Falcons with a dominant double gold, winning the 100-meter dash in 10.73 seconds and the 200m in 21.20 seconds, a personal-best time. Briggs performed in the top 10 in both events at the May 1 PACS BYU Invitational in Provo. Look for him to make the finals at the state meet.
Senior Ty Baird delivered a standout meet, winning the high jump with a clearance of 6-feet-6.0-inches and claiming silver in the long jump with a mark of 21-7.25 feet. Coming on the heels of a silver-medal high jump performance at the BYU Invitational, Baird will be a strong contender for the state title in that event.
Senior Abigail Dotson led the girls field events, winning gold in the high jump at 5-2.0 feet and placing second in the long jump with a mark of 17-3.5 feet, a personal record. Dotson is seeded well for both events at the state meet.
In the pole vault, senior Emily Lewis placed third with a clearance of 10-6.0 feet (SQ), while junior Ava Richards finished fifth at 9-9.0 feet (PR, SQ) and senior Callen Leininger placed sixth at 9-6.0 feet.
Additional contributions came from junior Ella Burgon (6th, discus, 84-3.0), junior Adalyn Moen (tied for 6th, high jump, 4-10, PR), and sophomore Reese Wood (tied for 6th, high jump, 4-10).
Topping the girls sprint effort, freshman Abbegale Mehr earned silver in the 400m event in 57.94 seconds. Mehr placed fifth in the 400m at the BYU Invitational and is a good candidate for a spot in the state finals in that event. Mehr also placed sixth in the 800m run at BYU.
Mehr was also a key member of both the Region 3 Champion 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams. The 4x200m relay team of junior Claire Springer, Dotson, freshman Madeline Birkeland and Mehr won the event in 1:43.73.
The 4x400m relay team, consisting of Mehr, Birkeland, freshman Kinzie Wilson and junior Eva Lewis, also claimed the gold with a time of 4:01.63.
Birkeland added a sixth-place finish in the 100m in 12.65 seconds, a state-qualifying time, and also placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 16-3.0 feet. Lewis contributed a fourth-place finish in the 400m in 59.19 seconds.
This young talent will provide depth in the Falcon girls sprint squad for years to come.
Junior Jack Grossen led the distance effort for the boys with a second-place finish in the 1600m in 4:29.66. Senior Ian Green placed third in the 800m in 1:57.57, while senior Noah Nelson finished fifth in the 800m in 1:58.58. All three athletes will be representing Skyridge at the upcoming state meet.
On the girls’ side, senior Clara Madson placed fifth in the 800m in 2:22.16, a personal best time, and fifth in the 1600m in 5:21.76. Senior McKenna Brock added a sixth-place finish in the 800m in a personal best 2:23.93. Both athletes have qualified for State.
Senior Kenna Connor placed fifth in the 100m hurdles in 16.97 seconds, while senior Kamryn Farr followed closely in sixth with a time of 16.99 seconds, both qualifying for state competition.
With strong performances at region setting the tone, Skyridge now turns its focus to the Utah 6A Track and Field State Championships, scheduled for May 14 and 16 at BYU’s Clarence F. Robison Track & Field Complex.
Photos by Jim Ballard.
