The Lake Tahoe School track & field team finished another highly successful track season at the Tah-Neva championships in Carson City on May 18. On a beautiful afternoon, approximately 600 students from 20 different middle schools from the Tahoe Basin, Carson City, Reno, and other parts of Nth Nevada and California met to battle it out, all determined to achieve individual glory and team championship trophies.
The LTS Bobcats once again performed magnificently and were rewarded for their efforts by claiming a D1 team championship for the 7th grade girls division. Our 7th grade boys and 8th grade girls were the DI runner-up teams in both divisions.
Coach Kris Nugent was extremely proud of his team: “It’s been a fun year for our Bobcat athletes. Our 7th grade girls team was unbelievable this year and deserve to be crowned team champions. We also had many individual medals, school records, and top ten finishes. I’m especially proud of our 8th grade seniors and their leadership. I will miss them next year.”
There were a number of outstanding individual results at championships. For the 7th grade girls division, Shelby Erikson, 6th grader, capped an incredible season by winning 3 individual gold medals – 400m, 800m, and the 1600m. Shelby set new school records in all three races. She was also a part of the 4x400m relay team, with Lily Cooper, MaKenna Larkins, and Alex Oliva, which placed 2nd. This team also set a new school record. Lily Cooper also won the girls 3200m and finished 3rd in the 80m hurdles. Makenna Larkins also enjoyed success at shot put finishing 4th, setting a new school record in the process, with Lily Cooper finishing 8th.
The 8th grade girls battled through the season to finish 2nd in the team championship. Injuries had an impact on a number of the girls through the season but they preserved and finished strong. Katie Littlejohn led the way with a 3rd place finish in the 200m hurdles, a 4th place finish in the 80m hurdles, and a top 10 finish in high jump. The girls – Katie Littlejohn, Emma Berns, Grace White, and Alyssa Hill – also set a new school record with their 5th place finish in the 4x100m relay. Alyssa Hill enjoyed a great final meet with a 3rd place finish in the 200m and a 6th place finish in the 400m.
For the 7th grade boys division, Oliver Pietzke had a wonderful season and finished championships with a silver in the 400m and a 6th place finish in the 200m, while also anchoring our 4x400m team to a 4th place finish. Joey Jennings ran two personal best times to finish top 10 in the 100m and 4th in the 200m. Lachlan McConnon had a busy day at championships with a 4th in the 3200m, 6th in the 1600m, and running lead on the 4x400m relay team. Micah Bergstrom also had an outstanding day with a silver medal in the 80m hurdles, 7th in the 200m hurdles, and 9th in long jump.
The 8th grade boys had a great day, With Blake Rive leading the way. Blake won a silver medal in triple jump and finished 5th in long jump. Blake also finished 10th and 11th respectively in the 400m and 800m. Devon Dullinger capped a strong year by finishing 7th in the 400m and 10th in the 100m.
The focus for many of these LTS Bobcats will now turn towards preparing for the upcoming USATF and AAU track and field season. With the ultimate goal of qualifying for the National Jr. Olympics in Sacramento this July. They will be joined by a number of IHS and IMS athletes. Coach Kris Nugent knows there is still much to accomplish this summer, “I’m looking forward to coaching many of our LTS athletes along with IMS and HIS athletes this summer for the Lake Tahoe Track Club. I’m confident that many of our athletes will make it to the Jr. Olympics again this season and represent our small Tahoe club. It’ll be a fun summer!”
