The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — They came from two towns separated by 20 miles. They competed in vastly different events and found varying results. Each Hayden and Soroco athlete who competed Friday and Saturday at the Class 2A/3A state track meet in Pueblo shared one thing in common, however.

They all could be back.

Youth dominated for local teams through the weekend, and the six Hayden tracksters and seven Soroco athletes all plan on taking advantage of the lessons learned.

The most heralded returning athlete will be Hayden junior Holli Salazar. She was quick to credit a high school weights class all season when asked about her rapid improvement in the shot put. She said that class played a part in her dramatic unseating of reigning shot champion Talli Hansen.

Another year lifting isn’t the only thing that makes a repeat state championship performance look possible. Salazar had to compete against a field of veteran throwers at this year’s state meet, most of whom had beaten her in 2007.

Next year, she’ll be one of only three competitors who finished in the top seven to return, and the only one of the top four back.

“I accomplished my goal — I went over my goal,” Salazar said. “It just gives me something to work at for next year.”

Hayden sophomore Jake Walker could experience a similar bump. He finished fourth in the 100-meter dash, but the top two finishers will graduate, as will two other state medalists.

“I’m just going to keep lifting this offseason,” said Walker, who hopes to finish higher next year.

The girls 3,200 relay team also was startlingly young, most of the athletes soaking in their first state track meet. The team featured two freshmen in Delanie Vedepo and Krista Tomke, a sophomore in Calla Manzanares and junior Laura Zirkle, who joined the squad late in the season after an injury to sophomore Maddison Kopsa.

“None of the girls on the (3,200 relay) team had been there, and it was neat to see,” Hayden track coach Barbara Manzanares said. “They were talking about telling all the other kids what it was like when they got back, and I think that will light a fire under the other kids to try and get there.”

The Soroco underclassmen are equally excited about the experience gained during the weekend. Six Rams came away from the weekend with medals.

Even one of the main problems the team had — Tatum Lombardi having to miss several races with an injured foot — helped set the program up for the 2009 season.

Freshman Ceanna Rossi filled in and ran well despite traveling to Pueblo with no idea she’d be asked to step up.

“She’s a freshman who didn’t think she was going to run,” Soroco track coach David Bruner said. “She helped the (1,600 relay) a lot. They ran pretty well and finished seventh. They were eighth last year.”

Just getting out on the state track and competition on the biggest stage of the season might have been the most valuable part of it all, however.

“It’s great,” Rossi said. “It’s awesome. It really makes me want to work to get back here next year.”

—To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 871-4253 or e-mail jreichenberger@steamboatpilot.com