Bringing home championship and runner-up trophies is a testament to the grit, determination and work ethic of our athletes.”

Coach Mike Lashley

CASPER – The Lingle-Fort Laramie (LFL) Lady Doggers track team battled through three intense days of competition at the state track meet in Casper to capture the 1A Wyoming team title.

The competition between the Lady Doggers and Cokeville for the top spot on the team leaderboard remained up in the air until the final event on Saturday, May 24. LFL’s 4x400-meter relay team – seniors Grace Gibson, Kenzie Wilkins and Jada Kaufman and sophomore Addi Wilkins – dug deep when it mattered the most to snag gold and score the 10 points the Lady Doggers needed to secure No. 1.

When the dust settled in the girls’ division, LFL led with 95 points, followed by Cokeville in second place at 92.50 points and Southeast third at 87 points. In a competition where every point mattered, the Lady Doggers tallied 19 top eight medals and three golds.

The Lady Doggers title is the 12th Wyoming outdoor track championship in program history. Each of the 14 girls representing LFL at state contributed valuable points to the team's final tally.

The LFL boys fought their way to second place as a team, collecting 18 top eight medals and three golds to secure 99.50 team points. Burlington finished first at 119.50 points with Saratoga third at 73.50.

"What a great weekend for Dogger track and field," coach Mike Lashley said. "Both teams competed extremely well for the entire three days. Bringing home championship and runner-up trophies is a testament to the grit, determination and work ethic of our athletes. Some of them even switched to new events during the season to make this happen."

The "team first" mentality demonstrated by LFL tracksters throughout the season played a crucial role in the team's success, Lashley added.

"It was never about their personal glory," Lashley wrote. "It was always about the  team. They are an amazing group of young men and women. It truly was a special season."

State title winners

Gibson, Kenzie Wilkins, Kaufman and Addi Wilkins reached the finish line in first place in the girls’ 4x400-meter relay, posting a time of 4 minutes, 14.71 seconds. The team pulled ahead of Upton by 6.7 seconds to win gold.

Junior Jordynn Speckner clinched two individual state titles in girls’ distance events. Clocking the 1600-meters in at 5:39.08, Speckner bagged gold by a nearly 14-second margin over Karidee Gossens of Ten Sleep.

In the girls’ 3200-meters, Speckner crossed the finish line 35.55 seconds ahead of Gossens to snag the state title at 12:19.73. The junior also set a new Lingle-Fort Laramie High School record in the 3200-meters at state.

The girls’ 1600-meter sprint medley relay team also struck gold. Gibson, Kenzie Wilkins, Kaufman and Jordynn Speckner scooped up the state title with a time of 4:37.15, finishing 7.4 seconds ahead of Upton.

Senior Brody Roberts timed the boys’ 800-meters in at under two minutes to garner the individual title. Roberts reached the finish line in 1:57.67, nearly one second ahead of the second-place finisher, Kiyoshi Smith of Ten Sleep.

Fellow senior Louden Bremer battled to first place in the boys’ 110-meter hurdles finals, posting a time of 16.08 seconds. Bremer beat Niobrara County’s Isaac Assman by 0.11 seconds to secure gold.

The boys’ 4x400-meter relay team concluded the state meet with LFL’s seventh state title. Senior Nathan Fish, junior Brady Cook, freshman Lincoln Speckner and Bremer pulled ahead of Cokeville by 5.8 seconds to collect gold at 3:37.83.

Girls top eight medalists

Addi Wilkins represented LFL in the finals for the 100-meters, taking seventh place at 13.81 seconds.

Freshman Madyn Clarke finished seventh in the finals for the 400-meters with a time of 1:07.31.

Jordynn Speckner garnered bronze in the 800-meters, posting a time of 2:26.39.

Timing the 3200-meters in at 13:41.62, junior Anna Frederick came in fifth place. Freshman Cate Kinberg placed eighth in the event at 13:44.64.

Three hurdlers made the top eight in the finals for the 300-meters. Kaufman led with a fourth-place finish and a time of 49.48 seconds. Addi Wilkins collected sixth place at 50.35 seconds while Gibson placed seventh at 51.33 seconds.

Gibson picked up fourth place in the finals for the 100-meter hurdles, clocking in at 17.22 seconds, while Kaufman took fifth place at 17.23 seconds.

In throwing events, sophomore Charlotte Speckner advanced to No. 4 on the shot-put leaderboard, hitting a mark of 32 feet.

Senior Brenly Shipp came in sixth place in the discus at 99 feet, 1 inch.

Junior Kaiten Schilreff took fifth place in the long jump, clearing 15-10.

The 4x100-meter relay team – sophomore Kiera Fleenor, Addi Wilkins, Kenzie Wilkins and Schilreff – clinched fifth place with a time of 54.80 seconds.

Cate Kinberg, senior Haven Torres, freshman Talia Kinberg and Frederick scooped up fourth place in the 4x800-meter relay, timing in at 11:30.91.

Boys top eight

Senior Cooper Smith advanced to the finals in the 100-meters to place sixth at 12.10 seconds.

In the finals for the 200-meters, Bremer snagged silver with a time of 23.83 seconds. Roberts finished fifth with a time of 24.05 seconds.

Roberts went on to capture silver in the 400-meter finals, clocking in at 50.96 seconds. 

Sophomore Tyler Smith garnered eighth place in the 800-meters, posting a time of 2:08.72. Smith also placed eighth in the 1600-meters with a sub-5-minute time of 4:57.22.

Cook progressed to the finals for the 110-meter hurdles to clinch fourth place at 16.35 seconds.

Cooper Smith snapped up silver in the discus, reaching a mark of 135-05. Cook took fifth place in the event at 130-08.

Junior Colter McFarlin snagged fourth place in the shot put, hitting a mark of 42-08 ½.

In the triple jump, Roberts collected bronze in the triple jump, clearing 40-11 ¼.

Representing LFL in the pole vault, Nathan Fish bagged sixth place with a mark of 10-06.

Relay highlights included bronze for junior Rhett Clarke, sophomore Trent Dennis, Tyler Smith and Nathan Fish in the 4x800-meters at 8:55.15.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Cooper Smith, Lincoln Speckner, freshman Ethan Teeters and Cook pulled into fifth place with a time of 46.96 seconds.

Freshman Urijah Fish, Clarke, Speckner and Nathan Fish came in fifth place in the 1600-meter sprint medley relay, timing in at 3:59.02.

Additional results – girls

• 200-meter prelims: Kenzie Wilkins 13th at 28.72 seconds.

• 800-meters: Frederick 12th at 2:47.70.

• 1600-meters: Cate Kinberg ninth at 6:13.56, Frederick 14th at 6:25.31 and Talia Kinberg 16th at 6:38.25.

• 3200-meters: Torres 17th at 16:38.36.

• 300-hurdles prelims: Clarke 11th at 52.98 seconds.

• Triple jump: Schilreff 14th at 30-09 ¼.

• Shot put: Shipp 10th at 29-00 ¾.

• Discus: Charlotte Speckner 11th at 90-02.

Additional results – boys

• 800-meters: Dennis 14th at 2:14.35.

• 1600-meters: Dennis 14th at 5:12.91.

• 3200-meters: Tyler Smith ninth at 11:16.11 and Arthur Hilliard 17th at 12:14.42.

• Triple jump: Lincoln Speckner ninth at 39-09 ½ and teeters 15th at 36-07 ½.

• Shot put: Cooper Smith ninth at 40-05.