Laramie Looks For Big Weekend At Indoor State Track

The Wyoming State Indoor Track Championships are Friday and Saturday in Gillette at the Campbell County Recreation Center.

The meet begins at 11:30 on Friday morning with field events, while the track events start at noon. It continues on Saturday at 9 a.m. with field events and 9:30 for the running events.

Laramie head coach Greg Schabron said they are about as healthy as they can be going in.

“We’re doing better than we were last week, for sure. I feel that, as a staff, we were able to answer some of the questions we really needed to last week. From that aspect, yes, I really do think both the guys and girls teams are set up where they need to be for this year.”

Schabron does have some concern with the youth of the teams this year, as compared to previous years, but that doesn’t change their expectations.

There are 41 student-athletes representing Laramie across the 16 events at the state meet. Two of them are seniors Ketisa Akambasi and Jordan Tangeman. They visited with KOWB’s David Settle about the state championships, the team’s chances, their own individual events, and more in the video above.

The Plainsmen are the defending state champs, while the Lady Plainsmen were runner-up a year ago.

Schabron said, “On paper, it’s going to be a lot more challenging to make that run for the state title. We always challenge them that the top-three is always what we’re looking for, at the very least.”

Schabron believes the girls have a shot.

“We’d like to see them shake some things up. Technically, on paper, they aren’t favored, but neither were the guys last year, as well. We have a good spread of athletes, all the way from pole vault to relays to sprints to distance. I like what I see going into this weekend.”

Team-wise, Schabron feels the Cheyenne Central girls, and probably some teams from the west side of the state they have seen will provide the biggest challenge. On the guys’ side, Sheridan and Thunder Basin look tough says Schabron, he adds schools from the west, like Rock Springs, could be a factor.

Individuals with chances at an event title include distance runner Sydney Thorvaldson (Rawlins – competes for LHS), junior Emmy Johnson, senior Jason Upton, and junior Mason Swingholm.

Friday features four finals on the track with three prelims. The field event finals are split between two boys’ and two girls’ jumps with the shot put finals qualifying. There are 12 event finals Saturday.