Track teams finish in top 15 of Reed invite

The Greenwave track and field teams placed in the top 15 of the Reed Sparks Rotary Invitational over the weekend at Reed High School.

The freshmen/sophomore boys placed ninth, the boys varsity took ninth and the girls varsity finished 15th as Fallon heads over the pass for the next two meets.

“Overall, we had a pretty good day,” Fallon boys coach Steve Heck said. “Our distance kids had a great weekend in both varsity and frosh/soph. I was very impressed with our finishes in the distance medleys. Having both teams score so well really shows the depth we have in the distance events right now.”

With spring break over and the competition rising as the season approaches the halfway point, Heck said Fallon faces a critical point in turning the corner toward improvement.

“We had some nice individual performances, but as a team we will need to pick it up next week,” he said. “Spring break is always a tough week for practice. We were missing some athletes and our performances reflected a little bit of our lack of focus.”

In one of the most competitive meets in the state, Fallon medaled several athletes, including senior Tristen Thomson winning the 3200-meter run in 9 minutes, 49.70 seconds. Thomson also took fifth in the 1600 in 4:36.58 and anchored the distance medley relay team to a second-place finish.

Along with Thomson, Joseph Terry, Trevor Owen Davis and Mario Ugalde each ran a leg of the medley, which consisted of runs of 1200, 400, 800 and 1600 meters. All four competing on the 4x400 relay team, which finished 14th.

Ugalde placed 12th in the 3200 in 10:43, Michael Anderson finished 18th in the 40-yard dash in 6.64 and Davis took 18th in the 800 in 2:12.53.

In the field events, TJ Mauga finished sixth in the shot put after throwing for 45 feet, 7.75 inches. John Kirkland landed jumps of 33-5 and 15-3 to place 26th and 30th in the triple and long jumps, respectively.

For the frosh/soph division, Reid Clyburn fell one spot shy of running in the 110 hurdles final after taking ninth with a run of 18.68. Clyburn, though, took seventh in the 300 hurdles in 44.03. Trevor Brown finished 16th in the 110 hurdles while Trevor East took 14th in the 300 hurdles. Isaiah Williams ran a 2:21.10 in the 800 for 10th, Drake Copley finished 12th in the 200 with a 24.86 and Kapili Gleason was 14th in the 3200 in 11:52.19.

The distance medley relay team took third and the 4x100 team finished fourth. Shane Ussery, Dawson Frost, Gleason and Williams ran the medley, while Clayton Steelmon, Copley, Clyburn and East ran the 4x100.

In the field events, Bryan Duenas finished fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 38 feet followed by Ryan Bitter in 10th at 35-4. Broder Thurston took sixth in the pole vault at 9-6.

The change of scenery should bode well for the Greenwave as it competes in back-to-back California meets. Heck’s looking forward to the team refocusing during this time before Fallon returns to regional competition with the Carson Invite later this month.

“It will be a nice change of pace,” Heck said. “We have seen a lot of the same kids the last few weeks, so it will be nice to see some totally different competition. The kids get excited to head over the hill and generally they rise to the occasion. It will be nice to see how we fair and how many kids get PRs the next couple weeks. I think these trips will really help us to get focused on what we need to accomplish the rest of the season.”

Injuries affect Lady Wave

The girls team, plagued by injuries to their jump core, shined in the field events with Leann Stands’ strong performance in the discus and shot put while Brynlee Shults led the team in the pits.

“The injuries really hurt us,” Fallon girls coach Paul Orong said. “We couldn’t run the relays. We’re getting better and that’s what it’s all about. Every meet we’ve gotten better.”

Shults placed fourth in both the long (15-9) and triple (33-4) jumps and took sixth in the high jump (4-6). Shults finished eighth in the shot put with a throw of 33-2 and took 15th in the discus at 85-10. Allie Lister placed eighth in the pole vault with a mark of 7 feet.

Sierra Hickox, Emily Evett and Whitney Skabelund, who’s still recovering from a leg injury, all placed in the top 30 of the long and triple jumps. Misaki Claire hasn’t competed since the second meet because of injury and Hickox suffered a minor injury at the Reed meet. Jordan Beyer, who skis competitively, will be available next week.

“She’s really coming into her own and working hard,” Orong said of Shults. “She’s starting to do very well. She’s No. 2 in the state in our division in the long and triple behind Whitney.”

Melyssa Williams and Mahal Moon were the only two to place in the top 20 of the running events as Williams ran a 6.30 to take 18th followed by Moon’s 6.31 for 19th in the 40-yard dash.

Orong’s looking forward to the next two weeks and facing different competition.

“Last year, since we had such a young team, I had all my freshmen and sophomore compete in the JV and compete against 50 other schools and we won it,” Orong said. “Our kids are looking forward to it, even with our injuries. It’s great competition for us.”