Good performances for Monument Valley, Whitehorse track and field athletes at state

by Jessica Walker
Contributing Writer
The Monument Valley High School track and field team traveled farther than an other team to attend in the 2022 1A Utah State Track and Field Championships at BYU in Provo this past Friday and Saturday, May 20-21. The Cougars performed well with six individual athletes and one relay team competing.
Senior Donique Ateen was the highest-placing athlete for the team with an eighth-place performance in the shot put at just over 30 feet. Ateen also placed 18th in the discus and 20th in the javelin.
Yanabah Smith narrowly missed the finals in the 400 meter with a 12th-place finish in the preliminaries. In the 1600 meter, Smith took 19th with a time of 8:22.45.
Over the course of the season, Smith has improved significantly, knocking almost a minute off her time in the event. Just preceding Smith in the 1600 meter was Caitlyn Yazzie who finished 18th.
In the preliminaries of the 200-meter race, Earlynda Bedonie barely missed her personal record, placing 17th.
In the shot put competition, Philena Hanley put the shot 27 feet 8.25 inches to finish 15th, while Shandon Fatt got a 35 foot 7.25 inch put.
Fatt’s put, a sizable personal record, earned him a 13th-place finish and marked the end of a successful high school athletic career for the senior.
Last but not least for the Cougars, with a time of 1:01.72 was the girls 4x100 relay team of Lillianna Fatt, Earlynda Bedonie, Raemi Nez, and Alyah Blackwater, which placed seventh.
Whitehorse
The Whitehorse Raiders got some strong performances in the state meet as well, specifically from well-known senior Weston Manygoats.
He earned third place in the 3200 meter with a new personal record of 10:32.50. Manygoats may not have known it at the time, but with the new personal record he narrowly edged out Cordarelton Benn’s 2011 time of 10:32.84 to claim the fastest 3200 meter in Raider history.
Manygoats also battled it out in the 1600 and 800-meter races to finish seventh and 12th respectively.
Although she already held the top spot in Raider history for the shot put, junior Shania Mitchell further cemented that designation with a new personal record at the meet.
Mitchell put the shot 31 feet 10.25 inches (several inches further than her previous best) and placed fourth in the event. She also placed 12th in the discus competition.
The girls and boys 4x100 relay teams placed eighth and ninth respectively. Brett James finished 17th in the 800 meter with a substantial seven-second personal record. James also finished 20th in the 400 meter.
In the long jump, Kailee Tohonnie jumped 12 feet 10.25 inches. Tohonnie, a senior, earned an 18th-place finish and bested her previous top result by several inches.