Rebel thinclads place high in Thermopolis

Rebel thinclads place high in Thermopolis

By Sam Smith

The Riverside Rebels track and field squad did some last-minute fine tuning at the Bobcat Invitational Friday in Thermopolis.

The Lady Rebels placed eighth as a team with 29 points, five points ahead of Burlington and 10.5 points behind Thermopolis. Powell won the girls division with 142 points.

Coaches selected junior Vaidyn VanderPloeg as the female athlete of the week as she won the 100-meter dash, coming in at 13.04 seconds and the 200-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 26.3 seconds. She also placed fourth in the long jump, leaping 15-3.

“Vaidyn won the 100- and 200-meter dashes against a crowded and talented field,” coach Jim Hoffman said. “In both races she won with times significantly ahead of the second-place runner.”

Last week in Cowley, Vaidyn VanderPloeg broke the 100-meter dash school record, previously held by Deb Dellos, with a time of 12.55 seconds. She now holds the 100- and 200-meter dash school records.

Freshman Vinaya Vanderploeg placed seventh in the 100-meter hurdles, coming in at 18.28 seconds, and eighth in the 300-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 52.67 seconds. She also placed eighth in the long jump, jumping 14-7½.

Sophomore Dakota Cervantes placed 10^th in the 3,200-meter run, finishing the two-mile in 14:33.44.

Other girls results in Thermopolis were:

800m run – Anna Stone 22^nd 3:18.83; 1600m run – Stone 17^th 7:14.73; long jump – Melisa Martinez 20^th 12-3¾, Brooklynn May 30^th 10-5; triple jump – Martinez 24^th 27-3½; discus – May 35-4.

The Rebel boys placed 13^th with 15 points, five points ahead of Thermopolis and one point behind Saratoga. Powell won the boys division with 131 points.

Coaches selected Troy Riley as the male athlete of the week as he placed third in the pole vault, clearing a personal best 11 feet to automatically qualify for the state track and field meet.

“He has been quickly improving, moving from nine foot to 10 foot to 11 foot in three consecutive meets,” Hoffman said. “He is peaking at just the right time in the season.”

Junior Trenton Coronel placed third in the triple jump, leaping 38-2½ and sixth in the high jump, clearing 5-6. He also placed 16^th in the long jump, jumping 16-10, and 17^th in the 800-meter run, finishing the two-lap race in 2:28.64.

“Both of his marks were near personal bests and should provide momentum heading into Regionals and State,” Hoffman said.

Freshman Avery Clifford placed 10^th in the triple jump, leaping 36-2, and 12^th in the long jump, jumping 17-3¼. He also placed 11^th in the 110-meter hurdles, coming in at 19.6 seconds, and 11^th in the 300-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 48.14 seconds.

  Junior Adrian Trillo-Martinez placed 12^th in the 400-meter dash, finishing the oval in 58.83 seconds.

The 1,600-meter relay team of freshmen Wyatt Daly-Patterson, Lane Owen and juniors Jose Jimenez and Trillo-Martinez placed 11^th with a time of 4:22.79.

Other boys results in Thermopolis were:

800m run – Jimenez 21^st 2:34.34; shot put – Levi Olsen 29^th 29-2, Lane Owen 25-2; discus – Olsen 77-0¼, Owen 60-7¾. 

The Rebels will now have to place in the top eight in their events at the 2A West Regional Meet this Friday and Saturday in Shoshoni to qualify for the State Track Meet May 19-21 in Casper.

“Most of the Riverside Rebel tracksters are hitting their best marks just in time to qualify for the state meet,” Hoffman said.