Eight returning state qualifiers lead Buffs into season opener

Greybull High School has one of its youngest track and field teams in recent memory, with just two upperclassmen among the 27 athletes prepping for Friday afternoon’s opener in Burlington.

As he begins his 28th season with the program, Nolan Tracy will look to his eight returning state qualifiers to set the tone.  They include Marlee Henson, Wyatt Whaley, Carter Peasley, Blade Baker, Jesse Brown, Caiden Sorenson, Shawn August and Anthony Chacon.

Of that group, Henson and Whaley were the point scorers in Casper.  Henson joined then-seniors Kelsie McColloch, Chaise Benasky and Julia Paul-Blazquez on the second-place-finishing, 400-meter relay team and also placed sixth in the triple jump and eighth in the 200 meters. 

Whaley powered her way to fourth in the shot put.

Fast-forwarding to this season, senior Isaac Vigil and junior Caiden Sorenson are the only upperclassmen on the roster.  Vigil was on the team as a freshman, but not as a sophomore or junior. Sorenson has three years of experience.

“We’re really, really young — almost all freshmen and sophomores, which bodes well for our future if they all stick with it,” said Tracy. 

The sophomore class is led by the seven returning state qualifiers (Peasley, Chacon, August, Baker, Brown, Henson and Whaley) who are joined by Izaak Newman, Leonard Marsh, Madi Herebia, Ellie Holloway, Maddy Aanerud and Destany Shiplet.

Freshmen Xavier VanderPloeg, Jordi Araiza, Elijah Rice, Koah Sorensen, Caitlyn Hunt, Avery Allen, Adeline Kunkel, Ashtyn Chacon, Addison Coscarelli, Angela Myers, Heather Roll and Wesley Roll round out the roster.

Though newcomers, Kunkel and Coscarelli had a head start on their teammates because they ran indoor track with the Worland Warriors.  Kunkel qualified for state in the triple jump, sprint medley relay and 1,600 relay while Coscarelli was on the 1,600 relay and ran the 55 meters.

Asked for his season outlook, Tracy said he’ll have a better sense after a week or two of competition.

“After this meet, we’ll be able to come up with some specific individual goals,” he said. “I talked to them already, asking them what their goals are and what they want to accomplish. As coaches, we just want to make sure the kids are getting better every week. Hopefully by the end of the season, they’re drastically better than they were at the beginning.

“For some, it might mean competing for first, second or third, while for those on the younger side, it might be simply being on the regional roster.  Most meets, we can put as many as want into events, to give them opportunities to compete. At some, they’ll be competing against themselves. It’s hard for some of the younger kids to be placing 15th or 20th. But we always tell them to keep in mind how many of those ahead of them are juniors and seniors. Usually, it’s the bulk of them.”

Friday’s meet in Burlington starts with the field events at 1:30 p.m. The 3,200-meter relay leads off the running events at 2 p.m.; the rest follow starting at 2:30 p.m.

Looking ahead, the Buffs will host the Bill Gerrard Invitational Saturday, April 5.  As is the case every year, volunteers from the community are needed.  If you’d be willing to assist in some way, contact Tracy at GHS.