Newman wins four events as Bulldogs place second at State

The Lovell Bulldogs wrapped up another strong track and field season with a strong showing at the Wyoming State Track and Field Championships in Casper last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

It was another strong state meet for the Lovell boys, who brought home a major trophy for the third consecutive year in Class 3A. After placing sixth in 2023, the Bulldogs placed second to Douglas in 2024, won the title in 2025 over Cody and placed a strong second to Cody this year.

Lovell scored 97 points, second to Cody’s 141 but ahead of Powell (78 points), Mountain View (72), Burns (61) and Douglas (59), the top schools in the field of 16.

“We only had nine boys. To accomplish what we did with nine boys is tremendous,” coach Joshua Sanders said. “Cody had a really good team in numbers and quality, and like us, a lot of them will go on to be Division I track and field athletes.”

The Lovell girls placed ninth a year ago and improved to fifth with 47.5 points. Lander won the 3A girls division with 143 points over Worland with 121.

Lovell senior Matthew Newman capped his amazing career with four individual titles in Casper, setting two new school records in the process. Friday, Newman won the triple jump with a leap of 46-8, with fellow senior Owen Walker fourth at 43-4.

Saturday, Newman won the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.05 after qualifying first on Friday morning in 15.01, the prelims moved after Thursday’s prelims were washed out by inclement weather. About an hour later on Saturday morning, Newman won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 37.53, obliterating his own school record in the process, having run a time of 38.33 at the Wyoming Track Classic. He glided to the finals Friday in a time of 39.91, first in the prelims.

And finally, Newman topped off his career by winning the 400-meter dash Saturday afternoon in 48.66, beating his school record of 48.80 set the week before in Pinedale at the 3A West Regionals.

“Matthew Newman’s performance was so impressive. It’s so rare to go 4-0 – four state championships,” Sanders said. “He’s definitely the best male track and field athlete we’ve had at Lovell High School.”

And Newman did it against top competition, Sanders noted.

“You look at the 300-meter hurdles. All of the top three runners (in 3A) beat the 4A champion’s time,” he said. “Matthew will pursue track and field in college (after a church mission). He loves it. A lot of schools want him.

“He learns and adapts well. For example, after the kid from Mountain View beat him at Regionals in the 400, this time Matthew adjusted and knew he had to go out quicker and be more aggressive. That way he could close the gap in the last 100 meters. For my mind, he’s one of the best athletes to come through Lovell High School.” 

Walker capped his career with an individual title, as well, winning the long jump on a cold and wet Thursday with a leap of 21-4½, with junior Nate Cornia seventh at 19-9, a personal record. Walker also placed eighth in the high jump, clearing 5-11.

“Owen did a great job handling less than ideal conditions (in the long jump) on Thursday. He was consistent,” Sanders said.

Sophomore Hunter Krei blazed to two outstanding times in the 100-meter dash, winning the finale Saturday by 1/100th of a second over Cody’s Boston Cronebaugh, 10.79 to 10.80. Krei qualified first on Friday in a time of 10.78.

“Hunter fought through injury to do that,” Sanders said. “He was 2/100ths of a second off the state record (for 3A). It was a close race, and somehow Hunter fought him (Cronebaugh) off. He gets off to a great start, he always does.”

Krei also qualified second in the 200-meter dash Friday morning in a time of 22.24, 1/100th of a second off his personal record, but he was running in pain with a calf injury Saturday afternoon in the finals, placing eighth in 25.64.

Unfortunately, the 400-meter relay team of Kaeson Anderson, Krei, Cornia and Jacob Thomas suffered a dropped baton on the third exchange and finished 12th in 46.08.

“We were in the lead, though I don’t know if it would have held or not,” Sanders said. “There were two fast teams we were competing with.”

Senior Owen Edwards wrapped up his LHS career with a third-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 12-6, one height off his PR of 13 feet.

Junior thrower Tazz McArthur placed third in the discus with a toss of 147-3 and sixth in the shot put with a throw of 47-2¾, a personal record for the second straight week.

“His discus throw was powerful. It was representative of how his whole year has gone,” Sanders noted.

Senior Halen Strom placed fifth in the shot put at 47-6¾ and eighth in the discus with a fling of 140-6, his second-best throw of the season.

Junior Anderson had a strong meet. He placed fourth in the high jump by clearing 6-1, and he placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles in 41.37, a PR, after qualifying Friday in 41.51, also a PR at the time. He almost made the finals in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing ninth in the prelims in a time of 16.58.

“It was a strong meet for Kaeson,” Sanders said. “He has a great future. I’m excited and looking forward to what he can do next year. Coach (Josey) Allen has some ideas for how he can get faster in the hurdles.”

Girls solid

The Lady Bulldogs had some outstanding performances in Casper, as well, to place fifth. Sophomore Ali Walker placed second in the triple jump Friday afternoon with a jump of 37-7½, a personal record for the fifth consecutive meet. Sister Avery Walker placed third 36-9½.

Ali also placed third in the long jump Thursday, sailing 17-3¾, with Avery eighth at 16-11¼ in a competitive field, both jumps personal records for the twins.

“They did tremendously well,” Sanders said. “Both girls were excellent. Class 3A was so dominant in the jumps. The best-of-the-best girl from Powell in the triple jump (Paige Sanders), we saw her every week and will next year, too. The three best girls in the state battled it out.

“It’s so rare for Ali to jump 37 feet and not win. Avery was battling a bit of an injury with a hamstring issue. The 3A jumping group is tremendously strong. The long jumpers from first through eighth were separated by only five inches. That’s wild.”

Avery tied for third in the high jump, clearing 5-1, and the sisters joined senior Becca Nichols and freshman Macie Anderson to set a new school record in the 400-meter relay in 50.81, though they placed fifth in a competitive field.

The quartet of Brooklin Clark, Ali Walker, Kandace Asay and Jaycie Allen placed fifth in the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay in a time of 4:31.48.

Clark also placed seventh in the triple jump, hitting the sand at 35-2, a PR, and she nearly qualified for finals in the 300-meter low hurdles, finishing ninth in the prelims in 49.06, a personal record time just 4/100ths of a second behind eighth-place Ellie Walter of Buffalo.

“She came to play,” Sanders said. “Brooklin jumped over 35 feet several times.”

Junior Celeste Lindsay had a strong meet in the throws, bringing home two medals. She placed third in the shot put with a toss of 37-8, and a fling of 118-6 in the discus, her second-best throw of the season, placed her fourth in that event.

“Celeste had a good performance and an exceptional year,” Sanders said. “We were excited for her to have a track season after her (knee) injury last year.”

Other Lovell girls results at the state meet in Casper were:

100m dash – Macie Anderson 13th in prelims, 13.23 (tie PR); 200-meter dash – Anderson 11th in prelims, 26.82 (PR), Becca Nichols 12th in prelims, 26.84; 400m dash – Nichols 10th in prelims, 1:02.63; 800 meters – Kandace Asay 10th, 2:27.68; shot put – Christina Zollman 10th, 33-11, Morgan Harshman 12th, 33-5¼.