The Tiger track teams traveled to Casper this weekend to compete in the Wyoming State Track and Field Championships.  Many Tigers came home with hardware around their neck while 4 Tigers brought home All State accolades. 

Two Tiger seniors ended their careers by earning All State.  Miranda Gilkey cleared 5’ 2” to repeat as the 2A Girls’ high jump champion.  However, her track career was cut a day short due to illness.  She was also scheduled to contend in both the triple jump and 300 hurdle finals on Saturday, but was unable to compete.  

She ends her stellar career having top 4 times or distances all time in NCHS history in 5 events.  

Senior Traylin Bruegger had an outstanding weekend as he earned silver in the 300 hurdles to earn All-State honors and lower his school record in that event to 40.55.  Bruegger also ran a great time in the 110 hurdles to place 5th.  Like Gilkey, he holds times that list him in the top 4 all time at NCHS, including two school records.

The other senior, Jake Heil, also had a great weekend.  Heil threw the discus 132’ 3’ to place 6th, and then came back on Friday to earn bronze in the shot put throwing over 46’.  Both of these marks are top 10 all-time marks at NCHS.

Junior Taylor Gaukel also continued her streak of excellence as she was the third Tiger to earn All State.  Gaukel placed 2nd in the triple jump going just shy of 34’.  She was leading the event until the final jump of a Kemmerer jumper pushed her to 2nd.  Gaukel also placed 3rd in the 100 hurdles in a time of 17.51 and 3rd in the long jump going 15’ 7.75”.  

The final Tiger trackster to earn All State was junior Alec Penfield.  He cleared 6’ 2” in the high jump to place 2nd in the event.  He too was leading the event until the champion cleared 6’ 4” to win the event.  

Courtney Rowley had a great weekend in her first state track meet.  The freshman placed in three individual events.  Her highest placing was a 4th place finish in pole vault clearing 8’ 6”.  She also placed 6th in the 100 hurdles and 7th in the 300 hurdles.  

Both Tiger relays placed in the top 8.  The boys’ sprint medley relay of Bruegger, Teagan Tschacher, Drake Lamp, and Kade Clark earned a 4th place finish.  Their time of 3:49.01 set the new school record for that event.

The girls’ 4 X 100 relay of Gaukel, Rowley, Gilkey, and Anna Richardson garnered a 6th place finish in a time of 53.94.

Thrower Mackenzie Lyons ended her season just missing finals in the shot put placing 10th.  She missed finals by 3 inches.  Jasper Caldera suffered a similar fate.  The freshman placed 11th in the shot put, also just missing finals throwing just over 43’.  

Wyatt Stauffer cleared 5’ 4” in his first state track meet.  

Overall, both teams finished in 8th place in the team standings.  The boys scored 34 points, while the girls scored 41.5 points.  

State Girls’ Results:

100 M Hurdles—3. Taylor Gaukel-17.26; 6. Courtney Rowley-17.70

300 M Hurdles—7. Rowley-52.96

4 X 100 Relay—6. Gaukel, Rowley, Miranda Gilkey, Anna Richardson-53.94

Shot Put—Mackenzie Lyons-33’ 4

High Jump—1. Gilkey-5’ 2”

Pole Vault—4. Rowley-8’ 6”; Jalyn McDaniel-7’

Long Jump—3. Gaukel-15’ 7.75”

Triple Jump—2. Gaukel-33’ 10.75”

State Boys’ Results:

110 M Hurdles—5. Traylin Bruegger-16.62

300 M Hurdles—2. Bruegger-40.55

SMR—4. Bruegger, Teagan Tschacher, Drake Lamp, Kade Clark—3:49.01

Shot Put—3. Jake Heil-46’ 5.75; Jasper Caldera-43’ 2.75”

Discus—6. Heil-132’ 3”

High Jump—2. Alec Penfield-6’ 2”; Wyatt Stauffer-5’ 4”