PHS girls take second, boys third at state track

Posted Saturday, May 18, 2019 9:58 pm

By CJ Baker

As a team and as individuals, Powell's track and field athletes collected a number of medals at this weekend's Class 3A state track meet.

The Lady Panthers took the silver as a team and the Panthers earned bronze while five Powell High School athletes and relay teams won six state titles in their respective events.

The Powell High School girls finished as runners-up among 15 Class 3A teams, amassing 85 points to trail only Douglas' 94.5 points. The boys, meanwhile, took third place among 16 teams. The Panthers put up 98 points, trailing the champions from Mountain View (126 points) and coming up just short of Buffalo (102).

Three PHS relay teams topped the podium this year. For the Powell girls, Jayden Asher, Jaz Haney, Emma Karhu and Caitlyn Miner won the 4x100 relay (52.31). For the boys, Dylan Preator, Jay Cox, Aidan Jacobsen and Brody Karhu combined to win the 4x400 meter relay by nearly two full seconds (3:31.49), while Jayden Yates, Cox, Jacobsen and Alan Merritt teamed up to win the 4x800 relay (8:25.83).

Cox had a standout meet, also winning the 400 meter dash (49.58 seconds) and the 800 meter run (1:59.68). Preator similarly took home a title of his own, besting the field by 5 inches in the triple jump with a distance of 44 feet, 5.75 inches.

Junior Sabrina Shoopman also emerged as a state champion, winning the 300 meter hurdles (in 47.06 seconds) while taking fourth in both the 100 meter hurdles (16.81) and the 400 meter dash (1:02.32).

Brody Karhu earned All State honors with a second-place finish in the pole vault (13 feet, 6 inches). Hillman picked up All State honors as well in finishing runner-up in the 400 meter dash (1:00.71); she also took third in the 200 meter dash (27.33) and fourth in the 100 meter dash (13.41).

Junior Emma Karhu won the bronze in both the pole vault (10 feet) and the 300 meter hurdles (48.4 seconds), while senior Gabri Lundberg took third in the high jump (4 feet, 10 inches).

Merritt won took bronze in the 3200 meter run (10:26.95), while Ryan Good took third in the discus (152 feet, 3 inches).

Rounding out top four performances, senior Rachel Bonander took fourth in the discus (117 feet, 7 inches), while Abigail Urbach, Miner, Sabrina Shoopman and Jenna Hillman took fourth in the 4x400 (4:23.45).

For a complete story, see Tuesday's edition of the Tribune.