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Nevada High track sweeps home invitational
It was a golden day Friday at Larry Testman Track, as the Nevada High School’s boys and girls track-and-field teams protected their home turf at the NHS Invitational with first-place team finishes.
The Nevada Lady Tigers edged out rival Lamar at the well-attended event, 256-234. On the boys side, NHS accumulated 208 points, with Lamar placing runner-up (163). Nevada made it a clean sweep, as the NHS boys and girls junior varsity teams emerged with gold medal finishes.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with how we started the season,” said first-year NHS track-and-field coach, Ryan Watts. “Winning all four divisions was very exciting for our athletes, and not something that we thought was going to happen.”
Watts said some of his concern stemmed from inactivity, with poor weather and time off from spring break specified as contributing factors.
“There were some real questions about how we would compete,” he said. “But we feel that we rose to the occasion, and turned in some very good season-opening performances.”
Watts said his squad is enjoying its gold medal sweep, but that it’s unrealistic to expect them to sustain that level of success.
“Our meets and practices will get tougher-and-tougher, so our bodies will be fatigued,” began Watts. “But our main focus is on improving daily, and being our best at the end of season for the district meet. It’s fun to win meets, and we are excited to have had such a great day, but we are more proud of how hard we competed and worked — to give our best effort.”
Watts’ squad collected a number of top finishes, highlighted by Calli Beshore’s dominate gold medal performances in the varsity girls’ 1600 and 3200 meter runs. Beshore, a junior, left every competitor, including her own teammates, in the rearview.
“Calli has picked up right where she left off from the cross country season,” said Watts. “Great performances, with no one near her — to push her.”
“In addition, NHS swept the top three finishes in the varsity boys’ 100-meter dash. Netting a gold medal in the event, Nevada senior Devin McHugh put forth multiple top-flight performances.
“Devin is in premier shape already, and will be looking to drop significant time from his awesome 400-meter performance,” said Watts, referring to McHugh’s decisive gold medal finish.
Added Watts: “We had some great individual efforts across the board. We were very pleased with our boys’ sprinters, turning in some great times to start the season. Our girls’ sprinters made us proud as well, with some younger athletes having to step in, and fill some big shoes for a couple of team members who were unable to compete Friday. Having that depth is a great advantage, and allows us to compete, even when we aren’t at full capacity.”
Watts said he was thrilled with his freshman-laden girls’ 4-x-800 relay team. The group is comprised of freshmen Bailey Ast, Grace Barnes, Malynn Pippin, and, Brooklyn Kutina-Smith.
“They looked really good for their varsity debut,” said an elated Watts. “And, in an event that has a sharp learning curve. So that was exciting to see.”
Standout NHS performances in field events, included Kaden Ast’s gold medal sweep of the long jump and triple jump, and freshman Lilly Hart’s first-place finish in the girls’ varsity high jump.
“Kaden started the year off strong, as did Lilly, and many of our other jumpers,” noted Watts. “Throws looked fantastic as well, with (freshman) Claire Pritchett making the adjustment to the heavier shot, and throwing the second farthest (Nevada girls’) toss in the last 20 years. Across the board, it was a great day for us. We had great performances in nearly every facet of the (meet).”
Summed up Watts: “This was just a building block. And, more importantly than winning, we established a great place to start, and a firm foundation to build on. All-in-all, we are very proud of our team, and very excited to see our growth (moving forward).”
Final team results
— Girls’ varsity —
• Nevada, 256; Lamar, 234; St. Pius X (Kansas City), 118; El Dorado Springs, 36; Sheldon, 15; Trinity Christian, 4
— Boys’ varsity —
• Nevada, 208; Lamar, 163; El Dorado Springs, 156; St. Pius X, 72; Sheldon, 23; Trinity Christian, 22
— Girls’ JV —
• Nevada, 89; St. Pius, 87; Lamar, 62; El Dorado Springs, 33
— Boys’ JV —
• Nevada, 133; Lamar, 129; St. Pius X, 120; El Dorado Springs, 77; Clinton Christian Academy, 36; Trinity Christian, 1