• Nine school marks were broken or tied

The Star Valley track and field program had multiple new school records set in 2026. So many in fact that it seems a look back at the past three months is warranted. Here’s a snapshot of where the track records book stands as of now.

RELATED: RADIO INTERVIEW WITH THE RECORD-BREAKING GIRLS 4X800 METER RELAY TEAM – 

Girls 1600 Meter –

Old (Gracey Visser (5:13.34) – 2025)

New: Kelsie Dunne (5:07.76) – This one actually needs an asterisk as Visser herself also went under her record set last season but finished behind Dunne in this year’s State competition. As just a sophomore, the sky is the limit for Dunne who still has two more years to improve on her new mark.

Girls Shot Put – 

Old (Abigail Carrillo-Zarate (38’ 10”)- 2025)

New: Abigail Carillo-Zarate (42’ 8.25”) – Known as ACZ in my office, Carrillo-Zarate was breaking her throwing records seemingly every time she stepped into the ring. Madison Wilkes’ mark of 38’ 6” stood for more than 15 years. ACZ has pushed this event into the next level for SVHS throwers.

Boys Shot Put – 

Old (Sam Gertsch (53’ 11.5”) – 2013)

New: Elijah Matuatia (56’ 10.75”) – Credit where it’s due, Sam Gertsch was the first SVHS thrower to go over 50 feet. It was overdue and he finally broke that ceiling more than a decade ago. Elijah Matautia now has pushed the record out by more than three feet. It took more than 50 years to get a 50-foot thrower. Matautia has the next generation of kids maybe believing 60 feet is not far around the corner.

Girls Discus – 

Old (Emily Gertsch (117’ 1” – 2021) –

New: Abigail Carrillo-Zarate (128’ 5”) – Before this season, no SVHS female thrower had gone over 120 feet. Now look at where it is. While Carrillo-Zarate will be in Rome, Italy next year on scholarship, her teammates Emry Kennington and Koral Arnold got to see how she did it and will be back next year.

Boys Discus – 

Old (Colt Sotelo (158’ 8”) – 2023) –

New: Elijah Matautia (175’ 9”) – This one has an asterisk for this season as well. Jonah Manu broke Colt Sotelo’s mark and become the first SVHS thrower to go over 160 feet. Two weeks later his teammate pushed it out to where it is now and both hit for over 160 feet multiple times this season. Also a first for the program. The current mark is more than 17 feet past the previous record.

Girls Long Jump – 

Current (Ava Morgan 2023 & Ady Christiansen (36’ 5.5”)

I’ve been doing this job so long that Rose Astle’s jumping records from the 80’s were on the books for a long time after I started which also shows just how durable her marks were. Now this school record is shared as Ady Christiansen tied Ava Morgan’s distance from 2023 at this year’s State meet.

Boys Long Jump – 

Old (Charlie Clinger (22’ 6.5” -1994)

New Jonah McClure (22’ 7”) – One of the oldest marks in the books went down as McClure splashed down in the sand with this distance at the Dave Draney Invite. It seems very fitting that the meet named after the man who had his records broken by an athlete he coached (Clinger) now has a new name in the club. McClure, just a sophomore, will have a chance to see if he can pry Clinger’s other two records from the books over the next two years in the triple jump and the high jump.

Girls 4×800 Relay – 

Old (Randi Robinson, Hailey Ricks, Kirsten McKen, Lexi Erickson (9:40.92 – 2010) –

New: Carlee Angell, Kelsie Dunne, Evelyn Scharmann, Gracey Visser (9:37.18)  – When you consider there were three D-1 athletes on that previous record, this one is pretty remarkable and three of the four will be back with Visser departing as a senior. We could be revisiting this one again in just one year after waiting 16 years.

Oldest Records Left: The oldest record now is Casey Jackson’s 13’ 6” in the pole vault from 1994 followed closely by Clinger’s jumping records from 1995. He went 47’ 5.5” in the triple jump and his height of 7’ 1” in the high jump is still the high water mark for the start of Wyoming.