Chad Jackson of Alamosa reacts after crossing the finishing line to take first place at State in the 400 Meter dash. Jackson also earned a silver as a member of the boys relay team.(Courier photos by Stephen Jiron)

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Friday night a storm blew into Denver from the south bringing with it hail and flash flood warnings. In response the field events were rescheduled to start an hour later while the track events ran as scheduled.  Over the course of three days a season’s worth of hard work culminated in impressive performances in every event. The San Luis Valley had their time to shine topping the podium in a number of those events.

In 3A the headlines went to Alamosa, taking state in three different events. The girls relay squad made up of Allyssa Romro, Tara Sowards, Emily Lavier and Lilly Lavier placed first in the state in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:58.69.  Junior Amaya Atencio placed first in shot put with a distance of 39’ 1”. And junior Chad Jackson finished first in the 400-meter dash in a time of 49.91. Jackson displayed adaptability only adding a slight .76 seconds to his preliminary time despite the muggy conditions.

Avery Palmgren (right) of Sangre de Cristo sprints through the rain to take third place in the girls' 100 meter Dash. Palmgren also took fifth in the girls' long jump.

Behind Chad in the 400 meter was brother and teammate Ian Jackson in sixth place with a time of 51.12. The Jacksons and the boys’ relay team also earned a silver medal in the 4x400 meter. Elsewhere for Alamosa, Lilly Lavier picked up a bronze in the 200-meter dash and a fourth place finish in the 400-hundred meter. Also in the 3A girls’ 400 meter was Allyssa Romero finishing in seventh place. Mary Streeter competed in the women’s 100 meter hurdles and came away with a fifth place finish for the Alamosa girls.

Alamosa's Amaya Atencio spies the distance of her throw through the corner of  her eye during Saturday's 3A Girls' Shot Put event. Atencio finished first in the girls Shot Put and sixth in the girls' Discus.

The top finisher in the final day for 2A was Del Norte. The girls’ relay team took home a fourth place finish in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Lacie Jones, Molly Cavett, Kiela Madrid and Emilee Haefeli shaved two seconds off their preliminary time. Monte Vista boys completed the 4x100 meter relay with an eighth place finish. Center’s Malyka Medina wrapped her day with two ninth place finishes in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Sanford's Brady Lenz clears the bar during the boys' 2A High Jump. Lenz finished fifth in the Long Jump Thursday, first in the Triple Jump Friday and eleventh in the High Jump on Saturday.

In 1A it was the Palmgrens of Sangre de Cristo. Avery Palmgren took bronze in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.28 in addition to her fifth place finish in the long jump. Dillon Palmgren placed eighth in the boys’ 100 meter dash with a time of 11.74. Casper Freedle of Creede tied for fourth place in the high jump. Freedle’s height of 5’ 11” was just 3 inches short of the winning height posted by DeBeque’s Wesley Ryan.

Following is a list of medal earning finishers throughout the State Finals in Lakewood. For complete results visit CHSAAnow’s website.

State Track Top Finishes
3A
Amaya Atencio, Alamosa — Shot Put- 1st
Evan-Emian Bell, Alamosa — 4x400M Relay- 2nd
Chase Howard, Alamosa — 4x400M Relay- 2nd
Chad Jackson, Alamosa — 400M Dash- 1st, 4x400M Relay- 2nd
Ian Jackson, Alamosa — 4x400M Relay- 2nd
Emily Lavier, Alamosa — 4x400M Relay- 1st
Lilly Lavier, Alamosa —200M Dash- 3rd, 800M Run- 2nd, 4x400M Relay- 1st
Allyssa Romero, Alamosa — 4x400M Relay- 1st
Tara Sowards, Alamosa — 4x400M Relay- 1st

2A
Brady Lenz, Sanford— Triple Jump- 1st

1A
Avery Palmgren, Sangre de Cristo — 100M Dash- 3rd