Douglas High’s 4x200 relay team smiles after winning a regional title. Pictured from left to right are Jessica James, Ellie Gansberg, Megan Veil and Julianne James.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Saturday at Carson High School, Douglas High track and field had standout performances, several of which resulted in regional championships.
In the sprints, junior Jessica James won the 200-meter dash after qualifying in second place.
James sprinted across the line in a personal record of 26.42, besting second place by one-tenth of a second.
The Tiger junior was also second in the 100-meter dash by three-hundredths of a second behind Carson’s Natalyn Wakeling.
Douglas’ relay teams brought home the rest of the regional titles on the girls’ side as both the Tigers’ 4x100 relay team and 4x200 relay team took the crown.
The finals of the 4x100 came down to the slimmest of margins as Katarina Butalon, Ellie Gansberg, Julianne James and Jessica James squeaked past McQueen in 51.55.
Megan Veil replaced Butalon in the 4x200 relay, which resulted in another regional title in 1:48.63.
Veil, a senior, took second in the 300-meter hurdles in 49.35, missing first place by two-tenths of a second.
The senior also ran on the 4x400 relay team with Gansberg, Julianne James and Ava Coons, taking fourth.
Coons battled with other freshman in the high jump, taking fourth after successfully clearing 4-10.
Megan Strand was fifth in the discus finals with a throw of 92 feet, three inches while taking eighth in the shot put for Douglas.
Carissa Bilderback was third in the pole vault, leaping 10 feet even before taking seventh in the triple jump.
In the 800, freshman Zoe Baligad took seventh in 2:35.
As a team, Douglas finished fourth on the girls’ side with 83 points. Galena took home the team title with 159.
On the boys’ side, Douglas didn’t add any regional champions, but had several close results to a top finish.
Tyler Gunderson came the closest of any Tiger boys’ athlete, taking second in the 300-meter hurdles in 42.2 seconds.
Gunderson, Grady Frensdorff, Dakota Jones and Brian Lamas Lopez took fourth as a foursome in the 4x200 relay.
Soma Baligad was third in the 3,200 in 10:01.30, just in front of teammate Jackson Davis, who was fifth in the 3,200 and 1,600.
In the 4x800, Baligad, Davis, Michael Magee and Dominic Jackson were third in 8:30.05.
In the field events, Caleb Lewis threw a personal record of 130 feet in the discus to earn third place. He was also seventh in the shot put.
Jacob Coston put together an impressive vault of 15 feet even to take second in the pole vault. Fellow vaulter Nathan Ericsson was fifth after clearing 12 feet.
Hunter Hughes tied for fourth in the high jump.
As a team, the Tigers scored 67 points while Galena took home the team title with 119.
Tiger swimming performs well at regionals
The Douglas High boys and girls swim and dive teams took home quality results from last week’s regional meet.
As a team, the boys’ side took third with 292 points while the Tiger girls were fifth with 182 points.
Douglas’ 200-yard freestyle team took home the regional title as Connor Taylor, Calvin Stevenson, Joshua Beam and Justin LoPresto combined for a 1:29.96, winning the event by three-hundredths of a second.
Justin LoPresto was second in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.42 while teammate Joshua Beam took fifth and Wallace Norris was sixth.
LoPresto added another second place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in 51.6.
Junior Jesse LoPresto was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle in 50.06. Connor Taylor was the next finisher in the same event in 50.07.
Sophomore Calvin Stevenson was third in the boys’ 200-yard individual medley in 2:04.58.
Douglas 200-yard medley relay group of Wallace Norris, Justin LoPresto, Beam and Taylor were third in 1:42.20.
The Tigers’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Barrett Lee, Sweetpea Vieira, Kiera Duffy and Sofia Delange took sixth.
