Huskies, Devils and Saints finish up at state
Jon Mitchell | Daily file photo |
DENVER — At state track and field, the Battle Mountain girls took 13th with 21 points, while the Eagle Valley boys were 15th with 19.
While not diminishing those solid finishes, Day 3 at Jeffco Stadium was about sending off some marvelous student-athletes be they Devils or Huskies.
“It’s a such an accomplishment to compete at state, and it’s really last goodbyes,” Devils coach Jeff Shroll said. “We do this every year, and it’s bittersweet. Social media helps you stay in touch, unless they unfriend you.”
Shroll was joking about the last part and could easily be speaking for Battle Mountain coach Rob Parish.
The Devils, Huskies and Vail Christian said farewell to some stalwarts on Saturday.
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Eagle Valley senior Carly Volkmer wrapped her career with sixth place in the 400 meters.
“She’s been something really special the last four years,” Shroll said. “She’s probably one of the most decorated female athletes I’ve had the privilege to coach.”
The Devils’ Gino Giovagnoli was sixth in the 400 and 17th in the 1,600. Xavier Mendoza with 13th in the shot put. In the boys 1,600 relay, Cristian Aguilar, Luis Chavez, Charlie Fessendon and Giovagnoli teamed up for fourth.
Battle Mountain sent off its thundering herd of 300 hurdlers as Lilly McMurrain finished sixth, followed by Izze and Sofia Calabrese in eighth and ninth.
Those three, plus Jordan Brandt took eighth in the girls mile relay.
‘Special Moment’
“What a special moment for those girls,” Parish said of the trio of hurdlers. “They’ve put in a lot of time and dedication. For all three to make the finals and all be on the podium is special. We’re not going to see a crew like that for a while.”
For Battle Mountain, senior Jessica Cuomo was 15th in the shot put. She is the first Huskies athlete to make state in both the shot and the discus since the school moved to 4A.
Vail Christian’s Ethan Pence will be taking a nap today. He finished 10th in the 2A 1,600. He also competed in the 800 and 3,200 this weekend.
Cupboard’s Not Bare
The good news is that the cupboard is not bare for the local squads.
Huskies sophomore Alexis Aguirre finished 10th in the mile with at time of 4 minutes, 28.8 seconds. He’s only 2 seconds behind his assistant coach Jonny Stevens and 4 ticks of school-record holder Jon O’Neill.
“We have lists of the top 10 in the history of Battle Mountain in every event,” Parish said. “The mile is the strongest list. He went by Tony Crisofulli and David Suarez today. Alexis is, by far, the fastest sophomore in a rich tradition of long-distance running for us.”
Eagle Valley has its own super sophomore in Charisse Crabb, who took sixth in the 100 hurdles. Also look out for Eagle Valley freshman Cassie Jaramillo who was 18th in the shot put.
Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934, cfreud@vaildaily.com and @cfreud.
