GHS track team debuts Saturday

Greybull High School’s track and field athletes are scheduled to open the season Saturday at the Wind River Icebreaker in Pavillion.  Start time is 9:30 a.m.
Monday, March 4 was the first day that teams could practice.  
Nolan Tracy, the team’s head coach, said he initially welcomed 32 kids.  Five practices in, that number was down to 29, with most being freshmen or sophomores.
This year’s team lacks experience. Of the 10 athletes who qualified for the state meet last year, only four (Chaise Benasky, Kelsie McColloch, Fatima Chavez and Josselyn Jara) return.
Lost to graduation were Cole Bolzer (long jump, 100 and 200) and Aiden Reece (high jump and 100). Joel Miller (400), Jasmine Rodriguez (400 and 3,200 relay), Sherlyn Diaz Rios (400 and triple jump) and Julie Lopez (3,200 relay) were not on the roster as of Monday.
McColloch is back at full strength after suffering a hamstring injury that kept her out of regionals and prevented the Greybull 400-meter relay team from competing at state.
Benasky was a member of that team. She also qualified in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump, placing ninth and 10th, respectively, in those  events.
Jara and Chavez were members of the 3,200-meter relay team that placed eighth.  That was the only point that the Greybull girls scored in Casper.
Among Tracy’s early-season priorities will be finding the third and fourth runners for those 400- and 3,200-meter relay teams.
Here is a rundown of the boys who are out for track this year:  Daniel Brown, Steele Davis, Grainger Russell, Caiden Sorenson, Kamryn Gorski, Kaeden McDaniel, Izak Newman, Carter Peasley, Cord Edeler, Anthony Chacon, Shawn August, Blade Baker, Clayton Didrickson and Jesse Brown.
In addition to McColloch, Benasky, Jara and Chavez, the girls team includes Sarah Murph, Julia Paul Bazquez, Teagan Thomas, Vanessa Vicencio, Kylie Benasky, Mia Gallegos, Marlee Henson, Madi Herebia, Kalli Russell and Wyatt Whaley.
After Wind River, the track team will compete in Cody on March 21 and Burlington on March 29 before hosting its annual Bill Gerrard Memorial Invitational on Saturday, April 6.