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Soroco track, field team sets bar high

Dave Shively

Soroco High School Track and Field schedule

Saturday, at West Grand, time TBA

April 7, at Meeker, 9 a.m.

April 12, North Park at Moffat County, 1 p.m.

April 14, at Glenwood Springs, 9 a.m.

April 18, at Grand Valley, TBA

April 21, at Eagle Valley, 9 a.m.

April 27, at Moffat County, 9 a.m.

May 5, at West Grand (league), TBA

May 11-12, at Grand Junction (regionals), TBA

May 18-19, at Pueblo (state), TBA

— For four years, David Bruner produced state champion track and field athletes from the Class 2A high school he coached at in Clayton, N.M.

Now, in his ninth year of coaching, Bruner is bringing the same level of expectation to this year’s Soroco track and field squad.

“We’re looking forward to at least a couple more state champions and we have the potential,” Bruner said.



This year, Bruner has a team on the younger side, featuring 10 boys and 15 girls and headed by the senior core of Toni Lombardi, Emily Hallenbeck, Johnny DeCosta, David Roberts and Steven Meade.

“All of them are capable veterans of leading the team,” Bruner said. “I expect a little more from the girls, because they have bigger numbers, but we’ll definitely surprise some people this year.”



Sophomore Sarajane Rossi already has her radar locked in on the 800-meter run, an event she missed state qualification by a second last year.

“That’s my big race,” Rossi said. “I definitely want to beat the school record I set last year – regionals would be nice, but I really want to go to state and place.”

On the boy’s side, DeCosta returns to the 800-meter relay squad that also set a state record. DeCosta plans to run the anchor leg of the relay with Roberts, Peter Daley and Michael Schmidt.

“It has a little different look, but I think we’ll be good,” said DeCosta, who’s been splitting his time practicing with the sprinters and distance coach Devin DuPree’s runners. “I think we’re a really close team. I’m excited and ready for Saturday. It’s going to be cold, but fun.”

Bruner thinks Saturday’s meet should provide a good opportunity for his athletes to get their competitive legs under them, but personnel line-ups will need to be adjusted as he matches runners to their best distances and especially considering almost half the boys’ team will play on the Steamboat Springs baseball team, he said.

Still, Bruner believes that due to his athletes conditioning and determined work ethic, they should be able to make some immediate waves and begin racking in team wins. In terms of athletes to start looking for, Bruner highlighted the 800-meter medley of Rossi, Lombardi, Amanda Wilson, Traci Schlegel, distance events from Roberts, Daley and Schmidt, the 100- and 200-meter sprints events from Meade, Hallenbeck at the triple jump and big throws from Dennis Morgan, Wilson and Katrina Maes.


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