• A total of eight new marks were set during ’24 campaign.
There were some great performances at State Track and Field in Casper, which is generally the case. But perhaps overshadowed this season because of various circumstances was the setting of several new school records for the area thinclads. One of which was nearly 30 years old.
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First off, Kammi Merrit, a senior who will be running collegiately in Fruita, Colorado next year for Colorado Mesa University, set not one, but two new school records in Casper. One was the 200 meter dash where she set a new personal record and a new school record with a time of 24.39. This earned her All-State as she finished second. Only a new overall Wyoming state record of 23.45 from Cheyenne East’s Taliah Morris kept her from winning the state title.
Merritt also set a new personal record and school record in the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.43. This broke her own record set last year. She again earned All-State honors for the effort and once again it took a new overall state record to finish in front of her. This time it was Stanford-bound Addie Pendergast of Sheridan who ran a time of 42.69.
Valerie Jirak did not set a new school record over the weekend, but she did tie her own mark of 5’ 6” to win the 4A high jump and earn All-State honors before heading out to Duke University. She owns or is part of six SVHS outdoor records and several more indoor records.
Perhaps the most under the radar moment for the local history came from the boys 4 x 100 meter relay team of Cash Bazil, Preston Ross, Smith McClure and Bryson Nield. Their time of 43.61 seconds broke a 28-year old school record held by Matt Linford, C. Brog, Ben Barnes and C. Turner from the 1996 season. Showing just how spectacular some of the times were in Casper, this was good for fifth place in the 4A finals.
In all, it was a special season for the 2024 slate with eight school records now tabbed with this year’s designation on it. They are:
1600 Meter: Jase Burton
200 Meter: Kammi Merritt
100 Meter: Valerie Jirak
100 Hurdles: Valerie Jirak
300 Hurdles: Kammi Merritt
Long Jump: Valerie Jirak
High Jump: Valerie Jirak
4 x 100 Relay: Cash Bazil, Preston Ross, Smith McClure, Bryson Nield
