Senators enjoy record-setting day

In what is turning into a record-setting season, the Carson High School track and field team set four more school records during its own fourth annual Kiwanis Carson Invitational on Saturday.

The parade started early in the morning when Carson's girls won the 4x800 relay in a school record time of 9 minutes, 46.67 seconds. Then, to finish off the day, the Senators won gold in the boys 4x400 in a school record time of 3:25.43.

Earlier in the day George Pincock won the 400-meter dash in 49.18, breaking his own school record, and he was part of a 4x200 relay team set another school record that won the 4x200 relay in 1:29.36.

Not a bad day for the Senators, who finished second in both the boys and girls team standings. Reno won the girls championship with 125.5 points, followed by Carson with 94. Galena captured the boys title with 92 points, while Carson edged Rite of Passage 80.5-79.5 for second-place.

"Overall, we had a good day. We're looking good right now, I just hope we keep that up and stay healthy," Carson coach Todd Ackerman said, looking ahead to the Sierra League meet on May 4 in Carson City.

In the first girls race of the day, Terah Laack (2:26.75), Megan Zahnter (2:34.75), Sheena Bonaldi (2:22.12) and Shanna Sparks (2:22.91) won a close rematch against Reno. The two teams were even on the final baton exchange, but Sparks surged into the lap by running a 63-second first lap and then held on to win the race.

The boys 4x400 relay was another close race, won by Carson's quartet of Adam McKenzie (53.79), Matt Waterman (51.52), Scott O'Brien (50.93) and Javier Vega (49.10). O'Brien surged into the lead on the backstretch of the third leg and Vega held off a challenge from McQueen on the homestretch.

"Javier is just so strong. He has so much confidence that nobody is going to beat him once he gets to that last 100 meters," Ackerman said of Vega, who also won the 100 meters (11.29).

"I knew if I let up at any time, the McQueen guy would beat me so I had to give everything I had no matter what," Vega said. "We're getting to where we want to be for division, zone and state. And when George's foot gets better, we're going to be even faster."

Pincock didn't run the last relay, but he was did combine with Waterman, O'Brien and Vega to win the 4x200 and he used a burst on the final turn to win a featured 400-meter duel against Hug's Alan Thomas (second in 49.28).

Equally impressive, Carson senior Josh Carter approached two long-standing records in the weights as he won the shot put (58-feet, 3-3/4 inches) and discus (160-10-1/2). Both marks were personal records (the discus was his best by 4-1/2 feet).

Sophomore Shaylyn Tom enjoyed a personal best in the girls discus, winning with a throw of 118-0-1/2. She only came in with the fifth best entry mark of 104-0.

Mackenzie Taylor and Tom also placed second and fourth in the shot put with respective distances of 35-0-1/2 and 33-11.

Sparks also won the 3,200 in 11:19.67. She ran side-by-side with teammate Cassia Roth for more than half the race before Roth tripped and fell at the start of the sixth lap. Roth finished third in 11:35.38.

Galena's Barrett Young was a double winner in the boys hurdles as he ran 15.22 in the 110-meter highs and 40.30 in the 300 intermediates and Geoff Casazza doubled in the distance races, winning the 1,600 in 4:27.83 and the 3,200 in 9:58.92.

Will Thomas won the boys long jump for Douglas with a 221-8-1/2 effort.

In the final event of the day, Dayton's Shaun Merrill cleared 13-feet to place second in a five-hour pole vault competition. The senior sailed over his first attempt at 13-0, but a miss at 12-6 gave the victory to Reno's Chuck Goodnight.

Dayton's 4x800 relay team of Nick Pribilia, Spencer Paul, Billy Mountjoy and Steve Novello ran a school record time of 8:32.66 to place fifth.