GILBERT — Team points were hard to come by for both the Bluejay and Jayette track teams Tuesday at the Lindsay Ellingson Invitational, but both Perry squads still had several reasons to leave the meet with confidence.
The Jayettes were second in a pair or relays and had several strong individual efforts while the Bluejays — using a lineup geared toward the relays — showed the promise of what is come in several races.
Stacking the 4×200, 4×400 and 4×800 relays prevented putting the strongest possible pairings in some of the open events, Bluejay head coach Ben Coy said, but the results of packing the relays proved worthwhile, he stated.
“Our 4×800 took 24 seconds off their time from last Thursday and the 4×400 knocked six seconds from their best time,” Coy noted. “Obviously it is early in the season, but the 4×400 times as of now is a top five time in (class) 3A and a top 15 times in the state for all classes. It was fun to see those guys go out and compete with Indianola and Gilbert, who have top times in the state.”
Reece Dunlap, Alexis Garrido, Brandon Kenyon and Adan Medina finished third in the 4×400 in 3 minutes, 31.31 seconds, trailing, as Coy noted, only Indianola (3:30.1) and Gilbert (3:31.16) to the line.
Kenyon, Kaleb Olejniczak, Zachary Thompson and Juma Bushiri were third in the 4×800 in 8:42.5, with Medina, Garrido, Kenyon and Reece — the same foursome that ran the 4×400 — placing third in the 4×200 in 1:35.22.
Also third was the sprint medley unit of Mana Martinez, Donald Chavez, Nic Fellom and Garrido, who crossed in 1:42.98, with Martinez, Olejniczak, Chavez and Justin Stammer sixth, in 48.6 seconds, in the 4×100.
The distance medley quartet of Martinez, Fellom, Olejniczak and Zach Stewart was seventh in 4:17.33, with Jered Narber, Kato Dougan, Devon Archer and Stammer eighth (the meet scored to eighth place) in the shuttle hurdle in 1:15.06.
Dunlap was third in the 100 (11.42), Medina fifth in the 200 (24.5) and Bushiri sixth in the 800 (2:15.34) while Olejniczak and Archer were 5-8 in the 400 in 55.63 and 58.92, respectively.
Tyler Soll’s spin of 107 feet, 11 inches placed seventh in the discus, with Luke Holtorff eighth in the shot put with a throw of 37’1-3/4 while Chavez placed seventh in the long jump at 17’1-1/2.
Sidney Vancil, Haley Vaughn, Breanna Penenger and Emma Olejniczak teamed for second place finishes in both the 4×400 (4:36.17) and 4×800 (10:57.43) for the Jayettes.
Erica Crawford, Isabel Saemisch, Damaris Robles and Joselyn Carrillo posted a 5;09.41 in the distance medley to finish fourth, with Saemisch, Robles, Emma Humpal and Rachel Kinney using a 2:12.72 to place sixth in the sprint medley.
The 4×100 (1:03.72) and 4×200 (2:16.28) units each placed seventh. Humpal, Robles, Chelsea Krueger and Zoe Gordon ran the former and Krueger, Narale Cerna, Alejandra Rivera and Star Love the latter.
Olejniczak and Vaughn crossed third and fourth, in 1:07.28 and 1:07.95, in the 400, with Vancil third in the 800 with a clocking of 2:35.95 while Kinney finished seventh in both the 100 (14.18) and 200 (30.44).
Perry’s lone points in the field events came from Rylynn Gilmore, who placed eighth in the shot put with a best heave of 29 feet.
Both Perry teams will be in action tonight at the Hugh Cavanaugh Invite at Woodward-Granger. Perry (and W-G) will then take part in the coed Carroll Relays Monday.
