Laramie Indoor Track Eyes the Top Spots [VIDEOS]

Expectation are again high as Laramie High School begins the 2018 high school indoor track season this weekend in Spearfish, S.D.

Laramie is coming of a runner-up finish for the girls and a third place by the boys at last year’s state championships.

Fifth-year head coach Greg Schabron says they set a high bar every year.

“The goal always is with our staff and with our athletes is finish third place or higher at state, and we throw that out there every year. With the finish the kids brought last year, and those expectations, I certainly think it’s doable.”

Schabron isn’t sure who will be the strong teams across the state. He’s looking towards the Sheridan girls and doesn’t know how the spilt in Gillette will affect those programs.

“What I do like is the energy and the number of kids we have out. I counted 74 at morning practice, and the energy was there, and that’s a good thing leading into the season.”

Laramie has 22 letter winners back for this indoor season. That includes seven girls and nine boys that placed top eight at last year’s state meet. Four of those student-athletes are returning All-State performers in seniors Rachel Battershell and Tyler Dahl, plus junior Jason Upton and sophomore Emmy Johnson.

Schabron admits he has a good sense of his squad, but isn’t certain how they stack up against other competitors.

“I like the dynamic of the team we have in several different events. Strong in hurdles, strong in jumps, strong in distance. We do have some holes to fill, but I think we’ve got some young kids that are eager to learn and that will help us out.”

Two veterans that are expected to lead the way are seniors Kyra Wulff and Reece Shannon. Wulff set the school record in the long jump and was on the record-setting 4x200 meter relay squad. Shannon was a top third in the triple jump and eighth in the long jump. They visited with KOWB’s David Settle about the 2018 Laramie High School team, their events and more.

Schabron says the first meet is the Stadium Sports Grill High School Open meet in Spearfish, S.D. at Black Hills State University. The meet begins at 9 a.m.

“A lot of the kids have come in in pretty good shape, but our main goal is to get some marks, so we can know what we need to work on and kind of settle and move kids around to events they’re the strongest in.”

After that, the schedule takes them to Gillette, Cheyenne, Colorado Springs and Pocatello, ID for the annual Simplot Games. Laramie will also host three meets at War Memorial Fieldhouse.  The 2018 Wyoming State Indoor Track Championships will be March 2 and 3 in Gillette at the Campbell County Recreation Center.

It’s another season with lofty goals, and Laramie High School’s indoor track teams believe they’ll be competing for the top again.