For this year’s regional track meet, Powell High School and the Powell Athletic Roundtable had the honor of hosting the event. Held on May 16 and 17, the varsity regional track team competed in multiple events, placing them high above their opponents.
The Powell girls took third place, tying with Cody with 118 points, and the Powell boys had strong finishes but ended up taking sixth place with 55.5 points. A total of eight teams from around the nearby counties, with Lander winning first in girls and Lovell winning first in boys.
“It was really good,” sophomore Kaden Wolff said. “The weather was a little tough, but we got it situated out. We had a little rain delay, but I think it felt really good after my events.”
The girls’ team had many top finishes, including junior Audrey Johnson taking first in the 200 and 400 meter run, as well as sophomore Paige Sanders, who broke her own school record for triple jump with a leap of 37 feet, 5 ½ inches.
“I thought [the meet] was really successful, and I think we did good as a team,” Sanders said. “I thought it was really fun too. It was just a great experience.”
Many more regional records were broken and created with the boys’ 1600 sprint medley relay, where runners sophomore Breckyn Kobbe, freshman Karcher Foley, sophomore Sawyer Wormald, and senior Liam Taylor ran a time of 3 minutes and 39.98 seconds. Another honorable mention would be Brady Harvey, who placed second in the boys’ discus with a throw of 139 feet and 2 inches, qualifying him for state.
Powell only gets to host regionals every eight years, with many being aware of a home advantage. Competitors enjoyed being close to home with family and friends easily available to come and support, but there are advantages for athletes while competing as well.
“I like our discus rings a lot better than everyone else’s rings,” Wolff said. “Like Lovell, for example, has the worst rings I’ve ever thrown in.”
A home advantage is nice for many athletes, but that doesn’t stop the inevitable. The Wyoming weather was not what many preferred or needed. Nonetheless, they were still able to push to be their best.
“If I had to pick a con, it’d probably be the wind during some of the races, it definitely made things harder, especially in the sprints,” Johnson said.
Other competitors felt similarly about the effect of the weather on their performances.
“I think regionals [was] good because everything was run very smoothly…” Jacobson said. “But it did rain during the 3200, so that was kind of a con.”
With Regionals being the last track meet before state, it’s the competitors’ last chance to pre-qualify and prepare for their final meet. Between all the running, jumping, and throwing events, many prequalified or took positions in the top eight in order to go to state.
“At state, I really want to go out strong and hopefully hit a PR,” Johnson said. “I just want to finish the season proud of how I raced. I’m looking forward to the energy at the meet, it’s always exciting being around so many good athletes and getting to compete at that level.”
Athletes are looking forward to traveling to Casper between May 22-24 for the three-day event.
