Basalt runners shine at multi-league meet
Photo by John Stroud/Glenwood Springs Post Independent
The Basalt High School track and field team had an impressive showing Thursday and Friday at the multi-league championship meet in Grand Junction, the last major competition ahead of state.
The Longhorns prowess was most evident with their runners, winning multiple events and showing they are to be a factor for podiums, if not state championships, later this month in Lakewood.
Among the highlights was the continued domination from senior Sierra Bower and sophomore Katelyn Maley. Bower, the 2019 state cross country champion and Furman signee, won the 3A girls 1,600-meter race in 5 minutes, 00.07 seconds, while Maley, the 2020 state cross country champion, was second in 5:03.30. Basalt’s Ava Lane even finished fourth in the race (5:26.81).
Maley impressed by winning both the 800-meter run (2:16.27) and the 3,200-meter run (11:23.93), with Lane and Bower also finishing top four in each race. Coal Ridge’s Mikayla Cheney was the fourth runner in contention in each of those races.
Courtesy photo
Bower, Maley, Lane and Kaitlin Boothe also teamed up to win the 4×800-meter relay in 10:08.09, about 40 seconds ahead of runner-up Coal Ridge.
BHS senior Katie Bohannan found plenty of success in the field events, finishing second in pole vault, second in long jump, second in triple jump and fourth in high jump.
Not to be outdone by his female teammates, Basalt senior Rulbe Alvarado had one of the better meets of any athlete. He was dominant in the sprints, winning the 100- (11.49 seconds), 200- (23.01) and 400-meter (51.27) dashes and was named the Class 3A male athlete of the year for the Western Slope League.
Aspen’s James Kelly finished second to Alvarado in the 400 in 53.10.
Basalt’s Noah Allen was runner-up in the boys 3,200-meter run (11:02.48), although well behind the 9:45.24 posted by Gunnison standout Alex Baca.
Times and distances should be posted to MaxPreps in the coming days, with the top 18 per event and gender making it to the final meet. The state championship is scheduled for June 24 to 26 at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood.
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