Photo by ACP Media – Berthoud’s Maddie Kenner sprinting through her leg of the 4×200 relay race last week at the R2J Invitational at BHS.

The Berthoud High School track team competed last week at the R2J Invitational held at Max Marr Stadium. The meet was originally scheduled for Saturday, but 50 mph winds forced the postponement of the meet until Monday.

Several events were held on Saturday before the meet was called. The girls 800-meter medley relay team of Gabby Staley, Sydney Hardy, Ellie Harper and Ava Reed placed third behind Roosevelt and Silver Creek. Anndee Davidson (seventh place), Addison Kapaun (tie-12th) and Kara Wilson (tie-12th) competed in the high jump despite the bar having to be held on by the spotters until the last possible moment because the wind kept knocking it off.

Scott Clark (third place) and Julian Rayon (14th) both managed to run personal best times in the 3,200 meters, despite the strong wind. The breeze may have helped Izabelle Froien (third) who set a new personal best throw by 13 feet in the girls discus. Katie Rafferty (15th) also had her best throw in the wind. Darin Davidson (14th) also tied his personal best jump for the year in the long jump. While Jayden Nohr (third) continued to be consistent in jumping over 20 feet in the same event. While the weight of the shot put is heavy enough to not be very affected by the wind, the dust blowing into the eyes of throwers Kaden Sandvik (12th), Josh Biddulph (18th) and Easton Armitage (20th) was something to overcome.

The meet resumed on Monday with just a light breeze. Anndee Davidson (fourth), Brooke Nelsen (eighth) and Jen Conlon (13th) started it off with the 100-meter hurdles. Setting season bests later in the meet, Anndee Davidson won the triple jump and finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles. Ellie Harper ran her fastest time in the 200-meter (eighth), 4×100-meter relay (second) and 4×200-meter relay (third). Harper’s relay partners were Adrianna DeGesualdo, Sydney Hardy, Addy Kirkpatrick and Madison Kenner. Both relay teams ran season best times. Paige Bauer ran her fastest time and placed eighth in the 400-meter dash. The Spartan girls were dominant in the 1,600-meter run as Jaycee Williams won the event in 5:02, improving upon her school record by nearly four seconds. Williams was followed by Olivia Krueger (third), Sydney Slauson (sixth), and Josie Diffendaffer (ninth). Ally Padilla joined Williams, Krueger and Slauson to set a season best in the 4×400-meter relay, winning the event.

Jayden Michaelis was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and third in the 300-meter hurdles. Michaelis, Jayden Nohr, Braedon Moore and Kamron Hosier won the 4×100-meter relay in a season best time and they placed fifth in the 4×200-meter relay. Nohr also placed third in the long jump and sixth in the 200 meters. Hosier was fifth in the 200 and seventh in the 100 dash. There was a Berthoud battle in the 800 meters as Derek Rennaker went out hard and fast. Scott Clark and Afton Cooper gave chase but could not catch Rennaker who placed second. Clark (third) and Cooper (fifth) ran season best times. These three combined with Jesse Hatton for fifth in the 4×400 relay. Tate Bothun (fourth) and Daniel Hatton (sixth) paced off of a strong field in the 1,600 meters. Trevor Moore (fifth) and Easton Armitage (ninth) both threw season best distances in the discus.

Other season bests were: Staley (100), Katie Rafferty (100), Nelsen (200), Myla Williams (200), Marie Caberra (800), Bella Miller (1600), Meredith Erker (100 hurdles and 300 hurdles), Kara Wilson (high jump), Kirkpatrick (long and triple jumps), Froien (shot put), Braeden Moore (100 and 200), Trevor Moore (100 and discus), Uriah Chacon (100), Skyler Streicher (200 and 400), Noah Quillen (400), Darin Davidson (400), Evan Torres (800), Jesse Hatton (1,600), Hugh Shadle (1,600), Wolf Sebastian-Yang (300 hurdles), Hudson Grimditch (discus) and Kim Doerksen (discus).

The team was supposed to compete in the Randall Hess Invitational last Friday, but the meet was postponed due to high winds, just like the R2J Invite had been. The Spartans will see how they match up in the Longs Peak League Meet on Friday and Saturday at Longmont High School.