Sheeran, Black win state titles to lead Monticello track team to fifth and sixth place at state

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monticello High School track and field team traveled to Provo, UT May 18-20 for the 2023 Utah State Track and Field Championships at BYU’s Clarence Robison Track.
The Buckaroo boys and girls combined for 98 points at the event, finishing in sixth place. The boys team was fifth in their division with 50 points and the girls came home sixth with 48 points.
The team brought home 21 medals and the individual athletes set 48 new personal records at the event. The highlight of the weekend was two individual state championships – Tommy Sheeran in the boys long jump and Berlynn Black in the girls high jump.
Nial Reay narrowly missed a state championship in the boys discus, finishing second. Robert Morrison got a solid third place in the boys javelin and Marah Long came in third in the girls 3200.
Black also snagged a fourth-place finish in the girls 300-meter hurdles, both sprint medley teams came home in fourth place, and the girls 4x400 relay team also got fourth.
The girls sprint medley team was made up of Rosy Beh, Lilli Burton, Makenna Peterson, and Marah Long. The boys team consisted of Easton Young, Soren Welch, Tavon Black, and Jesse Pettit. And Kahryme Alvarado, Aubrey Black, Makenna Peterson, and Rosy Beh filled out the girls 4x400 team.
Fifth-place individual finishers for the Buckaroos included Marah Long in the girls 1600, Jesse Pettit in the boys 1600, and Berlynn Black in the girls 200-meter dash.
Other Monticello athletes scoring points at the state meet included Ayla Carling (sixth in the 1600, seventh in the 3200, and eighth in the 800), Robert Morrison (sixth in the long jump and eighth in the shot put), Jesse Pettit (sixth in the 3200 and eighth in the 800), Soren Welch (sixth in the 400), Marah Long (seventh in the 800), Curtis Bunker (eighth in the 3200 and 110 hurdles), and Lilli Burton (eighth in the 3200).
In addition, the boys 4x100 team of Easton Young, Tommy Sheeran, JD McDonald, and Thomas Fullmer finished sixth and the 4x400 team of Ronnie Harris, Soren Welch, Chandler Henderson, and Aaron Peterson came home eighth.
Following the conclusion of the season Buckaroo Head Coach Jeff Hunt, who just completed his 19th season at the helm, offered several good thoughts on the year:
“As we reflect on the season, it was so awesome to see some of the highlights. Tommy Sheeran was the first Monticello winner at the BYU Invitational in ten years and completed the double by winning the state championship in the long jump. His 22-9.75 jump at the Region 23 Meet was the longest in the state this year and set a new school record.
“Berlynn Black emerged as a great leader and capped it off with the high jump title. We qualified 34 athletes for the state meet in 73 events and all six relays. We received 21 medals at the state meet and five relays added to the point total.
“Seniors such as Rosy Beh, Berlynn Black, Cami Dowell, Tommy Sheeran, and Easton Young went out with personal records. In fact we had 48 personal records (PRs) out of the 70 events we competed in at the state meet.
“Track is such a diverse sport with so many highs and lows. The happiness that both Adair girls had as they both made finals – Madison in the discus and Kyleigh in the shot put – to the disappointment the girls 4x400 team felt as they couldn’t quite will themselves to a medal on Rosy Beh’s last race as a Buckaroo.
“This year’s girls high jump was such a great allegory for the season. Three girls from Monticello started the day on one of the few nice weather days for this track season. They smiled and danced around as they jumped and celebrated their accomplishments.
“Alise, who is also a golfer, went out on what would have been a PR if she made it. She celebrated as Cami Dowell reached her PR at four feet, eight inches (almost as tall as she is). And the look on Berlynn Black’s face as she couldn’t quite believe she had won. They all celebrated.
“I am so proud of how the team did this year. Even though we finished a little lower in the standings than we wanted we had such a great season with a lot to hang our hat on.
“As we look to the future we look pretty solid to make some noise at the state meet next year. Of the 34 athletes who went to state only five were seniors. We were a relatively young team this year. Many of the teams ahead of us were senior heavy and so many Buckaroos are primed to move up.
“I would like to thank every athlete who joined us this season and every parent and volunteer who helped us to be successful. We couldn’t have had a successful season without you.”