Aurora – The Last Chance track and field invitational is a bit of a misnomer.
“It’s the almost-Last Chance meet,” Arapahoe’s Emily Patton said.
A handful of meets, including regionals, still provide a chance for athletes to qualify for state, May 20-21, but Saturday’s invitational at Legacy Stadium, which did not include team results, let everyone know the window of opportunity is closing.
Cherokee Trail, which opened in 2003, qualified its first wave of Cougars for state and will send the girls’ 800-meter relay and 800 medley relay teams to state. Jasmine Searuggs also will represent the team after clocking a time of 60.21 seconds in the 400.
While some participants struggled toward the qualifying times, others like the Montbello boys sprinters and Eaglecrest girls sprint relay team staked a claim as state title contenders.
Eaglecrest’s 400 relay team of Ashley Cruder, Tanesha Johnson, Jenny Elam and Adwoa Abadie recorded a 47.60, the fastest time of the year. The Raptors also won the 800 relay.
And Montbello’s team of Sedgrick Myles, A.J. Witaker, Lionel Lawson and Darryl Sampson continued to improve on its already scorching time in the same event, posting a 41.41, also the fastest mark of the season. The Warriors already own the state meet record of 41.24, which they set last year.
For Patton and others, however, it’s a good thing a few chances remain after the Last Chance.
Patton had to reel off all four of her triple jumps in a row before racing over to compete in the 800 relay, thanks to a late start.
On the boys side, the usual suspects in the field events stood atop the leaderboard. Douglas County’s Ross Diehl, who finished third in the discus and fifth in the shot put at state last year, won both events.
On the track, Smoky Hill’s Brandon Woods clocked a time of 14.71 in the 110 hurdles, and Cherry Creek’s Cameron Burl edged Augie Agyei of Smoky Hill by 0.23 in the 300 hurdles.
The 200 was the race of the day, with the top five finishers coming in within a second of each other. Overland’s Evan Wright won with a time of 21.23, followed by Montbello’s Lawson (21.51); Overland Mark Mueller (21.53); Montbello’s Sampson (21.63); and Smoky Hill’s Andrew Marquez.
For the girls, Smoky Hill and Fairview dominated the 800 and 1,600. In the 800, Fairview’s Meredith MacGregor and Sarah Cocco finished first and third, respectively, and Smoky Hill’s Erin Stratton and Morgan Schulz went 2-4.
Last Chance Invitational
Boys results
3,200-meter relay – Arapahoe, 8:21.10; Windsor, 8:31.63; Douglas County, 8:33.61; Cherry Creek, 8:48.89; 110 hurdles – Woods, Smoky Hill, 14.71 (SQT); Agyei, Smoky Hill, 15.22; Moss, Cherry Creek, 15.24; Randolf, Cherry Creek, 15.94; Ellis, Arapahoe, 16.31; Drinkwalter, Grandview, 16.41; 100 – Lawson, Montbello, 10.73 (SQT); Wright, Overland, 10.81 (SQT); Grusevich, Douglas County, 11.23; Simonton, Grand Junction, 11.24; Roberts, Overland, 11.31; Witaker, Montbello, 11.34; 800 relay – Regis, 1:32.61; Grand Junction, 1:32.94; Cherokee Trail, 1:33.44; Grandview, 1:35.41; Windsor, 1:35.66; Dakota Ridge, 1:35.91; 1,600 – Simeons, Fruita Monument, 4:30.91; Koch, Cherry Creek, 4:33.00; Briggs, Fairview, 4:40.12; Mojica, South, 4:40.40; Adams, Regis, 4:43.13; Harper, Grandview, 4:46.91; 400 relay – Montbello, 41.41 (SQT); Smoky Hill, 42.24 (SQT); Cherry Creek, 42.51 (SQT); Overland, 42.94 (SQT); Douglas County, 43.65; Grand Junction, 43.91; 400 – Kelly, Montbello, 50.60; Johns, Grandview, 50.84; Glenn, Arapahoe, 51.03; Voltz, Gateway, 51.32; Hodeic, Gateway, 51.84; James, Montbello, 52.43; 300 hurdles – Burl, Cherry Creek, 39.00 (SQT); Agyei, Smoky Hill, 39.23 (SQT); Richason, Montbello, 39.34 (SQT); Randolf, Cherry Creek, 39.80; Ellis, Arapahoe, 40.04; Azimi, Pomona, 40.83; 800 – Piispanen, Fruita Monument, 1:57.71; Holliday, Eaglecrest, 1:59.04; Vazquez, Gateway, 1:59.72;
Blackett, Cherry Creek, 2:00.42; Short, Eaglecrest, 2:01.66; Wood, Smoky Hill, 2:01.91; 200 – Wright, Overland, 21.23; Lawson, Montbello, 21.51; Mueller, Overland, 21.53; Sampson, Montbello, 21.63; Marquez, Smoky Hill, 21.92; Stubblefield, Montbello, 22.20; 3,200 – Duin, Smoky Hill, 9:52.81 (SQT); Medina, Grand Junction, 9:53.50 (SQT); Erickson, Smoky Hill, 9:53.86 (SQT); Standke, Smoky Hill, 10:17.08; Burzek, Arapahoe, 10:24.93; Lohman, Cherry Creek, 10:38.80; 1,600 relay – Smokky Hill, 3:20.23 (SQT); Montbello, 3:22.99; Overland, 3:23.15; Gateway, 3:23.97; Arapahoe, 3:28.23; Cherokee Trail, 3:28.46; Shot put – Diehl, Douglas County, 55-9 (SQT); Lucas, Rangeview, 54-9 1/2 (SQT); Iungerich, Pomona, 51-4 1/2; Means, Grand Junction, 51-3 1/2; White, South, 49-6 1/2; Sale, Arapahoe, 49-4; Discus – Diehl, Douglas County, 170-3 3/4 (SQD); Means, Grand Junction, 163-8 (SQD); Reed, Grand Junction, 153-4 1/2 (SQD); Benedict, Rangeview, 150-6; Lucas, Rangeview, 147-9; Lanier, Grandview, 147-4 1/2; Long jump – Ward, Grand Junction, 22-5 (SQD); Larkins, Montbello, 21-6 1/2; Peters, Overland, 21-4; Levy, Cherry Creek, 21-1; Partridge, Montbello, 20-8 1/2; Hoffman, Grand Junction, 20-8; Triple jump – Shinn, Smoky Hill, 43-6; Reed, Rangeview, 42-0; Peterson, Cherry Creek, 42-0; Peters, Overland, 41-10; Lott, Eaglecrest, 41-3K
; Richason, Montbello, 41-2 1/2; High jump – Rock, Grand Junction, 6-4 (SQH); Larkins, Montbello, 6-2; Richason, Montbello, 6-0; Drinkwalter, Grandview, 6-0; Wilde, Cherry Creek, 5-10; Stroth, Smoky Hill, 5-10; Shinn, Smoky Hill, 5-10; Pole vault – Cooper, Smoky Hill, 14-6 (SQH); Pevey, Thomas Jefferson, 12-6; Garrett, Smoky Hill, 12-6; Weakland, Windsor, 11-0; Riley, Windsor, 11-0; Kelly, Cherry Creek, 10-6.
Girls results
3,200-meter relay – Eaglecrest, 10:44.44; Grandview, 10:53.00; 100 hurdles – Eades, Smoky Hill, 15.32 (SQT); Markham, Windsor, 15.83; Patton, Eaglecrest, 16.29; Waggoner, Smoky Hill, 17.30; Walker, Arapahoe, 17.70; Cline, Smoky Hill, 17.93; 100 – Cruder, Eaglecrest, 12.30 (SQT); Abadie, Eaglecrest, 12.51; Elam, Eaglecrest, 12.91; Markham, Windsor, 12.93; Graf, Smoky Hill, 13.03; 800 relay – Eaglecrest, 1:44.90 (SQT); Cherokee Trail, 1:45.21 (SQT); Arapahoe, 1:46.67; Overland, 1:47.33; Gateway, 1:47.44; Cherry Creek, 1:47.83; 1,600 – Schulz, Smoky Hill, 5:08.81 (SQT); Skarda, Fairview, 5:10.82 (SQT); Sanderlin, Cherry Creek, 5:35.41; Stumb, Fairview, 5:38.65; Zeller, Cherry Creek, 5:42.85; Scholfield, Grandview, 6:10.01; 400 relay – Eaglecrest, 47.60 (SQT); Fruita Monument, 49.81 (SQT); Overland, 50.63; Grand Junction, 51.64; Cherokee Trail, 51.81; Gateway, 51.93; 400 – Thiele, Gateway, 59.42 (SQT); Searuggs, Cherokee Trail, 60.21 (SQT); Rankin, Gateway, 61.62; Mueller, Cherry Creek, 61.93; Emerson, Windsor, 62.44; Thygerson, Fruita Monument, 62.87; 300 hurdles – ; 800 – MacGrefor, Fairview, 2:15.31 (SQT); Stratton, Smoky Hill, 2:16.55 (SQT); Cocco, Fairview, 2:17.70 (SQT); Schulz, Smoky Hill, 2:18.41; Carlson, Pomona, 2:32.03; Sanderlin, Cherry Creek, 2:34.91; 200 – Cruder, Eaglecrest, 25.00 (SQT); Watkins, Fairview, 25.42 (SQT); Johnson, Eaglecrest, 25.70;
Rose, Fruita Monument, 26.41; Hayner, Arapahoe, 26.54; Thiele, Gateway, 26.84; 3,200 – Johansen, Cherry Creek, 11:14.52; Skarda, Fairview, 11:47.21; Mayer, Smoky Hill, 11:51.89; Garel, Cherry Creek, 12:12.43; Gibson, Eaglecrest, 12:31.24; Kunz, Fairview, 12:40.94; 1,600 relay – Smoky Hill, 4:03.44; Montbello, 4:03.76; Fairview, 4:04.33; Cherokee Trail, 4:12.57; Cherry Creek, 4:14.24; Grandview, 4:23.28; 800 medley relay – Arapahoe, 1:51.70 (SQT); Windsor, 1:52.10 (SQT); Cherokee Trail, 1:52.40 (SQT); Smoky Hill, 1:55.80; Dakota Ridge, 1:58.20; Pomona, 1:58.30; Shot put – Mattoon, Arapahoe, 38-2 (SQD); Wynne, Grand Junction, 32-8; Johnson, Eaglecrest, 32-6; Chase, Windsor, 31-9 1/2; McCall, Cherokee Trail, 31-8 1/2; Barton, Grandview, 31-7; Brauer, Cherry Creek, 31-7; Discus – Wynne, Grand Junction, 116-4; Johnson, Eaglecrest, 108-8; Hill, Cherry Creek, 107.5; Chiri, Smoky Hill, 107.2; Brock, Eaglecrest, 100-3; Shoup, Cherokee Trail, 99-1; Long jump – Wilson, Smoky Hill, 17-6 1/2 (SQD); Jamison, Smoky Hill, 17-5 1/2 (SQD); Cupp, Grand Junction, 17-3 (SQD); Chen, Arapahoe, 17-1 3/4 (SQD); Duran, Windsor, 16-11 (SQD); Abadie, Eaglecrest, 16-4 3/4; Triple jump – Wilson, Smoky Hill, 37-11 (SQD); Johnson, Eaglecrest, 34-10 3/4; E. Patton, Arapahoe, 34-0; Peoples, Dakota Ridge, 33-6; B. Patton, Eaglecrest, 33-3 1/2; Reid, Fort Morgan,
31-6 3/4; High jump – Russell, Fruita Monument, 5-8 (SQH); Fejer, Fairview, 5-2 (SQH); Ysebert, Fairview, 5-2 (SQH); Moran, Grand Junction, 5-2 (SQH); Wilson, Smoky Hill, 5-2 (SQH); Gunther, Dakota Ridge, 5-0; Pole vault – Ripple, Arapahoe, 10-0 (SQH); Hurley, Arapahoe, 8-0; Hammond, Eaglecrest, 7-6; Jones, Grandview, 7-6; Pentico, Smoky Hill, 7-6;’ Shipp, Smoky Hill, 7-6.
