Boys 4×100 Team Steals the Show at State Track
Cosette Stellern and Lily Joslin earn consecutive championships in their events
Tyler Peeples, Kyle Freeman, and Cole Jensen finish 1, 2, 3 in the 100 meter dash at the regional track meet. All three were members of the 2016 4A 4×100 relay state championship team, winning their title in Casper, on May 21. Justus Whitmire ran the anchor leg of the state’s fastest relay team.
May 23, 2016
East’s boys 4×100 relay team stole the show on Friday, May 20, at the Wyoming State Track and Field Meet, held in Casper. In what is arguably the most exciting and popular race, consisting of four team members, each racing 100 meters, handing off a baton, and trying to be the first across the finish line, in usually under 44 seconds, the Thunderbirds blasted off the starting line to finish in 42.90 seconds. The T-Bird team consists of junior Justus Whitmire, senior Tyler Peeples, junior Kyler Freeman, and senior Cole Jensen.
The team worked hard all season to earn their place at state. “We’ve been working our butts off and really, really wanted to win this title.” says Justus in an interview with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Running the perfect race meant practicing for perfection, and the T-Bird team believed it did what was needed. “We practiced our hand offs a lot at practice,” says Kyler.
The best teams find the best competition, and this year the boys’ competition happened to be Casper’s Kelly Walsh. The boys beat Kelly Walsh by less than a quarter second, so the most exciting race of the day didn’t disappoint.
Going into the race, the boys felt confident and ready to beat their biggest competition. “We went in to the race (ranked) second,” says Kyler. “But we all thought that we were probably going to win.”
Unlike most meets, this meet was more intense and prestigious. “It’s a cool meet to go to because there are so many people,” says Freeman. “When you’re running your race, you run so much faster just because there are so many people watching you.”
On the girls’ side, Cosette Stellern and Lily Joslin reclaimed their crowns from one year ago. Cosette won her second straight shotput title, throwing 41’06.75″. Cosette then claimed a second crown, taking the discus championship, throwing 135’6″. Lily won her second straight pole vault title, finishing as the only vaulter to touch 11 feet. The next three competitors finished at 10 feet. Lily and Cosette are both only juniors, so the opportunity to bring home the triple crown will be up for grabs in 12 months.
