Buffs post one AQ, several personal bests in Burlington

by nathan osterGreybull High School athletes had a productive day in Burlington on Friday, winning two events and establishing a number of personal bests at the Husky Invitational.The meet attracted primarily 1A and 2A teams.  Rocky Mountian won the boys division, amassing 87 points. The host Huskies were second with 76.5, followed by Wind River with 71. Greybull was sixth with 53 team points.1A Ten Sleep reigned in the girls division with 85 points, followed by Rocky Mountain with 80 and Wind River with 74. The Lady Buffs garnered 33, which left them in sixth place.The only AQ of the day was turned in by McKenzie Mazur. The senior had qualified previously in the 200 and long jump and added a third event when she cleared 4 feet, 11 inches in the high jump.She was one of three girls to do that, with Taylin Boettcher of Rocky Mountain and Sydney Olson of Burlington being the others. All three missed at 6-1, but because she had the fewest misses, Boettcher was awarded first, followed by Mazur in second and Olson in third.Mazur also claimed Greybull's only individual win of the day, taking first in the long jump with a leap of 14-11 1/2. She was also sixth in the 100 (13.74) and third in the 200 (28.11).Two other Greybull girls, Monique Velasquez and Angel Moon, also placed in the 200, giving the Buffs three of the top eight placers. Velasquez ran a 28.9, good for fourth, and Moon a 30.58, good for eighth.  Both were personal bests, said Sukut.Moon actually PR'd in three events, also bettering her best efforts in the long jump, going 12-10 1/2 to take eighth place, and in the 100, where she didn't place but clocked a 14.52.Sukut also credited Marie Streich, an exchange student from Germany, for setting personal records in the throwing events.   Streich's shot put was measured at 19-7, her discus at 57-10.  Also credited with a personal best was Heidi Araiza, who threw the shot 24 feet.Shifting to the boys, the highlight may have been the performance of the sprint medley team, with Dale McBride, James Robertson, Jesus Hernandez and Gaven McColloch taking first place in a time of 4:14.44.Three Greybull boys placed in the 100, with McBride taking second in 11.96, Caleb Bottom third with an 11.99 and Robertson eighth with a 12.3.  All three times were personal bests for trio of sprinters.Bottom and McBride also placed in the 200, with Bottom running a 25.4 for third and McBride a 25.99 for fifth.McColloch and Ryan Smith represented the Buffs well in middle and long distance races, with McColloch, a sophomore, taking second in the 800 (2:20.25) and third in the 1,600 (5:14.28) and Smith earning fourth in the 800 (2:28.08) and sixth in the 1,600 (5:26.03, a PR).Sukut also credited Thomas Whaley, who for the first time is out for track, for running a personal-best 5:57.31.In the field events, Jesus Hernandez captured fourth in the long jump (17-0) and Dale McBride was fifth in the discus (100-10 1/4, a PR).  Caleb Bottom produced an 18-foot leap in the long jump, but it was not credited to him in the final standings.Sukut called it "a good day" for the Buffs. "We saw a lot of personal records, which is good," he said. "We're close to halfway through the year, so this is when we should be seeing performances get better each time out. The kids are working hard."With it being spring, though, it can be a challenge to get everyone on the same page. From activity trips to college visits, this is the busy time of the school year and as things wind down, it does impact the track team.On Saturday, for example, the team was scheduled to attend a big meet in Powell. But with a number of athletes expected to be gone due to other commitments and a couple of others nursing minor things like groin strains and shin splints, Sukut pulled his team out of the meet.The Buffs will crank it back up Saturday at the Lovell Invitational.