Titan runners take top spots in relay events in Grand Junction

Girls team takes third place overall at regionals

While senior Jack Linehan and sophomore Erin Kelly secured their spots at the state meet earlier this season, there were a few Titans still on the bubble as the team headed to regionals in Grand Junction last weekend, May 8-9.
Specifically, coach Laura Puckett was looking for her girls’ 4×800 relay team to make the push, as well as Linehan in the 800-meters—and both answered the call with stellar showings.
Every year since the school’s existence, the Titans girls’ 4×800-meter relay team qualified for the state meet. This year though, the streak hung in the balance with the regional meet as their last chance for this year’s team to reach the big show.
Fortunately, experience was on their side with senior Emma Vosburg, who’s been to states all three previous years, on the team. Vosburg, sophomores Erin Kelly and Hannah Smith and junior Monica Kinsella rose to the occasion to keep the Titans streak alive, taking second place at regionals with a time of 10:37.93 to earn a berth to states.
“We’re excited to carry on the 4×800 Crested Butte tradition,” says Puckett. “It’s a great cap to Emma’s career.”
In fact, all the girls stepped up to the occasion at the regional meet, from first-year runners to the senior leaders as the Titan girls’ team took third place.
“I was really impressed with the team and how they pulled together,” says Puckett. “Throughout the meet we were fluctuating between second and fifth place. Every point mattered.”
Kelly rattled off her usual twofer in the mile and two-mile events, taking second place in the mile with a personal record time of 5:26.60 and then dominating the two-mile cruising to a first-place finish by as much as 150 meters.
“She just went out there to win it and it was a walk in the park,” says Puckett.
Sophomore Karleigh Dean had an outstanding showing in the 200-meter dash to add points to the team’s total with a sixth-place finish. Vosburg set a new personal record in the 400-meters to take sixth place and freshman Skylar Kraatz posted a seventh-place finish.
Kinsella made her mark in the 800-meters with a fifth-place finish and joined Kelly in the mile, taking fifth place with a time of 5:47.29, contributing addition points.
Senior Mackenzie Mailly closed her track career with a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles and a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles. In addition, Mailly joined Kraatz, Dean and freshman Toni Brown for the girls’ 4×200-meter relay team to place fifth and set a new school record by four seconds, with a time of 1:56.46.
The girls’ sprint relay teams continued their assault on regionals with a fifth-place finish in the 4×100-meters, setting a new school record, and a fifth-place finish in the 4×400-meter event.
In the end, it was the final effort of the 4×400 team that pushed the Titans into third place overall.
“It was great to see that because Crested Butte really has no sprinting history,” says Puckett.
After a season of near misses, Linehan reached his goal to make the state meet in the 800-meter run. While Linehan was already through to states in the mile and two-mile, the 800-meter run eluded him until regionals, when he dropped the hammer to edge out a win with a time of 2:02.34.
With his goal achieved, Linehan cruised to a second-place finish in the mile and looks to make his mark on the Colorado track scene in both events at the state meet.
“He’s in the thick of it,” says Puckett. “He’s got a shot at the championship title if can put it all together.”
Meanwhile Kelly is headed to the state meet with a target on her back as the top seeded two-miler in the state in 2A.
“Erin’s the favorite in the two-mile and has the fastest time by 10 seconds, but you never know,” says Puckett.
The mile title will be harder for Kelly to achieve. She is ranked fourth in the state, but all of the top runners are within a second of each other.
“That’s going to be a guts race,” says Puckett. “It’s going to be tight. No one has a breakaway time.”
The state meet is at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16. The Titans open the state meet with the 4×800 relay on Thursday evening, followed by the 800-meter and two-mile events on Friday, finishing with the mile on Saturday.
“Whatever happens we’re going to be excited about it,” says Puckett. “I told them, be nervous but don’t be scared. Give it all you got.”