SCOTTSBLUFF – The Lingle-Fort Laramie (LFL) boys’ and girls’ track teams opened the 2024 spring season with a bang at the Binfield Invite in Scottsbluff on March 22, returning with a bag full of hardware and state-qualifying times.
The Lady Doggers captured third place overall, posting 85 team points. The Doggers picked up fourth place with 41 points.
Sophomore Jordynn Speckner snagged gold in the girls’ 400-meter dash, posting a time of 1 minute, 5.01 seconds, and qualifying for state in the process. Speckner beat the runner-up, Reese Wiengart, by 0.31 seconds.
Timing the boys’ 800-meters in with a state-qualifying time of 2:02.40, junior Brody Roberts garnered gold in the event. Roberts crossed the finish line more than 13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Torrington’s Zabdiel Munoz.
Roberts, sophomore Brayden Posten, sophomore Brady Cook and junior Nathan Fish won the boys’ 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:47.76 – more than three seconds ahead of North Platte.
Senior Izzy Spears qualified for state and achieved second place in the girls’ discus, hitting a mark of 107 feet, 2 inches.
In the girls’ shot put, sophomore Avary Rising punched her ticket to state with a second-place finish at 34-01 ½.
Junior Jada Kaufman crossed the finish line in third place for the 100-meter hurdles with a state-qualifying time of 17.55 seconds.
The girls’ 4x400-meter relay team also clinched a state berth. Junior Kenzie Wilkins, junior Jada Kaufman, freshman Madison Hatch and Speckner took second place in the event at 4:35.55.
“After practicing for three weeks, it was nice to finally have a meet,” coach Mike Lashley said. “We saw some really good performances from our athletes. It is a great starting point for the season and gives us a much clearer picture of areas where we need to improve. Our more experienced athletes seemed to pick up where they left off last year and I was extremely impressed with how our newcomers performed.”
Girls top eight
Senior Holly Leiseth posted solid performances in mid-distance and distance. Leiseth garnered third place in the 1600-meters with a time of 6:29.98 and went on to obtain sixth place in the 400-meters, at 1:08.17.
Speckner finished fourth in the 800-meters, timing in at 2:37.28.
Representing LFL in the 3200-meters, sophomore Anna Frederick placed fourth in the event at 15:31.04. Frederick also earned seventh place in the 1600-meters at 6:52.97.
Sophomore Kiera Fleenor broke into the finals for the 200-meters, placing eighth at 30.82 seconds.
Clocking the finals for the 300-hurdles in at 53.06 seconds, Kaufman snagged fourth place.
Freshman Addi Wilkins took sixth place in the finals for the 300-hurdles, posting a time of 55.16 seconds, and eighth place in the 100-hurdle finals, at 19.86 seconds.
Relay highlights consisted of second place for Fleenor, Wilkins, Hatch and sophomore Kaiten Schilreff in the 4x100-meters at 55.84 seconds.
In throwing events. Freshman Charlotte Speckner took third place in the shot put, at 31-00 ¾, and finished fourth in the discus, at 97-06.
Senior Josie Houk snapped up fourth place in the shot put, hitting a mark of 30-10 ½. Houk also placed eighth in the discus with a toss of 88-08.
Rising clinched seventh place in the discus at 89-06.
In jumping events, Hatch snagged fifth in the high jump with a leap of 4-02.
Wilkins obtained sixth place in the triple jump, clearing 28-11. Schilreff placed eighth in the event at 27-10. Frederick came in eighth place in the pole vault with a mark of 6-00.
Boys top eight
Cook broke into the finals for the 110-meter hurdles, capturing third with a time of 17.32 seconds.
Freshman Rogan Fisher picked up sixth place in the 110-hurdles, posting a time of 22.84 seconds. Fisher also placed eighth in the 300-hurdles at 56.07 seconds.
Fellow freshman Lucas Ingram took fifth place in the 300-hurdles at 50.05 seconds.
Representing the Doggers in distance events, freshman Tyler Smith secured fourth place in the 3200-meters, at 12:36.40, and seventh in the 1600-meters, at 5:41.05.
In throwing events, Cook finished fourth in the discus with a toss of 122-10.
Fish snapped up fourth place in the pole vault, clearing 9-06.
