Thatcher girls place first at Morenci track meet

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Morenci sophomore Desirae Babb, right, leaps over a hurdle. Babb placed third in the 100 hurdles (season record 16.92a) and sixth in the 300 hurdles (54.00a). Winners were Pima senior Jessica Sherwood in the 100 hurdles (15.31a) and Bisbee freshman Brynn Lumpkin in the 300 hurdles (personal record 49.62a). Thatcher took home honors with the team victory.

Sherwood nets four gold medals and 32.5 points again for Pima

By Raymundo Frasquillo

MORENCI – Thatcher topped a field of eight schools at the Morenci Track and Field Invitational in Lawson Stadium on April 12. The Eagles scored 155 points or 27 more than the runner-up Safford Bulldogs (128).

Pima finished third with 99 points, Bisbee fourth (68), Morenci fifth (64), Benson sixth (58), Willcox seventh (53), and San Carlos eighth (34).

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Morenci senior Paige Morales, second from right, moves to the inside lane at the 800 start, but ended second to Safford senior Emma Hancock, left of Morales, who finished in 2.37.40a. Morales finished with a season-best 2.37.44. Thatcher freshman Kaylyn Simmons, left, was seventh (personal record 3:06.06a), Morenci freshman Kayla O’Connell sixth (personal record 3:00.74a), Morenci sophomore Miriam Frisch fourth (personal record 2:47.15a), Safford senior Jazmyn Vertrees, behind Morales, third (2:37.57a), and Willcox freshman Ana Barajas, far right, fifth (2:47.80a).

In spite of a steady wind, 46 of 195 individual entrants recording a time or distance set a personal record and 14 others set a season record, but not all of them placed in the top eight to earn team points. None of the 14 relay teams improved prior times.

The Eagles had two individual event winners in senior Lily Richardson (1600, 5:47.57a) and junior Kloee Mattice (TJ, 34-05) plus won the 1600 relay and 3200 relay. The 1600 relay had sophomores Jerzie Hatch and Akala Hatch, Richardson, and freshman Mazie Hunt while the 3200 relay consisted of Akala Hatch, sophomores Elliana Windsor and Halley Udall, and Richardson. The winning 1600 relay also included Jerzie Hatch and the first place 3200 relay had Richardson, Udall, and Windsor last season.

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Morenci sophomore Rayvn Tison, right, ended ahead of Safford freshman Ilona Lester in the 200 with a season-best 30.62a (16th) clocking to a personal record 30.79a (17th). However, Lester crossed the finish line ahead of Tison in the 100 with a personal record 14.41a (10th) to 14.55a (12th).

Safford earned gold medals in the 800 by senior Emma Hancock (2:37.40a), the 3200 by junior Emma Hackett (season record 13.42.98a), the javelin by junior Deion Abalos (102-00), and tied in the high jump by sophomore Rachael Fox (4-10).

Pima senior Jessica Sherwood again left Morenci with four gold medals while contributing 32.5 team points. She placed first in the 100 (12.49a), the 200 (25.23a), the 100 hurdles (15.31a), and as the anchor of the 400-relay team.

The Roughriders 400 relay team (52.22a) had freshmen Brooke Chlarson and Nevaeh Grant, junior Raely Brown, and Sherwood.

Last season, Sherwood was first in the 100 with a personal best 13.00, the 400 with a personal best 1:00.70, and the 100 hurdles (16.18), and ran a leg in the 400 relay (52.54). The team also included Brown.

Placing first for Bisbee were senior Luciana Chavez in the shot put (35-08) and discus (108-06) and freshmen Brynn Lumpkin in the 300 hurdles (personal best 49.62a) and Yasmin Morales tied in the high jump (4-10).

Benson senior Ivy Martinez in the long jump (16-03) and sophomore Lacie Duerink in the pole vault (8-00) ended first. Martinez also won the event with a personal best 15-08 last season.

Willcox freshman Sydney Klump turned in a personal record in the 400 (1:07.53a) to finish first.

Morenci Girls

Four Wildcats finished in the top three places. Seniors Alex Chee and Paige Morales both placed second, in the javelin (95-07) and in the 800 (season record 2:37.44a), respectively, and sophomores Desirae Babb and Yrliana Molina third in the 100 hurdles (season record 16.92a) and 3200 (personal best 17:02.07a), respectively.

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Thatcher’s 3200 relay team had a slight lead going into the initial exchange and wound up first with a 12:23.00a clocking. The Eagles ended first in the meet with 27 more points than runner-up Safford, 155-128. Members of Thatcher’s relay team were sophomores Akala Hatch, Elliana Windsor, and Halley Udall plus senior anchor Lily Richardson.

Morenci got four fourth places, by sophomore Miriam Frisch in the 800 (personal best 2:47.15a), Morales in the 1600 (6:05.92a), junior Cambrie McBride in the 3200 (17:17.07a), and the 1600 relay (5:00.24a) of Babb, Frisch, freshman Kayla O’Connell, and Morales; four sixths, sophomore Kaleena Carlin in the 400 (1:13.89a), O’Connell in the 800 (personal best 3:0074a) and 1600 (personal best 6:22.37a), and Babb in the 300 hurdles (54.00a); a seventh by junior Nesa Martinez in the shot put (27-10); and two eighths, by Martinez in the discus (76-11) and Tison in the long jump (season record 13-02).

Not placing in the top eight to score team points were Tison in the 400 (9th, personal best 1:18.37a), 100 (12th, 14.55a), and 200 (16th, season-best 30.62a); Frisch in the 1600 (9th, 6:54.04a), junior Emily Lundeen in the pole vault (10th, 6-06) and 200 (23rd, season record 33.20a), and Carlin in the high jump (tie 11th, 4-02) and 200 (19th, personal best 31.52a).

The Wildcats head to the Graham County for the Safford Rotary meet Friday, April 20 and to Benson for a final state meet qualifier April 24.