Local track and field teams get several strong performances among huge field at BYU Invitational

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
Track and field teams representing San Juan County traveled to Provo this past Friday, May 6 for the annual Mr. Mac / BYU Invitational on the Clarence Robison Track.
The event is without question the largest and most prestigious each year and can be a bit overwhelming for small-town schools. The 2022 edition of the meet featured 111 teams and nearly 3,000 athletes from all six Utah High School classifications.
Athletes from Monticello, San Juan, and Whitehorse high schools all made the trip and got several impressive performances among the huge field of competitors.
Tops for the day for San Juan County was Tommy Sheeran. The Monticello junior jumped 21 feet, 8.75 inches to finish second overall, collecting all eight of his team’s points in the process.
San Juan High School had two athletes place in scoring positions. Junior Hudson Whatcott jumped six feet even in the high jump to finish sixth, scoring three points for the Broncos.
Junior Magnum Nielson also finished sixth for San Juan in the javelin with an impressive throw of 156 feet, 6.75 inches, scoring an additional three points.
Whitehorse didn’t take enough athletes to the event to register a team score, but they were represented well by a couple athletes.
Junior Shania Mitchell scored the top Raider performance on the day, finishing in 30th in the shot put with a 29-08.25. Senior Weston Manygoats finished 39th in the 3200-meter race in 10:40.84.
Other top-20 performances among local athletes included a 16th-place finish for the San Juan girls 4x400 relay team featuring Ashlyn Palmer, Meagan Palmer, Alex Shumway, and Reaghan Laws. The girls completed the race in 4:34.93.
Monticello’s Lily Long ran the girls 3200 in 12:27.17 to finish 17th. The Monticello girls 4x100 relay team of Sadie Adair, Rosy Beh, Kenlee Atwood, Taylor Lewis, Cami Dowell, and Aubrey Black finished 18th with a 55.9.
The San Juan girls 4x100 relay team of Maycee Conway, Reaghan Laws, TainNea Anderson, and Ashlyn Palmer finished 19th in 56.05.
And the Monticello girls sprint medley team featuring Berlynn Black, Taylor Lewis, Rosy Beh, Ayla Carling, Lilli Burton, and Lily Long came home 19th with a 5:01.47.
With the BYU Invite in the books, all the local track teams are set for postseason meets. San Juan competed in the Region 19 Championship in Kanab on Tuesday, May 10.
The Monticello, Monument Valley, and Whitehorse teams will gather in Monticello as the Buckaroos host the Region 23 Championship Wednesday, May 11.
All the local teams will head right back to Provo for the 2022 Utah State Track and Field Championship next Friday and Saturday, May 20-21.