Tohatchi girls takes home gold in four relay races at district meet
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
The Tohatchi Lady Cougars make a baton exchange during the District 1-3A meet on Saturday at Kirtland Central High School. The Cougars won four relay races.
KIRTLAND, N.M.
The Tohatchi girls track team dominated the relay races on Saturday at the District 1-3A meet.
The Lady Cougars took home gold in the 4×200, 4×400, 4×800 and the 1600 sprint medley which earned the team 40 points.
Coupled with a pair of first place finishes from freshman runner Chase Allison, the Cougars amassed 87 points for second place in the team standings. Zuni, which racked up 147 points, won the district title.
“We wanted to qualify as many kids as possible,” Tohatchi coach Dion John said of their goals coming into the district meet. “We really had no set of numbers, but we wanted to get as many kids to state as we can. We want to get our younger kids that experience, so we tried to get them qualified so that they can help us in the future.”
The relay teams recorded these respective times: 4×200 (2:02.44), 4×400 (4:33.96), 4×800 (11:02.33) and the 1600 sprint medley (4:47.84).
Senior Laylene Lee ran a leg in the 4×200 and the 4×400 relay teams as her teammates include Tashawna Begay, Lillianna Hosteen, Autumn Bedonie, and Kaylee Mitchell.
“I made state last year, and I want to win more medals,” said Lee, who also earned a state qualification in the high jump event with a second-place effort of 4-06.
Last year, she medaled in 4×200 and the sprint medley with a pair of sixth place finishes.
In the distance running, Allison won the 800 in 2:40.12 and 1600 at 5:44.26.
The Tohatchi boys qualified sophomore Kaden Skeet, freshman Arrow Plummer and junior Brant Dauphanias.
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Tohatchi Cougar Brant Dauphanias keeps his pace during the District 1-3A track meet on Saturday in the 3200-meter run. The Tohatchi junior earned a state qualification in the 1600-meter run by beating the state qualification time of 4:46.
Skeet was the district champion in the 400 with a winning time of 54.01 seconds while Plummer took second in the 300-meter hurdles at 49.73 and Dauphanias took second in the high jump clearing 5-04.
Earlier this season, Dauphanias met the state qualification mark in the 1600 at the Robin Langer Classic on April 25 by running a 4:45.62, which was four-tenths under the 3A state qualification standards. During Saturday’s district meet, he placed fourth with a time of 4:53.61 behind three Navajo Prep runners headed by Darington Ramone, who won the meet in 4:40.64.
“I ran today because I wanted to see what competition I’ll be facing at state,” Dauphanias said. “I want to try and make podium this year, but I try not to set time goals. I’m going to race with a positive mindset and just enjoy it.”
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow