Time-tested track tradition: Certain Wyoming schools find consistency, win championships in one particular event

The track and field takeover of the wyoming-football.com blog continues today by looking at what schools have dominated one particular event…

Certain track and field events just seem to fit certain schools.

But no team fits one single track event better than the Burlington boys and the pole vault.

Since 1974, the Huskies have won the boys pole vault at the Wyoming state track and field meet 18 times. No other school has had so much success in one event as Burlington’s boys have had in that event.

Eleven athletes from Burlington have won those 18 titles, and it’s no surprise that some of them share last names: Shawn and Branden Christiansen; Coulter, Courtney and Whitney Neves; Mark and Lynn Wiles; Terry Cauffman; Jeff McNiven; Larry Michaels; and Dale Cook. To top it off, Shawn Christiansen has the Class 1A state meet record at 14 feet, 2.5 inches.

No girls event has been dominated like Cheyenne Central’s girls have dominated the 4 x 100 relay. The Indians have won the sprint relay 16 times since 1973, including three years in a row entering this year’s state meet.

The most combined championships in one event belongs to Gillette in the 3200/two-mile run. Between their boys and girls, Camels have won the 3200/two mile 28 times, with the girls and boys winning 14 times apiece.

Here are the events where schools have had double-digit individual champs, since 1974 (boys) and 1973 (girls):

Boys
Burlington boys, pole vault, 18
Torrington boys, shot put, 16
Cheyenne Central boys, 110 hurdles, 15
Cheyenne East boys, triple jump, 15
Burlington boys, high jump, 14
Gillette boys, 3200, 14
Torrington boys, discus, 14
Gillette boys, 1600, 13
Kelly Walsh boys, high jump, 13
Torrington boys, triple jump, 13
Cheyenne Central boys, long jump, 12
Torrington boys, pole vault, 12
Cheyenne Central boys, 4×800 relay, 11
Powell boys, 4×400 relay, 11
Southeast boys, 110 hurdles, 11
Upton boys, pole vault, 11
Wyoming Indian boys, 3200, 11
Cheyenne East boys, 200, 10
Torrington boys, 4×400 relay, 10
Worland boys, pole vault, 10
Wyoming Indian boys, 1600, 10

Girls
Cheyenne Central girls, 4×100 relay, 16
Burlington girls, 400, 14
Gillette girls, 3200, 14
Torrington girls, 4×100 relay, 14
Torrington girls, 100 hurdles, 13
Worland girls, 800, 13
Sheridan girls, shot put, 12
Worland girls, 1600, 12
Kelly Walsh girls, 100, 11
Cheyenne Central girls, 100, 10
Cheyenne Central girls, 200, 10
Douglas girls, 4×800 relay, 10
Lingle girls, discus, 10
Torrington girls, discus, 10

For a full listing of state track and field champions since 1974 (boys) and 1973 (girls), go here.

–patrick