Titans track charging into closing weeks of season

Jump back into action in Gunnison

Spring break can negate any and all progress a track team has made during their season as athletes take off with families for a little R&R.

The Crested Butte Titans high school track coach Laura Puckett gave her athletes some direction as they left town for the April break: get some rest but keep up with your fitness.
In the end, Puckett knew time would tell and she wasted little time in finding out just who did what over their break.
“We hit them hard when they came back and they responded to it well,” says Puckett. “We felt like we didn’t lose too much ground over break.”
The true post-break test for the Titans came last Saturday as they headed south for the Gunnison Invitational.
“It was exciting to run on our home turf and see where they were at after the break,” says Puckett.
Faced with nasty weather, a couple of last-minute shifts in lineups for certain events and the impending prom that evening, the Titans rallied, giving one of their best performances of the season.
“They did awesome,” says Puckett. “I’d say at least 80 percent of the team set personal records. People ran really well, given the amount of distractions.”
Puckett points to two highlights that stand out from the flurry of personal accomplishments.
The Titan coaching staff decided to switch up the girls’ 4×100-meter relay order. The move made all the difference in the world.
Freshman Rosie Ewert and junior Toni Brown switched spots with Ewert taking over on the opening leg, and Brown moved into the second position. Freshman Monika Oleson stayed in the third spot and senior Karleigh Dean remained in her anchor spot.
“Rosie’s quick out of the blocks—it’s great to watch,” says Puckett.
Executing near-perfect handoffs, the team ran their fastest time of the season, 55.12, to place sixth.
The other standout performance came from freshman Ian Boucher. Prior to the break, Boucher had yet to break the five-minute mark in the mile. In his first race back, Boucher chopped 18 seconds off his personal best time and broke five minutes with a time of 4:54.89, placing seventh.
“When distance runners realize what they are capable of, how hard they can push it, they start to take big chunks of time off,” explains Puckett. “He’d never broken five minutes before, which is a huge benchmark.”
Meanwhile, sophomore Amber Scott put together two podium performances in the mile and two-mile races. Scott ran a personal record time of 5:47.09 in the mile to finish in third place. And while she struggled in her two-mile effort, she was still strong enough to take second place with a time of 13:13.06.
“She’s always running well and always scores big points for the team,” says Puckett. “She’s set her standards pretty high and it’s awesome to see.”
Freshman Shannon Costello capped a solid week of workouts with a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter race, posting a time of 2:39.94.
“She raced more consistently than she’s run all season,” says Puckett. “I think she’s starting to really get it.”
In addition to her effort in the 100-meter relay, Oleson also placed eighth in the 200-meter dash and added some speed to the sprint medley relay.
“She is so speedy and was a key part of relays across the board,” says Puckett.
Freshman Kyle Boyle, while not a podium contender, continues to make strides in his events across the board, including the long jump, the 200-meter and the 400-meter dash.
“It’s exciting to see him put it together and see the fruits of his labor,” says Puckett.
The Titans’ next three weeks are frantic, with the Montrose Invitational on Friday, April 29, the Tiger Invitational in Grand Junction the following week and the league meet on Saturday, May 14.
The season ends with the state meet starting on Thursday, May 19.
“It’s wrapping up really quickly,” says Puckett.