NEWCASTLE – The Niobrara County High School Tiger track teams headed north to Newcastle to open their 2021 track season at the Laura Chord Memorial on Friday. 

Future Black Hills State Yellow Jacket Jasper Caldera started out his senior track campaign by prequalifying in both throwing events, placing second in discus with a throw of 131 feet,  9 inches, losing only to a 4A thrower.  It appeared to be a similar result in the shot put, until Caldera popped a 46-footer on his last throw in finals to seal the gold medal against primarily 4A competition in the finals.  

Senior Renae Marker earned the lone gold medal for the girls winning the high jump at a height of 4 feet 8 inches on Friday morning. Her win is a nice way to start out her senior year.

Freshman Mel Zumbrunnen had a great start as a freshman by placing second in the 100-meter dash in a blazing time of 13.69 seconds. Her time was just .04 seconds short of pre-qualifying. Mel also placed fourth in high jump clearing 4-6.

The boys’ 4x400-meter relay team of Collin Taylor, Cody Taylor, Aric Eaton and Jayce Cummins earned a bronze medal in a time of 4 minutes 9 seconds, and the sprint medley team of Cody Taylor, David West, Stanton Ricketts, and Caleb Miller placed eighth in 4:32.64. 

Eaton also earned a seventh-place finish in pole vault with a height of 9 feet, while Cummins placed eighth in long jump going 16-7 1/2. 

Senior Anna Richardson had a nice start to her year placing in both throwing events, throwing 30-5 in the shot put to place fifth and 85 feet to finish fourth in discus.  

Jazmin Ladwig rounded out the scoring for the girls by placing sixth in the 100-meter hurdles.

“It was the first track meet we have been to in 21 months, and for many of our athletes, it is their first high school track meet in their careers,” coach Jim Lyons said. “We as coaches were extremely happy with the efforts that all of our athletes put forth in Newcastle. It is going to be a rewarding season this year.”

The Tigers will travel to Wheatland on Thursday before going on Easter Break.

Boys’ results:

100-meter dash – Jayce Cummins 13.01; Collin Taylor 13.42; Cody Taylor 13.65; Stanton Ricketts 14.00; Mason Wells 14.17 

200-meter dash – Col Taylor 27.18; Caleb Miller 27.98; Aric Eaton 28.16, David West 28.95; Wells 29.18; Sean Steemke 30.43

800-meter run – West 2:30.71; Miller 2:41.93; Steemke 2:49.33

Shot Put – 1. Jasper Caldera 46’ 1”; Kort Bannan 23’

Discus – 2. Caldera 131’ 9”

Pole vault – 7. Eaton 9’

High jump – West 4’ 10”; Wells NH; Cody Taylor NH; Eaton NH

Long jump – 8. Cummins 16’ 7.5”; Miller 16’ 5.5”; Ricketts 15’ 2”

4x400 relay – 3. Col Taylor, Cody Taylor, Eaton, Cummins 4:08.40

Sprint medley relay – 8. West, Ricketts, Miller, Cody Taylor 4:32.64

Girls’ results:

100-meter dash – 2. Mel Zumbrunnen 13.69; Jazmin Ladwig 15.16; Jaden Stauffer 15.66

200-meter dash – Renae Marker 34.98; Serenity Reynolds 36.27

400-meter dash – Reynolds 1:23.14

100 hurdles – 6. Ladwig 18.52

300 hurdles – Stauffer 64.00

Shot Put – 5. Anna Richardson 30’ 5”; Courtney Rowley 24’ .75”; 

Discus – 4. Richardson 85’; Rowley 61’ 4”

High jump – 1. Marker 4’ 8”; 4. Zumbrunnen 4’ 6”; Stauffer 4’; Reynolds NH

Long jump – Marker ND

4x100 relay – Zumbrunnen, Ladwig, Stauffer, Rowley DQ