The 2024 Davis Invitational Track and Field Meet in Kaysville, Utah, was the site of some memorable performances by members of the Evanston High School track and field teams Saturday, with one Red …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue |
The 2024 Davis Invitational Track and Field Meet in Kaysville, Utah, was the site of some memorable performances by members of the Evanston High School track and field teams Saturday, with one Red Devil winning an overall event, and another breaking two school records.
There were plenty of other fantastic performances as well, making it one of the most enjoyable meets of the season so far for head coach Roy Barker. Earlier in the week, Barker and his staff took a large portion of the teams to Afton for the Star Valley Invitational, and the performances there set the tone for what took place in Kaysville Saturday.
“The Star Valley meet and the Davis meet were awesome,” said EHS head coach Roy Barker. “We took about 100 kids to Star Valley — some of our sprinters and distance runners didn’t go, but we took almost everybody else.”
“At Star Valley, we had 119 seasonal bests,” Barker boasted. “I think that was definitely the highlight. Some of them were improving by 25 seconds in the mile, or a full second in the 100 meters — the triple jumpers were just phenomenal, they had a great day, all of them setting seasonal bests by feet, not inches. It was a great day. And the Davis Invite was pretty amazing, as well. The kids were really performing well.”
To compete at the Davis Invitational, an athlete has to hit a qualifying mark in his or her event; the meet is then broken up into an open division and an invited division, which features the top athletes in each event.
Red Devils
EHS senior Kai Barker won the invited high jump, winning a jump-off with Corner Canyon’s Hayden Gribble. Barker eventually cleared 6 feet, 7 inches, while Gribble topped out at 6 feet, 5 inches. Barker also won the open 300 hurdles (40.67) and finished third in the invited 110 hurdles (15.33).
“For the boys, Kai won the high jump on a jump-off, ended up making 6 feet, 7 inches,” Barker said. “He also placed in the hurdles, and won the open 100 hurdles. So he had a nice day.”
Two EHS school records also fell on Saturday, courtesy of sprinter Ayden Hartzell. The speedy junior won the open 200 meters in a time of 21.99, and placed second in the open 400 meters, posting a time of 48.89. Both records were previously held by Hartzell’s teammate, senior Gabe Hutchinson.
“Ayden’s only a junior, and he’s built for that 200 and 400 — he doesn’t seem to get tired,” Barker said. “In pure speed, Gabe is a little faster — like in the 100. But Ayden just doesn’t seem to get tired. I’d love to see what he can do in an 800, as well. I wish Gabe was healthy, so those two could just battle it out for the rest of the year.”
Hutchinson — still nursing a sore hamstring — placed seventh in the invited 100 meters (11.19) and sixth in the open 400 meters (49.50).
“Gabe placed seventh in the 100, and ran really well in the 400 — a 40.95, his second best time ever — and he’s coming off that sore hamstring,” Barker explained. “Hopefully we can get him back full strength before regions and state.”
In the distance events, Paul Baxter broke the 10-minute barrier for the first time in the open 3200 meters, placing third with a time of 9:59.69. Baxter also ran a leg in the invited 4x800 relay — along with teammates Aidan Conrad, Jamar McDowell and Gideon Stahl — that placed second, with a time of 8:11.82. That crew has their sights set on the school record in the 4x800, which was set back in the Reagan era.
“Paul Baxter ran a great two mile, running a sub-10 minutes,” Barker said. “The boys’ 4x800 ran an 8:11, which is the second-fastest time in school history. That school record has been up there since the 80s, and that group was actually put in the Hall of Fame last year. They ran an 8:07, so our group is knocking on the door to get that school record — that’s their goal.”
Lady Devils
Lady Devil distance runner Jocelyn Capener continues to have a senior season to remember, placing second in the invited 800 meters (2:17.05), and just missing a school record.
Sprinter Talia Conrad also performed well in her two invited events, placing third in the 100 meters (12.55) and sixth in the 200 meters (25.99); she also finished second in the open 400 meters (58.95).
Emma Lonsway and Cassie Barker got it done on the track and in the field, with Lonsway placing third in the open 300 hurdles (47.59) and sixth in the invited pole vault (9’); Barker was fourth in the open 300 hurdles (48.60) and eighth in the invited high jump (4’11).
“Emma Lonsway prequalified in the 300 hurdles with a personal best, and Talia Conrad ran really well in the 200 and the 100, and set a PR in the 400 — a .58, which is a great time.”
In relays, the girls’ invited sprint medley team of Brenna Fackrell, Coaley Clifton, Braelynn Morrison and Liesl Botts finished second in a time of 4:43.24, while the invited 4x400 team of Cassie Barker, Emma Lonsway, Talia Conrad and Jocelyn Capener finished third in a time of 4:06.78.
“The girls’ 4x400 relay prequalified with a 4:06, which is one of the fastest times in school history, maybe fourth or fifth,” Barker said. “Jocelyn Capener ran a 2:17 in the 800, just missing the school record by less than a second — she really ran well.”
Davis Invitational 2024
Girls Results
100 Meter Dash (Open)
35. Coaley Clifton 13.71
100 Meter Dash (Invited)
3. Talia Conrad 12.55
100 Meter Hurdles (Open)
4. Celeste Swenson 16.94, 5. Cassie Barker 16.97, 11. Emma Lonsway 17.24, 20. Kiara Worthing
200 Meter Dash (Open)
45. Coaley Clifton 28.48
200 Meter Dash (Invited)
6. Talia Conrad 25.99
300 Meter Hurdles (Open)
3. Emma Lonsway 47.59, 4. Cassie Barker 48.60
400 Meter Dash (Open)
2. Talia Conrad 58.95
800 Meter Run (Invited)
2. Jocelyn Capener 2:17.05
1600 Meter Run (Open)
69. Liesl Botts 6:02.92
Discus (Open)
22. Kiernynn Simmons 81’1”, 23. Alyssa Brown 80’10”, 34. Leah Sturges 72’11”
Shot Put (Open)
18. Kiernynn Simmons 30’1”, 38. Leah Sturges 24’11”
Shot Put (Invited)
10. Alyssa Brown 32.8”
Long Jump (Open)
6. Celeste Swensen 15’8.5”, 28. Marissa Parks 13’10”, 32. Brenna Fackrell 13’2.5”
Long Jump (Invited)
10. Kiara Worthing 15’3.5”, 12. Braelynn Morrison 14’1”
High Jump (Invited)
8. Cassie Barker 4’11”
Pole Vault (Invited)
6. Emma Lonsway 9’
4x100 Relay (Open)
3. Brenna Fackrell, Coaley Clifton, Kiara Worthing, Braelynn Morrison 51.65
4x400 Relay (Invited)
3. Cassie Barker, Emma Lonsway, Talia Conrad, Jocelyn Capener 4:06.78
Sprint Medley Relay (Invited)
2. Brenna Fackrell, Coaley Clifton, Braelynn Morrison, Liesl Botts 4:43.24
Boys Results
100 Meter Dash
(Invited)
7. Gabe Hutchinson 11.19
110 Meter Hurdles (Open)
22. Jay Hill 17.42
110 Hurdles (Invited)
3. Kai Barker 15.33
200 Meter Dash (Open)
1. Ayden Hartzell 21.99, 34. Jayden Rieker 23.44
300 Meter Hurdles (Open)
1. Kai Barker 40.67, 17. Jay Hill 43.45
400 Meter Dash (Open)
2. Ayden Hartzell 48.89, 6. Gabe Hutchinson 49.50, 19. Jayden Rieker 51.99
800 Meter Run (Open)
11. Aidan Conrad 2:01.29
1600 Meter Run (Open)
9. Gideon Stahl 4:33.65, 21. Jamar McDowell 4:37.58, 64. Bryan Baxter 4:53.89, 70. Justin Moon 4:54.84
3200 Meter Run (Open)
3. Paul Baxter 9:59.69, 22. Bryan Baxter 10:45.38
Discus (Open)
5. Conner Olsen 128’8”, 21. Luca Flores 112’7”
Shot Put (Open)
9. Luca Flores 43’1.5”, 17. Kenyen Muir 41’1.5”, 37. Conner Olsen 33’10”
Long Jump (Open)
13. Brayden Wallace 19’1.5”, 17. Raife Weidrich 18’7”
Long Jump (Invited)
11. Trayten Weidrich 19’1.5”
High Jump (Open)
14. Raife Weidrich 5’6”
High Jump (Invited)
1. Kai Barker 6’7”
Pole Vault (Open)
3. Raife Weidrich 11’6”, 6. Cole Brown 11’, 7. Jay Hill 10’6”
Pole Vault (Invited)
7. Cameron Hiatt 12’, 7. Trayten Weidrich 12’, 9. Brayden Wallace 11’6”
4x100 Relay (Open)
14. Ayden Hartzel, Jayden Rieker, Brayden Wallace, Jay Hill 46.31
4x400 Relay (Invited)
3. Jayden Rieker, Kai Barker, Ayden Hartzell, Gabe Hutchinson 3:22.46
4x800 Relay (Invited)
2. Aidan Conrad, Jamar McDowell, Paul Baxter, Gideon Stahl 8:11.82
Sprint Medley Relay (Invited)
2. Aidan Conrad, Cameron Hiatt, Luke Robinette, Jamar McDowell 3:48.15
