Broncos snag fifth-place team finish at Utah State Track and Field Championships at BYU

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School track and field team capped an excellent season with a fifth-place (tie) finish at the 2023 Utah State Track and Field Championships at BYU in Provo this past Saturday, May 20.
The boys scored 49 points to finish in fifth and the girls added 15 points, coming home ninth in their division. The teams combined for 64 points to earn a tie with the South Sevier Rams.
Bronco Head Coach Samantha Pemberton reports that the team took 21 athletes to the state meet at the Clarence Robison Track, which is twice as many as they took in 2022.
Many of them placed and brought some hardware back to Blanding. Hudson Whatcott narrowly missed an individual state championship in the high jump, finishing second.
His jump of six feet, two inches matched the state title winner’s jump but Whatcott placed in the runner-up position by virtue of a tiebreaker. He also finished fifth in the long jump for the Broncos.
The boys 4x400 relay team set a new San Juan school record with their time of 3:33.15 but it was the second-place run, a mere two tenths of a second behind North Summit. Runners on that team included Tayden Mark, Lynnox Benn, Brigham Nielson, and Edward Lyman.
Junior Brigham Nielson finished third in the 300-meter hurdles, breaking a school record in the process with a 41.96. He also took seventh in the 110 hurdles.
Senior Magnum Nielson took third in the boys javelin. Junior Edward Lyman finished fifth in the 3200 and eighth in the 400 meter.
Junior Jared Burke took eighth in the javelin. Freshman Tripp Palmer was sixth in the high jump. The boys 4x100 team of Brigham Nielson, Josh Nielson, Tayden Mark, and Zack Conway finished third.
Senior Leah Castellon came home fourth in the girls 100-meter hurdles and sixth in the 300 hurdles. Sophomore Savannah Richmond earned a fifth-place result in the discus.
Freshman Keezie Flannery jumped 5-00.75 in the high jump to not only place eighth at state but also set a new San Juan school record.
And the girls sprint medley team of Keezie Flannery, Meagan Palmer, Addi Helquist, and Leah Castellon earned a seventh-place result.
Following the completion of the season Coach Pemberton said, “This year was a great year for the San Juan track and field team. It’s been so fun to watch this program grow over the last few years.
“As a coaching staff we are so proud of the athletes this year and we are already looking forward to next year!”