Shelley athletes excel at Tiger Grizz Invitational

IDAHO FALLS – Shelley Russets and thirty-eight other schools compete at one of the largest track meets of the season at Ravsten Stadium.

The Tiger Grizz Invitational is where athletes and teams gauge their ability to perform at the State level.  This invitational brings schools from all over the State, from Coeur D’ Alene to Preston, to compete in a fierce battle to find the best.  The event occurred on April 30 and May 1. 

 Shelley’s Madison Lempka proved she was one of the best by once again placing 1^st in the High Jump at 5’4â€. Madison has worked hard for the last four years, and it is paying off. She will graduate in a few weeks, moving on to compete at the collegiate level. 

Jace Thatcher continues to be a top athlete and leader for the Russets. In the 400-meter race, he took 2^nd place with a personal best of 50.31 seconds.  In the 200-meter, he placed 4^th with a time of 24.06 seconds. 

Jace Thatcher, Ryker Clinger, Treyce Jensen, and Brayden Johnson proved they are worthy to be at State by continuing their winning streak in the 4×200 relay. They placed 1^st with a time of 1:32.00.

They continue to practice their handoffs and hope to cut a few more seconds off their time before district.  â€œI know we can do it. If we have perfect handoffs at districts, I know we can beat our school record and compete at State. That is the goal,†Jace Thatcher said. 

Johnson, Clinger, Jensen & Zaine Dixon also did well in the 4 x 100 relay. They placed 3^rd with a time of 44.83. “We have some work to do, but 1^st place is in our view. We have what it takes, and I am excited for us to pull it off,†Treyce Jensen said.

Dixon had a goal his senior year to jump 19 feet in the long jump. Last week, he exceeded that goal and jumped 19’1.5â€. This week, he crushed that goal by jumping 19’11â€.  In the process, he placed 6^th. 

Kaden Jensen, a freshman, qualified for the finals on Friday in the 110-meter hurdles. On Saturday, he placed 8th in the final with a personal best time of 21.96 seconds, He has a promising future with the Russets. 

Reese Callahan qualified in the 100-meter hurdles and placed 7^th with a time of 16.80 seconds.

Sydnie Cook, a freshman, also qualified for the finals and placed 5^th amongst the other freshmen in the 100-meter hurdles.  She performed a personal best at 19.12 seconds. 

Tessa Smith continued to excel at Shot Put, even among stiff competition, by walking away with a 3rd place medal, with a distance of 33’11â€.

Tessa Smith, Ella Carlson, Miriah Badillo, and Danica Valdez competed in the 4 x 100 Throwers Relay, and they got an impressive 56.71.

Not only did they win 1^st place, but they broke the Tiger Grizz record in this event. Congratulations to these lady Russets!

On May 7,  Russets will return to their home track and field for the Bingham County Meet. The first event begins at 2 p.m.  The following week is the 5A/4A District Championship at Thunder Ridge High School.