The middle school girls' track team competed at the Twin Lakes Conference Meet on Friday, May 15, which was ultimately cut short by lightning with four events remaining. Despite not having the opportunity to compete in the final events of the evening, the girls battled through tough competition and finished in 7th place overall.

Several athletes turned in personal-best performances and strong finishes throughout the night.

Seventh-grader Adley Davis sprinted to a new personal record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.96. In the distance events, Aleah Judson earned a personal best in the mile run, crossing the finish line in 6:39.39, and Taylor Carlson continued her strong season in the 400-meter dash, running a personal-best time of 1:08.15 while finishing 4th overall in the event.

In the field events, Reagan Cramer had an outstanding performance in the shot put, recording a personal-best throw of 27 feet, 4 inches, earning a 4th-place finish in the conference. Kelsey Hayes also earned a top-five finish, placing 5th in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.10.

The distance medley relay team of Elyse Skoglund, Ava Richman, Aubree Richardson, and Aleeyah Hoefer ran a season-best time of 5:26.70. The sprint medley relay team consisting of Adley Davis, Adelle Fors, Elyse Skoglund, and Sofie Fritts also turned in a personal-record performance with a time of 2:17.71. When asked about her track season and advice she would give to future runners, Elyse Skoglund said, “Shake it out at the start, jump, and get out of your head. Be there for your team when they cross the finish line and cheer them on as they run.” She adds to kids who didn’t go out for track this year, but might next, “You should go out for track because there’s something for everyone.”

Ryleigh Bacon, a seventh-grader, provided some thoughts about the track season, too. “I feel really good about track even when I'm sore, tired, and unmotivated. I have my team to help me and cheer me on. I feel very good about my events because I can get better every time I practice and learn from my mistakes. My 4x1 team of Adley, Tana, and Reagan has learned to communicate with each other to get better and better to win the relay. A lot of my favorite moments are when we celebrated once we won, our victory lap, and our group photo together at the end of the late-night track meets.” While the 200 m hurdle, open 800 runners, 4x100 team, and 4x400 team didn’t get the chance to run Friday night due to an earlier-than-expected meet end, the girls’ team continued to show growth, determination, and competitiveness against strong conference competition throughout the evening.

First-year coaches Chelsey Danielson and Abby Peterson shared their appreciation for the athletes and families following the conference meet. “We are incredibly proud of the effort, attitude, and growth this group has shown all season long. This team has continued to support one another, compete hard, and represent our school with pride. Thank you to the athletes, parents, volunteers, and fans for making our first season as coaches such a memorable experience. We are excited for what the future holds for this group, and for the future of Southeast Valley female track stars.”