Beginning the lengthy process of molding a CHSAA Class 2A State Championships qualifier, and most preferably a few, Telluride Track & Field began its 2023 season competing at the Delta Invitational Saturday, March 18, with the girls placing seventh overall and the boys 11th.

Clocking 13 minutes, 2.14 seconds in the girls’ 3,200-meter run, Austin Cook won and teammate Wylee Drew (15:27.85) came in third — accounting for 16 of the Lady Miners’ 45.66 total points. Ryann Singer placed second in the 400-meter dash, her 1:12.29 ranking behind only the 1:10.67 of Crested Butte’s Ilo Hawley after the event’s two heat races, with THS teammate Zsofia Paluska (1:16.51) a scoring sixth.

Clearing 4 feet, 4 inches in the high jump, Cook placed sixth, while Singer and Clara Kunz each cleared 4’0” and earned one-third of a team point (as did Cedaredge’s Joella Payne) by tying for eighth. Victoria Minnehan earned sixth place in the 300-meter hurdles, recording a time of 1:09.76, and Cook placed seventh in the 800, her 2:42.95 actually tops in the first of two heats.

Lana Kenworthy took ninth in the 1,600 meters, posting a time of 6:33.82.

In the 4x800 relay, THS’ quartet of Sage Gianola, Kenworthy, Ivy Morton and Cook brought the baton around in a fourth-place 11:43.97 — just over a minute behind DHS’ winning time. Telluride’s 4x2 (Kunz/Katija Kramer/Allison Gutierrez/Morton) posted a time of 2:17.33 and finished sixth, and the 4x1 (Kramer/Kunz/Rachel Weissman/Gianola) placed tenth in 1:02.91.

Running in the fifth of six 100-meter heats, Gianola clocked 14.97 seconds and finished 14th overall. Singer finished 17th in the 200 (32.35) with Kramer 25th (34.20), and Gianola was 18th in the 800 (2:56.22). Minnehan was 27th in the shot put, her best throw flying 20 feet, 4 inches, and Rose Baerenholdt took 29th in the discus with a 50-footer.

All told, CHS (126.33 points) finished first in the team standings. Montrose (94) came in second, followed by Grand Junction Caprock Academy (66), Delta (57) and Crested Butte (54).

On the boys’ side, MHS piled up a dominant 228.5, far out-distancing runner-up Delta’s 71. Cedaredge (70) took third, with Ouray (58) and Hotchkiss North Fork (50) rounding out the top five.

Leading the way for Telluride, Joe Galbo placed fourth in the triple jump with a 36’9.5” best. Jaden Lopez (35’1”) finished eighth in the event as THS earned six of their 14.5 total points.

Galbo tied DHS’ Angel Romero for seventh place in the 300-meter hurdles; each finished in 48.49 seconds. Owen Doyle placed seventh in the 110m hurdles with his time of 20.59 seconds, and Lopez took ninth in 21.12. The 4x200 relay, comprised of Caleb Slosberg, Charles Horning, Lucas Vatter-Paez and Sean McKillop, placed eighth in a time of 1:53.56, and the 4x1 (Lopez/Galbo/Ruben Silverio/Doyle) ended up 11th in 52.50 seconds.

McKillop took 11th in the 1,600-meter run with his 5:36.92, but at double the distance rose to fifth with an 11:57.36. Winning the third of six heat races by clocking 12.73 seconds, Doyle finished 17th overall in the 100-meter dash, while Slosberg ran 1:06.29 in the 400 and placed 17th. Horning ended up 20th in 1:10.08. Slosberg also ranked 24th in the 200 (29.11).

Silverio placed 30th in the discus with a max throw of 61 feet, 8 inches.

JOB’S A GOOD ’UN: Playing for the Denver Christian Invitational title Saturday afternoon, March 18, Telluride Girls’ Soccer came up blank in a 4-0 loss to the tourney-hosting Thunder. However, the Lady Miners did achieve a major success the previous evening in Lakewood with a 1-0 shutout of Lamar — the team which had ended their 2022 season.

With the score against the Tri-Peaks League power standing 0-0 at halftime, THS turned up the intensity during the second half and sophomore Lexton Gregory netted, unassisted, the match’s only goal.

Thrashed 10-nil by DCHS on March 17, Colorado Springs St. Mary’s lost 8-2 to LHS on Day 2 in the third-place test.

Lowered three spots to No. 8 in the 3/20 CHSAANow.com Class 2A poll, Telluride (2-1 overall) will next begin Intermountain-South League play Friday at home versus No. 4 Crested Butte (2-3), which will arrive still hyped over a 2-1 win — ending a three-match losing streak — on Tuesday at Tri-Peaks member Buena Vista.

BOYS’ LAX TAMES TIGERS: Starting 4A Mountain lacrosse work on March 16 at Grand Junction, Telluride got three goals from Cash Livermore and bageled GJHS 7-0. Loudon Doemland, Gus Markley, Mateo Bubolo and Lucas Betz each netted a goal as THS improved to 1-1 overall, 1-0 Mountain.

The Miners were to next face Crested Butte (0-2, 0-1) on Thursday in Grand Junction, but results from neutral Canyon View Park were unavailable at press time Thursday afternoon.

GIRLS LAX OWNS OPENER: Traveling to Montrose on March 15 to get their lacrosse season underway, THS’ girls had little difficulty ripping the Red Hawks 12-1. Breaking out to an 8-0 lead through one half of play, the Lady Miners then tacked on four insurance goals in the second.

Breton Hampton, Lilly Sommers and Charlotte Katz each logged a three-goal hat trick for THS (1-0, 0-0 4A Mountain West), while Maeve Stetina scored twice and Molly Wagner once.

The teams were to square off again on Thursday, with the rematch counting for the league standings, but results were unavailable at press time. At present, Telluride is slated to then host Gypsum Eagle Valley on Saturday at 11 a.m.