Individual state titles propel both San Juan track and field teams to 7th place
by Bill Boyle
San Juan Record Editor
Paced by a number of championship performances, the San Juan High School track and field teams both finished in seventh place in the 2A State Track and Field Championships May 16 and 17 in Provo, UT.
Tripp Palmer led the Broncos with two championship titles, including first place in the long jump and a dominant first-place performance in the high jump. For good measure, Palmer added a fourth-place finish in the javelin with a toss of 156’7”.
Palmer, a junior, led the entire state in high jump for much of the season with a 6’9” jump. He secured the state title with a jump of 6’8”. The jump was a full four inches higher than the nearest competitor.
It’s the second year in a row Palmer has secured the high jump title. In the long jump, he leapt nearly 21 feet and claimed the state title by two inches.
Also claiming a state title for the Broncos was Cash Palmer, who had the top distance in the shot put. Palmer put the shot 48’4.25” to outdistance the second-place athlete by nearly 3.5’. Cash Palmer is also a junior.
For the San Juan girls, Savannah Richmond claimed the top spot on the podium in the discus competition, throwing the discus 119’11”, a full 5.5’ farther than the second-place finisher.
A senior, Richmond claimed her second championship after winning the a title in her junior year and finishing fifth as a sophomore.
Richmond finished sixth in the shot put, placing the shot 32’10.5”. She finished eighth as a junior.
Hayden Shumway was sixth in the discus with a throw of 94’8”.
Keezie Flannery finished fourth in the high jump, clearing 4’11”. She was fifth in the long jump with a leap of 15’10.5”, less than five inches behind the winner.
The Lady Broncos placed fifth in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 52.27. Members of the relay team included Keezie Flannery, Addison Helquist, Adison Ivins, and Aspyn Ivins.
In addition to the state champions, members of the boys team who placed at the state meet included Jagger Nieves, who was sixth in the 100 meter run, finishing in 11.45.
The 4x100 relay team was fifth in 44.71, led by Jagger Nieves, Miken Keith, JD Palmer, and Stetson Black.
The sprint medley relay team was sixth in 3:44.88 with team members Jagger Nieves, Abram Lyman, Miken Kieth, Stetson Black, Lynnox Benn and Josiah Lapalmer.
The Broncos are coached by Samantha Pemberton.