Basalt wins league track titles
The Aspen Times
John Stroud / Glenwood Springs Post Independent |
The Basalt High School track team is taking aim at the state championships.
The Longhorns, coached by Ben Blaeser, rolled at the Western Slope League Championships at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction last weekend, capturing a handful of conference titles.
Basalt senior Zach Walsh set the pace with three Western Slope titles in the huge, two-day meet.
He won league titles in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in Grand Junction, earning the crown as the Class 3A Western Slope League male athlete of the year.
Walsh blazed to a 10:00.38 in the 3,200-meter run to win a duel of the region’s top distance runners.
He ran 4:30.32 to win the 1600.
And he ran 2:04.83 for the league 800 title.
Fellow Basalt senior Jake Levy won the league title in the discus with a throw of 142-7.
And Basalt freshman Morgan Ash won a conference title in the girls high jump, clearing 5-0.
In other top finishes, Basalt’s Nahuel Salazar finished in second place in the high jump, clearing 5-6. Caleb Rewinkel was fourth, clearing 5-4.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Rewinkel finished second (42.29) for the Longhorns.
Kyle Roberts came in sixth (48.36) and Roman Ceja seventh (48.74).
Rewinkel also finished third in the 110-meter hurdles (17.34). Ceja finished fifth (18.91).
In addition to winning the discus, Levy threw 40-4.75 in the shot put for fourth place.
Triple winner Walsh also placed fifth in the 400-meter dash in Grand Junction. Teammate Ian Lumsden was eighth (56.67).
Basalt’s Oswaldo Sosa was sixth place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.82, while Jake Schiesser finished eighth with 11.89.
Schiesser also earned sixth place in the long jump with a jump of 19-61/2. He was eighth in the 200 (24.65).
In boys relays, the Basalt 4×400 team of Kyle Roberts, Josue Vigil, Cullen White, and Wade Soho finished fifth with a time of 3:55:27.
The 4×800 team of Cullen White, Roman Ceja, Josue Virgil and Patrick Niemer finished fifth (9:42.07).
The 4×200 team of Kyle Roberts, Ricky Perez, Wade Soho and Ian Lumsden finished sixth (1:38.80).
And the BHS 4×100 team of Kyle Roberts, Ricky Perez, Josue Vigil and Richie Guerrero was sixth (48.53).
The Basalt boys finished third out of eight teams with 108 points.
Coal Ridge won the 3A Western Slope championship with 193.5 points.
Gunnison was second with 162 points.
Basalt girls placed in multiple events in Grand Junction.
Ash, who won the high jump, placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles (51.61), sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (18.13) and eighth in the long jump (14-6).
Nicole Alvarado ran to a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash (1:02.86), fourth in the 200-meter dash (28.06) and eighth in the 100-meter dash (13.61).
Basalt’s Jazmin Contreras was fourth in the 100-meter dash (13.42) and sixth in the 200-meter dash at 28.47.
Kaylin Williams finished sixth in the high jump (4-6), eighth in the 300-meter hurdles (55.75) and eighth in the 100-meter hurdles (19.31).
Carsyn Knotts of the Longhorns placed seventh in the triple jump (27-8) and seventh in the high jump (4-4). Carly Robinson was seventh in the 1,600 (5:56.90).
In girls relays, the Basalt 4×200 team of Mackenzie Bauer, Michell Cabrera, Jazmin Contreras and Alyssa Maniscalchi finished second (1:55.92).
The 4×800 relay team (Becca White, Isabella Magidson, Carly Robinson, Yessica Garcia) finished fourth (11:43.59)
The 4×400 team (Violet Lepe, Isabella Magidson, Becca White, Kaylin Williams) finished fifth (4:48.56).
The 4×100 team (Michell Cabrera, Jazmin Contreras, Alyssa Maniscalchi, Carsyn Knotts) finished fifth (54.61).
And the 800 sprint medley team (Alyssa Maniscalchi, Carsyn Knotts, Mackenzie Bauer, Violet Lepe) finished sixth (2:05.51).
The BHS girls finished fourth with 75 points.
Coal Ridge won the girls league championship (218 points), followed by Moffat County (179) and Gunnison (118).
The Longhorns will compete in the Tiger Invitational today and Saturday in Grand Junction.
The State Track and Field Championships will be May 14-16 at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood.
“Basalt finished strong at the league championships this year with some of our best results yet,” said Blaeser, the BHS head coach “We had several kids set personal bests at the right time. We look forward to carrying this momentum on to the state championships.”
Kara Williams contributed to this story
