Navajo Prep long distant runner completes triple crown
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Navajo Prep senior Dylan Lansing leads the pack in the 1600-meter run at last Friday’s Bill Slade Invite. Lansing hit a PR of 4:41.34, earning him a state qualification. The Navajo Prep senior also captured gold in the 800- and 3200-meter races.
KIRTLAND, N.M.
Navajo Prep’s Dylan Lansing had the legs to achieve one of track’s greatest feats.
The Prep senior captured gold in the 800-, 1600- and 3200-meter races at the Bill Slade Invitational on Friday.
Lansing has postmarks of 2:07.75 in the 800, 4:41.34 in 1600, and 10:41.53 in the 3200.
Of those races, he hit new PRs in the 800 and 1600, earning him state qualifications for the new month’s New Mexico Class 3A state meet.
“I’m glad that I got qualified this early because last year I got third at district, so I didn’t go to state in the mile and two-mile,” Lansing said. “I’m happy that I was able to put up these numbers because I felt like I was on a plateau for years, but now I’m finally breaking through.”
Before last Friday’s track meet, Lansing had already qualified in the 3200 and 4×800 relay with teammates Aaron Mike, Macallen Cousens, and Lansing’s younger brother Dylan.
At the Kirtland Central High hosted meet, Piedra Vista’s Parker Johnson was looking to break the school record of 13 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault.
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Piedra Vista senior Parker Johnson sprints down the runway in the pole vault event during the Bill Slade Invite on Friday. Johnson was looking to break the school record of 13-06 with a 13-07 attempt as he came up short.
The PV senior attempted a jump of 13-07 after clearing 12-08.
“I want to try and win state and break the school record,” Johnson said.
The school record holder is Tyler Roberts, a former teammate of Johnson.
“He graduated in 2019, and I was on the team with him,” Johnson said of Roberts. “He’s a pretty cool guy.”
After not qualifying for state the past four years, Johnson said he’s taking a different approach to his senior season.
“Well, I’ve done lots of listening to my coach,” Johnson said. “I’ve watched just about every pole vault there is on YouTube and the Internet, and the best (advice) I got was listening to my coach.”
For more track stories of the Bill Slade Invite, pick up Thursday’s Navajo Times.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow