Here’s a quick spring sports recap from Champlists on the highlights from last week’s state culminating events:
Soccer: The boys teams from Jackson (4A) and Cody (3A) and the girls teams from Kelly Walsh (4A) and Lander (3A) won the state soccer tournaments this spring.
The Jackson boys won the 4A state title for the fourth time in six years. In all, Jackson has won eight state championships, all since 2012, and tied Cheyenne East for the most state titles in boys soccer history. They outscored their state tournament foes by a combined 11-0.
Cody won the 3A boys title for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 2017. The Broncs’ combined winning margin at state was 13-1, including a 3-0 victory against host Green River in the title game; the Wolves’ appearance in the championship game was the program’s first.
Kelly Walsh’s girls were the only repeat champion from 2023. KW won its fourth title in program history and its first repeat championship. The Trojans needed two goals in overtime to beat Jackson 3-2 in the 4A championship game.
Lander’s 3A girls title was its second in program history, going with the one it won in 2021. The Tigers were in thrillers throughout the tournament, beating Buffalo 3-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals, Douglas 3-2 in a 7-6 shootout victory in the semifinals, and a tight 2-1 victory against Cody in the championship.
Jackson’s Taya McClennen became just the 20th girl in state history to be a four-time all-state selection. Six boys — Douglas’ Luke Ewing, Jackson’s Braden Hills and Teddy Opler, Kelly Walsh’s Parker O’Neill, Powell’s Chance Franks and Sheridan’s Dane Steel — were three-time all-state picks, as were six girls — Cheyenne Central’s Ekena Little, Kelly Walsh’s Peyton Hill, Laramie’s McKenna Barham, Natrona’s Rian Barthel, and Riverton’s Cameran Paskett and Savannah Morton.
Track and field: Boys team champions were Sheridan (4A), Douglas (3A), Big Horn (2A) and Burlington (1A); both Big Horn and Burlington were repeat champions. Girls team champions were Sheridan (4A), Lander (3A), Kemmerer (2A) and Cokeville (1A). Sheridan’s 4A sweep of team titles was the first time such a feat had been accomplished at the big-school level since Campbell County did so in 2006.
Two athletes joined the ranks of four-time event champions. Cheyenne East’s Taliah Morris won the Class 4A girls long jump for the fourth consecutive year, while Mountain View’s Mylie Micheli claimed the Class 3A pole vault championship for the fourth year in a row.
In all, a whopping 10 overall state meet records were broken; another 14 state meet classification records were broken:
Boys
- 100 (Class 2A and overall): Gavin Stafford, Big Horn, 10.31; broke overall record of 10.50 (Stephen Michel, Laramie, 2008) and 2A record of 10.83 (Jose Wright, Kemmerer, 1987)
- 200 (Class 4A and overall): Chance Morris, Sheridan, 21.11; broke 4A and overall record of 21.39 (Stephen Michel, Laramie, 2008)
- 4×400 relay (Class 4A and overall): Thunder Basin, 3:19.02; broke 4A and overall record of 3:20.07 (Natrona, 2014)
- 1600 medley relay (Class 4A and overall): Cody, 3:28.35; broke overall record of 3:31.42 (Star Valley, 2018) and 4A record of 3:32.09 (Sheridan, 2023)
- 200 (Class 2A): Gavin Stafford, Big Horn, 21.16; broke 2A record of 21.68 (Jose Wright, Kemmerer, 1987)
- 4×100 relay (Class 2A): Big Horn, 43.07; broke 2A record of 43.88 (Big Horn, 2023)
- 1600 medley relay (Class 1A): Saratoga, 3:45.61; broke 1A record of 3:45.89 (Farson, 2018)
- Long jump (Class 2A): Gavin Stafford, Big Horn, 23-0.75; broke 2A record of 22-4.5 (Trent Bowers, Lovell, 1995)
- Shot put (Class 1A): Quade Jordan, Encampment, 57-6.5; broke 1A record of 55-2.25 (Matt Davis, Kaycee, 1999)
Girls
- 100 (Class 4A and overall): Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 11.68; broke 4A and overall record of 11.91 (Arnetta Simpson, Cheyenne Central, 1998)
- 200 (Class 4A and overall): Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 23.45; broke 4A and overall record of 23.79 (Jerayah Davis, Kelly Walsh, 2013)
- 400 (Class 4A and overall): Addie Pendergast, Sheridan, 54.40; broke 4A and overall record of 54.62 (Pendergast, 2023)
- 300 hurdles (Class 4A and overall): Addie Pendergast, Sheridan, 42.69; broke 4A and overall record of 43.21 (Lauren Taubert, Natrona, 2016)
- 1600 medley relay (Class 4A and overall): Cody, 4:06.74; broke 4A and overall record of 4:12.26 (Cody, 2023)
- Long jump (Class 4A and overall): Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 20-8.5; broke 4A record of 19-8.5 (Morris, 2023) and overall record of 19-9 (Ann Wingeleth, Lyman, 2015)
- 100 (Class 3A): Brooklyn Asmus, Torrington, 11.91; broke 3A record of 12.12 (Kereston Thomas, Rawlins, 2011)
- 200 (Class 3A): Brooklyn Asmus, Torrington, 24.24; broke 3A record of 25.03 (Kereston Thomas, Rawlins, 2011)
- 300 hurdles (Class 1A): Addison Barnes, Cokeville, 44.88; broke 1A record of 44.92 (Barnes, 2023)
- 4×100 relay (Class 3A): Torrington, 48.81; broke 3A record of 49.97 (Worland, 2023)
- 4×400 relay (Class 3A): Lander, 4:03.66; broke 3A record of 4:04.20 (Lander, 2001)
- 1600 medley relay (Class 3A): Wheatland, 4:10.56; broke 3A record of 4:14.04 (Rawlins, 2023)
- 1600 medley relay (Class 1A): Cokeville, 4:29.43; broke 1A record of 4:33.15 (Burlington, 2023)
- Long jump (Class 3A): Lily Nichols, Wheatland, 18-9.5; broke 3A record of 18-8.75 (Naya Shime, Riverton, 2018)
- Shot put (Class 3A): Adelyn Anderson, Lander, 44-7.25; broke 3A record of 44-4.25 (Jesseca Cross, Powell, 1992)
- Shot put (Class 1A): Harper Boche, Southeast, 41-8.75; tied 1A record (Shelby Ekwall, Southeast, 2022)
Another eight all-time marks were set during the 2024 season; (1) Taliah Morris’ 23.45 in the 200 and (2) 20-8.5 in the long jump; (3) the Cody girls’ 4:06.74 in the 1600 medley relay; (4) Gavin Stafford’s 10.31 in the 100; (5) Chance Morris’ 21.11 in the 200; (6) the Thunder Basin boys’ 3:19.02 in the 4×400 relay; (7) the Cody boys’ 3:28.35 in the 1600 medley relay; and (8) Kelly Walsh’s Landon Walker’s 49-1 in the triple jump. All records were set at the state championships except for Walker’s.
Softball: For the third consecutive year, Thunder Basin won the state softball championship. The ‘Bolts ran through Cheyenne East 10-0 in the state title game. Thunder Basin’s closest game of the tournament was a 9-7 victory against Natrona in the first round; after that, Thunder Basin won its remaining four games by 10 runs apiece.
Campbell County’s Avery Gray became the state’s first four-time all-state softball selection. Meanwhile, Campbell County’s Lanae Kimbley, Thunder Basin’s Natalie Clonch and Macie Selfors, Cheyenne East’s Aleah Brooks and Gracie Oswald, Cody’s Riley Simone and Violet Wollschlager and Green River’s Kodi Allred all notched their third all-state selection.
What stuck out to you in this spring sports season? Leave a comment below, and be sure to visit Champlists for full champion histories of all of Wyoming’s high school sports.
–patrick