Taylor Finn – a tough competitor in the hurdles
Which 3A girls records are under siege in 2014?
Taylor Finn figures to help keep the 3A hurdle events interesting for the next three years. Colorado Track XC file photo.
100 – Sierra Williams, Cedaredge, 11.82 – It’s difficult to imagine this one falling this spring, it would take an enormous jump from anyone currently in the field. Alicia Lawrence and Kayla Pinnt are at the top of the class of contenders, but neither has yet shown Williams’ kind of straightaway explosion.
200 – Sierra Williams, Cedaredge, 24.13 – The 200 meter record is no more vulnerable than the 100 meter record. Williams was in a class of her own at the 3A level.
400 – Samantha Berggren, Middle Park, 55.94 (3A All-Time Best: Samantha Berggren, Middle Park, 55.55) – Brianne Hoglin, Phoebe Vandemoer, and Brittany Pierce all come back as sub-59s, but even Hoglin’s 57.71 leaves Berggren a lot of breathing space.
800 – Emily LaValley, The Classical Academy, 2:11.24, 2010 (3A All-Time Best: Emily LaValley, The Classical Academy, 2:11.06) – Lauren Hamilton won the event in 2013, but 2:11 kind of territory was something nobody in 3A sniffed in 2013.
1600 – Rachel Gioscia, Buena Vista, 4:57.44 – Again, Hamilton is the returning event winner, but Gioscia’s 4:57 figures is well in front of the pack from 2013.
3200 – Caroline Cretti, Roaring Fork, 10:52.49 (3A All-Time Best: Kristen McGlynn, Platte Canyon, 10:45.46) – Eva-Lou Edwards ran 11:03 under not-very-great conditions at state last spring. If Edwards’ energy is back to high tide come May, she is potentially capable of knocking this one down.
100 Meter High Hurdles – Alexa Chacon, The Classical Academy, 14.23 – Probably nobody this year, but we’ll keep an eye on Taylor Finn, who ran 15.81 as a freshman last spring. For reference, Chacon’s best mark as a freshman was 16.18.
300 Meter Hurdles – Alexa Chacon, The Classical Academy, 42.75 – Much the same story as the 100 hurdles. Catching Chacon this year doesn’t seem to be in view, but Sallie Tucker, Taylor Finn, and Amber Bowles provide a lot to look forward to for the next three spring seasons.
4×100 Meter Relay – Cedaredge (Williams, Herman, McIntire, Zamarripa), 49.32 – As relay teams get better and better, this one could fall. 50-flat used to be an exceptional 3A time; it’s becoming more commonplace. It’s difficult to say right now, though, which team might have the four-pack of sprinters to pull this one off.
4×200 Meter Relay – Cedaredge (Zamarripa, McIntire, Deal, Williams), 1:42.91 – Frankly, this one is further out there than Cedaredge’s 4×100 record. Eaton ran very well last year, but has one very important leg of that 2013 relay to replace. Offhand, I’d say this record is relatively safe for 2014.
4×400 Meter Relay – The Classical Academy (Harrell, Mazzocco, LaValley, Brown), 3:58.07 – The Coal Ridge girls are young, rising, and well-coached. That means this record could be in danger.
4×800 Meter Relay – The Classical Academy (Hoglin, Hamilton, Stableford, Mullen), 9:24.95 (3A All-Time Best:
The Classical Academy (LaValley, Hanenburg, Mazzocco, Brown), 9:17.48) – Nobody was remotely close to either the state meet or the all-time record last spring. Something big would have to change for either record to fall in 2014, but if I had to pick one team to be suprisingly dangerous this spring, that would involve putting my finger on Salida.
SMR8 – The Classical Academy (Lindblom, Harris, Chacon, Kropkowski), 1:48.25 – Both Lamar and Eaton have their primary 400s back from last spring, plus some solid help from shorter sprinters. The record is not out-of-reach for either if it’s a tight race to the finish at state.
Shot Put – Megan Patterson, Dolores Huerta, 44-11.25 (3A All-Time Best: Megan Patterson, Dolores Huerta, 45-6.50) – Girls throws are getting rapidly better in Colorado, but there is a lot of ground between where 3A is right now and where Patterson was.
Discus – Maggie Metzler, Yuma, 141-8 (3A All-Time Best: Mel Herl, Eaton, 144-11) – This record is much more vulnerable than the shot put record. Conditions have to be right for a discus record to fall, but Hannah Carr is definitely within range of this one with a year of development after throwing 136-8.
High Jump – Erica Skolasinski, Manitou Springs, 5-7.00, 1994 – Taylor Strohecker of Pagosa Springs is currently the only one with good reason to be thinking about this. Even for her, it would be a remarkable progression over last year.
Long Jump – Beth Jones, Eaton, 18-2.75 (3A All-Time Best: Tiffany Kenney, Colorado Springs Christian, 18-10.00) – As of this moment, neither record seems to be in danger.
Triple Jump – Courtney Mills, Berthoud, 39-8.5 (3A All-Time Best: Courtney Mills, Berthoud, 40-0.75) – No threats currently in view.
Pole Vault – Karli Jelden, Eaton, 11-2 – A mark of only two inches over 11 feet seems like an attainable standard, but the crop of returning vaulters boasts nobody over 9-6. The record should be safe for another year. It might make Jelden feel even better to know, however, that Eaton’s own Jazmin Schwark is at the top of the list of returning vaulters for 3A girls.