Good Numbers for Outdoor Track at Laramie High School [VIDEO]

It’s been a good start to the outdoor track and field season at Laramie High School this spring. The next step is continuing to build on it.

Laramie has enjoyed success at the three meets they’ve been to this year. That included both teams winning the team titles at last Friday’s Wheatland Invite, where LHS had 110 kids competing in the meet.

Greg Schabron is in his third season as the outdoor track head coach and 13th with the program. He’s really happy with the number of kids they have competing this spring, which is approaching 120.

“The energy is good. We see a lot of younger kids that are excited, so we’re excited for this year, but we’re also excited for the next two, three, four years.”

Laramie finished fifth in the girls’ division and eighth in the boys’ standings at the 2021 Class 4A state track championships last year. They return one state champion in sophomore Addie Forry, who won the 4A 400-meters as a freshman last May.

Forry is the lone returning all-state performer in outdoor track for LHS. She is one of nine returning state qualifiers, while the boys’ team has eight returning state qualifiers. The top returning finish for the Plainsmen is junior Mahlon Morris, who took fourth in the triple jump in 2021, as a sophomore.

Two of the returners are senior Cassie Wulff and junior John Rose. Both competed during the indoor track season and are looking for good results this spring. KOWB’s David Settle asked both to describe the teams this outdoor season, what events they’re competing in, their individual events versus relays, and more.

Laramie has three individuals that have already qualified for the state championships this season. Forry has reached the mark in the 400-meters, and she is joined by Will McCrea in the 400-meters and Quail Perkins in the 100-meters.

Most of the season will be spent at track meets around the region. The farthest travel is a meet at the end of April in Sturgis, SD.

Schabron says they’re remaining flexible with the schedule based on entries and weather.

He says one example is, “In mid-April, we found one meet in Scottsbluff (NE) and one in Westminster (CO), so we kept both of them on the docket, and whichever one has better weather, we’ll take. To get those qualifying times, we’ll work with whatever variables we can get the best ones out of.”

Schabron thanked the school district transportation department for also being flexible, as well.

“If a meet limits entries to like six kids, and we have 10-15 in an event, we want to give those athletes the opportunity, so that’s why we split the team.”

One example of that was the first weekend with some that competed in Fort Collins, CO, and others who went to Sidney, NE.

Schabron says early in the season, the goal is simple.

“With practice, (the goal is to) get kids fit. (Also, to) get them the technique skills in the events they need those, but we’re moving kids around because a lot of them are so young. I don’t know if I want 200 or say I don’t know, what’s an 800 feel like? Some of the ‘smaller meets,’ they’ve been really, really productive, taking kids to the Wheatland or Sidney (for just that – experimenting). Once we get them dialed in, I think we can make those final adjustments the final four weeks of the season.”

Laramie competes in the tough 4A East Region. Both defending 4A champions are on this side of the state with the Cheyenne Central girls and Sheridan boys. Both will be good again this spring. The Campbell County and Kelly Walsh girls, plus the KW and Natrona boys also look to be in the mix.

LHS is hoping steady improvement helps them climb the standings even more.