Tracksters take second in Wheatland

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
Mother Nature tried to thwart the Dogie tracksters as their scheduled meet in Douglas was cancelled Friday due to inclement weather, however head coach Chad Ostenson’s crew had the last laugh when they lassoed themselves a spot in the second Wheatland Invite in two weeks on Saturday.
“We were happy to be able to get into Wheatland after the cancellation on Friday, and it turned out to be a pretty good day for us,” Ostenson nodded. “It was a really good day for the boys especially, but even the girls, for having so few members, also performed well.”
The boys’ team finished with 100 points earning them second place behind Rawlins and ahead of Douglas by three points. Dogie men earned team points in every event but the long jump, shot put and discus. 
Holden McConkey and Dylan Drost have been trading places regarding who crosses the finish line first in the 100 Meter dash this season, and McConkey reclaimed the bragging rights edging Drost out by .01 of a second as they came in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Drost, however, was the first Dogie across the finish line in the 200 Meter finishing fourth in 24.77, and he also edged out Grayson Ramsey in the 300 Meter Hurdle claiming third place with a time of 47.49. Ramsey was right behind him in fourth place, finishing in 48.07.
Gunner Ramsey nabbed second place for the second week in a row in the high jump, matching his best leap last week of 5 feet, 10 inches.
The 400 Meter Race was another good one for the Dogies and a nail biter at that when it came down to determining which Newcastle runner would break the tape. Zach Purviance won the race between him and Gunner, finishing first in 54.02 with Gunner hot on his heels in second with a time of 56.86.
“Zach and Gunner ran a nice, strong race in the 400, and that was Gunner’s first time attempting the event, so I was pleased with that,” Ostenson nodded. “Gunner had a great day in all four of his events and Dylan [Drost] is just getting better every week.”
Jacob Prell was the only Newcastle runner in the 800 Meter run, and he finished in fifth place with a time of 2:30.42.
In the 1600 Meter run, Dogies claimed second, third and fourth place, with Tristan Troftgruben claiming top honors and doing so in just under five minutes. Bridger Alishouse was next in 5:28.90 and Prell was fourth just a second behind Alishouse. Alishouse went on to take second in the two mile run with a time of 11:42.93.
The 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams dominated the meet, finishing first in both races. Drost, the Ramsey brothers and McConkey made quick work of the 4x1 finishing in just over 46 seconds and only seven-tenths of a second short of qualifying for the state meet, while the Ramsey brothers, Troftgruben and Purviance knocked out the 4x4 in 3:45.49.
The Lady Dogies’ small, but mighty crew earned 56 points on the day which was enough to garner fifth place out of eight teams, and the girls earned points in every single event in which they competed.
Shelby Tidyman and Jaylen Ostenson each earned 19 points each to contribute to the team’s overall score.
Tidyman finished second in the 100 Meter Dash in 13.42, third in the 200 Meter Race with a time of 27.91 and fourth in the long jump, where she recorded her longest leap of the season to date sailing 15 feet, 3 inches.
Ostenson was second in the 100 Meter Hurdle and won her first varsity race in the 300 Meter Hurdle finishing in 17.95 and 51.68, respectively. She also added team points with her eighth-place finish in the discus throw with a toss of 86 feet, 3 inches.
“It was Jay’s first high school win, and again she just really gutted it out against some pretty good competition. She did really well fighting the wind and getting around the corner,” Ostenson said. “She started really well in the 100 clearing the first eight hurdles very nicely. She had to stutter step pretty hard on the ninth, which slowed her down a little, but the first eight were as good as she has run.”
Tiernan Stanton contributed eight points to the team total with her second consecutive second place in the shot put where she hurled the shot 32 feet, 10.75 inches, and Sierra Blaney added four points with her 89-foot, 5-inch discus throw, earning her fifth place. 
Finally, Tara Carter finished third in the two mile run with a time of 13:39.70 thereby earning six points for the Lady Dogies. 
“All the kids competed well and though some of their times may not have been their best because of the wind, they really held their own and competed hard,” Ostenson declared. “When you’re being challenged, you can either back off or work harder and get better, and they all chose to work harder and edge out their opponents. They just had the overall stronger will to win, and that’s a real positive to see that competitive spirit.”
This week, the Dogies are scheduled to compete in Glenrock on Friday beginning at 10 a.m., however with impending weather forecasted, Ostenson admitted that the meet may be cancelled and if so, the team will have the weekend off.