SMALL SCHOOLS STATE TRACK: Angela Hammond’s big day carries Cheyenne to runner-up finish
Angela Hammond walked onto the track with the composure of someone who knows she is going to win.
She took her place as the anchor of the 400-meter relay and when she got the baton, exploded like a bullet from a gun and crossed the finish line with time to spare.
Hammond won three state titles, one individual, and helped Cheyenne’s girls track team finish second at the Class 3A state championship at Foothill on Saturday, the best placement of any Southern Nevada school.
Hammond’s individual title was the 100, which she finished in 12.64 seconds.
“I’m feeling awesome right now,” Hammond said. “I personally don’t like the (100). It’s too fast for me, I’m more like a mid-distance. I would say the (100) was definitely an accomplishment for me, and I’m really happy that I won that.”
Hammond won the 400 relay in 49.29, with Germanie White, Marisha Harden, and Ejanae Coopwood, the same group that won the 800 relay in 1:44.28 on Day 1 on Friday.
“We won. We just won state,” White said. “We feel accomplished, 100 percent.”
Ariel Washington finished third in the discus (109 feet, 5 inches) for the Desert Shields.
Northern Nevada schools owned the day Saturday, winning every event that Cheyenne did not. Truckee won the meet with 81 points, followed by Cheyenne with 76, and Virgin Valley with 65.
Sunrise Mountain’s Musio Jimenez-Vazquez continued his dominance in the boys meet from Friday, when he won two state titles in the distance runs. On Saturday, he claimed the 1,600 in 4:23.25 and was on the winning 3,200 relay team (8:23.19).
Jimenez-Vazquez’s four medals helped the Miners claim the boys state team title, the first in school history.
Sunrise Mountain finished with 70 points, ahead of second-place Mojave (64) and third-place Pahrump Valley.
“Their attitude was great through all the workouts, through the wind, through the sun, through coaches yelling at them,” Sunrise Mountain coach Maurice Senters said. “Their effort has paid off.”
Mojave’s Noah Thompson set a state meet record in the 100, with a time of 10.87. He also won the 200 in 22.02.
Desert Pines won the 400 relay in 42.44, and Western won the 800 relay in a state-meet-record time of 1:29.34.
Del Sol’s Jonathan Spearman won the triple jump with a distance of 47-5½.
Small schools
Landen Smith won the 200 (22.77) and 400 (51.66) to give him four state titles on the weekend and help Lincoln County tie for the Class 2A state boys championship. Lincoln County and White Pine each had 130 points, and Pershing County was third with 101.
Aniya Smith won the 100 (12.58) and was on the winning 400 relay (50.87) and 800 relay (1:46.67) teams that set state records to help Agassi Prep finish fourth at the Class 2A state girls meet. White Pine won the Class 2A girls championship with 138 team points. Pershing County had 123 to finish second, and North Tahoe was third with 121. Agassi Prep was the top Southern Nevada team with 70 points.
Karon Shomo’s wins in the 110 hurdles (16.31) and long jump (19-10) Saturday gave him three state titles and helped Spring Mountain win the Class 1A boys state championship at Foothill. The Golden Eagles had 192 points. Sierra Lutheran was second with 121, and Excel Christian was third with 67. It was Spring Mountain’s third consecutive team title.
Sierra Lutheran rolled with 144 points to win the Class 1A girls state title. Wells had 83 points to finish second, and Tonopah was third with 77.