Vaqueros sending 13 to State track meet

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

The Fernley High School track teams will be sending 13 athletes to compete in 14 events at this weekend’s 3A State Track & Field Championships at Foothill High School in Henderson.

The Vaqueros had seven boys qualify for a total of nine events with top three finishes at last weekend’s Northern 3A Regional Meet in Carson City, including regional championships in four events.

Jadan Rotton had a hand in three of those regional championships, helping the boys team to a fourth place finish. The girls team finished sixth.

Rotton won the boys 400 meters with a time of 50.46 and the pole vault, clearing 13 feet.

He also was part of the 4×400 relay team, along with Sam Wright, Jonathan Roach, and Jason Hneitina, which finished first and set a school record with a time of 3:30.96.

Wright also qualified for State in three events, taking second in both hurdles events. He ran the 110 hurdles in 15.40 and the 300 hurdles in 41.05. Nick Bernardo also qualified for State in the 110 hurdles, placing third with a time of 16.18.

Justin Turner qualified for State in two events, placing third in both the pole vault (12-6) and the high jump (6-4), while Richard Dumont was the other State qualifier, placing third in the discus with a throw of 143-10.

For the girls team, the 4×800 relay team of Grace DeLeon, Taylor Richardson, Piper Crook, and Sam Manning won the regional championship with a time of 9:44.40.

Richardson is another three-event qualifier, finishing second in the 800 meters in 2:22.78 and a leg in the 4×400 relay, along with Piper Crook, Olivia Schrock and Sam Manning, where they placed second in a school-record time of 4:10.14.

Stephanie Perez qualified in the high jump by finishing second with a leap of 5-2, while Piper Crook was the other qualifier, third in the 800 in 2:22.85.

The Vaqueros narrowly missed placing in three other events, because of the new format in which only the top three finishers qualify, while the Southern 3A gets five,

The boys 4×100 relay Hneitina, Rotton, Nathan Henderson and Cooper Henderson finished fourth in 44.57, missing out on a State berth by .09.

The boys 4×800 relay of Eric Rosales, Roach, Corey Brach and Matt Tecson finished fourth in 8:37.96, and Riana Allred came in fourth in the girls 100 hurdles with a time of 16.53.