Saratoga strong at state

The Saratoga Panthers rolled into Casper last week for track and field state finals and came away strong, with a plethora of top 10 finishes and a first-place All State champion for their efforts.

The team was one of the largest track teams at Saratoga High in recent memory, and this year the team sent 20 athletes to Casper for State. The group members competed in 31 individual and team events, and team members turned in top-10 performances in 21 of those events.

Overall, the Lady Panthers ended the season with a sixth place team finish at state, and the gents turned in a respectable eighth place finish.

The big news for the Panthers was sophomore Sam Schneider’s first place, All State honors winning high jump. His high jump came in at 6’0.” Schneider also placed sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 39’6.75.”

The boys also showed strong results in team events. Alex Ziegler, Morgan Rempel, Ben Fairbanks and Logan Seahorn came in third place in the 1,600-meter relay. Fairbanks and Seahorn reprised their roles and were joined by Jeremy Detterer and senior Thomas Ingraham for the 3,200-meter relay. The men completed the two-miler in 9:12.46, good again for third place.

Overall, the boys’ team finished in eighth place with 39 points, three points behind Valley rival Encampment, and 17 point behind North County Hanna Miners.

The Lady Panthers ended up the season by taking home a sixth place team finish with 46 points. The girls were particularly strong in team events, with Shaelee Hamann, Meredith Lincoln, Shianne Baker and Mychaela Jackman taking second place in the 400-meter relay.

Hamann and Lincoln were joined by senior Katie Loose and Jenna Dew on the 1,600-meter relay, completing the race in 4:41.75, good for fourth place.

Lincoln and Loose again competed in the 3,200-meter relay with senior Alicia Zaragoza joining in along with Makiya Johnson. The girls again took fourth in the run, with a time of 11:49.96.

In individual events, Loose took fourth in the 3,200-meter run and sixth in the 1,600-meter run. The girls’ state results were helped along by Taylor Bennett’s 14’7” long jump, a distance that landed her in fourth place in the event. Bennett also took fifth in the triple jump.

As the season and school year come to a close, SHS’ performance at state leaves Panther fans with a great deal of hope for next year’s sports. At the beginning of the season, Rex Hohnholt, SHS’ track coach and athletic director, told the Saratoga Sun that the large turnout for this year’s track team meant students who participate in other sports were ultimately preparing for their upcoming season with their hard work in track and field.

As SHS sports enters the offseason, it seems fans have a lot to look forward to next season.