ST. GEORGE — Southern Utah high school track and field athletes have been busy this winter, and several of them made significant marks at two recent meets up north.
Snow Canyon, Desert Hills and Dixie athletes competed at the Utah High School Track (UHSTCA) Indoor Invitational at the Olympic Ice Oval in Kearns Feb. 2-3, and two weeks earlier Snow Canyon sent a contingent to the BYU High School Invitational in Provo. Both meets drew hundreds of athletes from Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.
At the Kearns meet, Snow Canyon senior Jake Hill earned a fourth-place finish in the long jump. Hill went 21 feet, 9.5 inches, and teammate Matt Maclennan was sixth with a leap of 21-1.
Snow Canyon put three athletes — all juniors — in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, and Trevor Gough placed seventh in 8.65 seconds, followed by Semaj Thompson (10th, 8.79) and Mclennan (12th, 8.94).
“They continue to get better every day by pushing each other in practice,” Snow Canyon coach Justin Redfearn told St. George News in an email in reference to Snow Canyon’s hurdle contingent. “Even though they are highly competitive with each other, they also have an incredible respect for one another and the effort each one gives. I have loved watching them mature not only physically but mentally as they analyze ways for them to get better.”
William West made the 60-meter dash final and placed eighth in 7.12.
Desert Hills’ Kaden Mckinlay opened some eyes with a 4:23.43 clocking in the 1,600-meter run, which was good enough for 14th place. Of note was race winner Tayson Echohawk of Orem who blazed to victory in 4:10.81.
The region’s top girl was Snow Canyon freshman Amelia Nadauld, who placed third in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes, running times of 7.70 and 24.86 seconds, respectively. Nadauld also was fourth in the long jump, going 17 feet, 8 inches.
Redfearn said that among freshmen nationally, Nadauld currently is No. 2 in the long jump (17-11), No. 3 in the 60 meters (7.68) and No. 4 in the 200 (24.86).
“Since we started working with her, we knew we had something special,” said Redfearn, adding that since age 9, Nadauld has been under the tutelage of Redfearn and Coach James Thompson. “She is as competitive as they come, and she is willing to do the hard things in practice to become better.”
In fact, Redfearn lauded Thompson, specifying his attention to detail and manner of inspiring sprinters and jumpers.
“He is a perfectionist and demands the effort by each athlete in practice every day,” Redfearn said. “He amazes me each day as he develops these athletes and yet has so much fun with them. He has developed their speed and vertical forces while working on their technique in the air that is helping them to be so successful.”
At the BYU event Jan. 20-21, Maclennan placed second with a long jump of 20-10.75. Carson Nowatzke finished 1oth in the shot put with a throw of 43-10.5.
Dixie High’s Caidan Cooper blazed to a third-place finish in the 60, crossing the line in 6.95 seconds.
Nadauld picked up third-place finishes in both the 60 (7.68) and 200 (25.25), as well as a silver medal in the long jump (17-11).
“It’s honestly so amazing,” Nadauld said during an interview posted on MileSplitUT. “I’m just so excited to see what comes.”
And Kennedy Scott grabbed eighth place in the shot put (31-8).
Redfearn said that indoor track serves multiple purposes, including refinement of specific events and preparation for the upcoming spring season, the first official meet date being March 6.
“For us, the preparation for the outdoor season is important,” Redfearn said. “The racing is important because it gets the cobwebs off from being away from racing for so long.”
Click here for full results of the UHSTCA meet.
Click here for full results of the BYU meet.
Updated 5:35 p.m. Feb. 16, 2023: Corrects James Thompson’s first name.
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