By Fischer Genau DIGITAL MEDIA LEAD
Four girls from Lone Peak High School’s track team will advance to state competition after a strong showing at their divisional meet on Thursday, May 15. Haley Hodge, Lola and Harper Morris, and Ursula Blyth will compete at states on May 23 and 24 in Missoula, while the rest of the team reflects on their season.
“It’s exciting to send some girls to states and watch the boys finish out their season,” head coach Christine Toy told EBS over the phone.
Junior Harper Morris qualified in three solo events—the 300-meter hurdles, 400-meter dash, and the long jump—while her freshman sister Lola qualified in the 800-meter dash. Haley Hodge, a senior, also advanced in the 100-meter hurdles, and the team of Harper and Lola Morris, Haley Hodge, and sophomore Ursula Blyth will compete in the four-by-400-meter relay at states after breaking the LPHS record for the event.
Their record-setting time was four minutes, 26 seconds, breaking the previous record of four minutes, 38 seconds.
The divisional meet marked the end of the season for the LPHS boys, who narrowly missed qualifying for state competition. Junior Anshu Ramesh ran the 110-meter hurdles in a strong headwind and missed qualifying by less than a second, while sophomore Boone Jorgenson, senior Grady Towle, sophomore Liam Barker, and Ramesh ran their season-best time in the four-by-100-meter relay, but ultimately came up short.
Thursday was Towle’s last track meet before he graduates, while the other boys will have the chance to return next year.
Toy said she’s excited for her team’s opportunity to run with the best competition in the state next weekend. The girls are hoping to beat the relay race record they just set at divisionals and finish the season strong.
