Mustangs seeking speed, leaps and bounds

Class 4A state champoion a year ago as a freshman, triple-jumper Agur Dwol is reaqson alone to follow Mullen track and field.

“We kind of laughed about it,” Mustangs assistant coach Darius Reed said. “We got her a year ago and she had no idea what she would take part in ... never done it before. And then kind of quickly, she got into the jumps and had a good feel for it. We needed to teach her the techniques for both long and triple jumps, and she just took to the triple, which is rare. There’s a little more finesses and technique.”

Dwol’s march into the record book continues. Having negotiated 40 feet, 9.5 inches, it puts her fifth nationally. Tops is 42-10. She’ll try to expand on it this weekend in New York City at the New Balance Indoor Nationals at the Armory.

“It’s the highest level of competition,” Reed said.

Additional Mustangs hope to make their own marks this spring. For girls, Elizabeth Bixenman (sprints); Kaleah Ruff (100 and 200 meters, and relays); Kilah Freelon (hurdles); Emma Vigil (sprints); Madison Wainscoat (800 and 1,600); Kaitlin Stanford (1,600); and Amy O’Connell (distances) figure to be at the front.

“We have some new freshmen and we’re super-excited for the most part,” Mustangs head coach Caitlin Able said. “I think the girls can knock it out of the park this year. I think we can score in the top five in the state.”

For boys, Kyle Krebs (sprints and relays); Damien Cearns (sprints); Jonah Villanueba (sprints and relays); Max Margeson (relays); Jackson Heil (sprints and relays); Aidan Keanaaina (throws); Michael Dudzic (distances) and Gunnar Holmes (distances) are at the team’s core.

Boys head coach Thal Woods also recently took Heil, Margeson, Villanueba and Krebs to the Great Southwest Classic and the team finished third in the 800 relays.

“Oh, yeah, we’re definitely improving and we’ve got 50 boys out for the team,” Woods said.

The regular season will begin Saturday, March 14, with the Smoky Hill Relays and run through May 16. The state meet for all five classifications will be May 21-23 at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood.