More Manitou records fall at Tri-Peaks track and field meet
The Manitou Springs girls track and field team is continuing to break records in what could be one of the best overall seasons in program history.
On top of Mackinzy Wall and Keyaira Moore putting their names in the record books this season, Chloe Bresnahan added her name individually as she beat Moore’s school mark in the mile. But the thrill of the day came with the 4×800-meter relay team, now the fastest in school history.
At the Tri-Peaks League meet in Lamar, the Mustangs ran a sub-10 relay, finishing in 9 minutes, 55.83 seconds to break the previous school record of 10:06.80, which was set in 1993. Moore, Chloe Bresnahan, Acacia Gilmore and Natalie Traenkle are the girls who now sit on top of the record board for the 4×800. That relay team in 1993 helped the Mustangs claim the Class 3A team state title.
The Mustangs likely don’t have the depth to come from the state meet with team hardware in two weeks, but this could easily be the greatest season in Manitou girls track and field history that doesn’t result in a state title.
We get to keep pushing ourselves to be better. – Natalie Traenkle
“It’s definitely one of them,” coach Anna Mack said. “For being shallow [with roster numbers], we’re extremely talented. It’s up there with some of those top teams that we’ve had that weren’t state title teams.”
The Mustangs had a solid day overall, finishing second as a team on the strength of the distance runners and Wall. Bresnahan had an outstanding day as she won the 800 and 1,600 to go with her gold in the relay. Her mark of 5:27.48 in the 1,600 is now the fastest time for any Manitou girl to run the mile in competition. Traenkle finished third in the 800 while Moore was fourth in the same event. Moore also placed third in the 1,600. Gilmore was sixth in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200.
But the 4×800 was the highlight of the day and even more so considering that not a single member of that team is a senior, meaning there will be a lot of continuity next season.
“It’s so exciting that all of us to work together for another year,” Traenkle said. “We get to keep pushing ourselves to be better.”
Wall had the only throw to clear 100 feet in the discus as she threw a winner at 131 feet, 6 inches. Wall went 30-9 in the shot put to take second.
Jon Polizzi had a solid day in the 400, taking second with a time of 53.46. It wasn’t his fastest time in the race this season and he still has a few chances to get near 51.00, which should get him into state in that event.
Ethan Traenkle, Tommy Reed, Morgan Lachowicz-Vogt and Mikey Reed all finished in the top 10 for the 800, while Traenkle, Yonas Hanson and Daniel Parker finished in the top 10 for the 1,600.
Evan Fugate took in the 3,200 to cap a solid distance day for the Mustangs.
Manitou baseball marching toward another league title
For the briefest of moments, it looked like the Manitou Springs baseball team was going to have to sweat out a doubleheader sweep over La Junta. But at the end of the day, the Mustangs grabbed 12-8 and 15-6 wins over the Tigers on April 26 to maintain control of their Tri-Peaks League destiny.
The Mustangs (9-8 overall, 5-1 Tri-Peaks) now have one final doubleheader remaining as they host Buena Vista this weekend. With a sweep of the Demons, the Mustangs will go to the Tri-Peaks crossovers with a chance to win their second league championship in a row.
“It’s been a long time since that’s happened here,” coach Brandon DeMatto said.
But he’s not counting his chickens before they hatch. This is a team that has learned to work for their rewards all year, and that mindset will carry over into the weekend. “We want to finish the league out strong,” DeMatto said. “We want to put the league away this weekend and celebrate our seniors in this final home stand.”
The seniors have been big in the last few games for the Mustangs. Ashur Lavigne had a team-high three RBIs in the Game 1 win over La Junta. Hayden Martinez was 2-for-6 and scored twice in Game 2, and got support on the mound from Preston Rhodes who threw a complete game to get the win.
On Tuesday, in a 15-5 loss to four-time defending state champion Eaton, Logan Moore hit a home run that tied the game early.
DeMatto said the game played out the way they’d hoped, with the Mustangs staying competitive and getting the ball to Maxton Bolster late. Unfortunately, the Reds scored 11 runs between the fifth and sixth innings to get the win.
It’s been a long time since that’s happened here. – Coach Brandon DeMatto
The loss won’t hurt the Mustangs in the long run, but having a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the fifth was a massive mental boost.
“For four and a half innings we were able to compete our tails off,” DeMatto said. “We put up some runs, played okay defense and shut a good Eaton team down. We held our own for four and a half innings. If we get a bit of a different performance from a guy that’s been really good for us this year, who knows how that thing ends?”
After Buena Vista, the Mustangs will face Falcon and Mesa Ridge – both on the road – to close out the regular season.
Unbeaten streak ends as Manitou soccer heads toward postseason
A 10-game unbeaten streak for the Manitou Springs girls soccer team was ended by the foot of Delta forward Jessie Black.
The state’s leading goal scorer buried three shots in a span of about 12 minutes and that made the difference as the Panthers beat Manitou 3-1 to give the Mustangs their first defeat since falling to The Classical Academy in the first game of the season.
“They were good,” coach Ben Mack said. “They were disciplined and they were organized. That player was a special player. We thought we had a pretty good plan coming in and it turned out not to be.”
While Mustangs (8-2-2 overall, 2-0 Tri-Peaks) would surely have liked to extend their unbeaten streak to the end of the regular season, this is far from the worst thing that could have happened to them. Mack said at the beginning of the year that he wanted his team to see more competitive opponents and play in tougher games this season. Delta definitely qualifies as competitive and tough.
It was a good game for the Mustangs to experience as the regular season is coming to an end this week and the Class 3A state tournament bracket will be released over the weekend.
“I think this game came at the right time,” Mack said. “Going in, we really didn’t have much to lose. It wasn’t going to drop our RPI or change it much.”
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the game was that after Black scored her three goals, the Mustangs marked her with Elisa Karr and she couldn’t do any more damage the rest of the way. A rain delay kept everyone inside at halftime, and the Mustangs came up with a manageable goal for the second 40 minutes. They just wanted to win the half.
They were good. – Coach Ben Mack
Ellie Bourgois scored the only goal for either team in the second half and with Karr locking down Black, there was belief that the Mustangs could be dangerous come playoff time.
“In the first part of the game, we were hanging our heads a bit,” midfielder Kara Donegan said. “But we realized we could hang with them. Not even just hang with them, but score a goal on them. Going into playoffs, that gives us confidence.”
The Mustangs close out the regular season on Saturday at home against Fountain Valley. Then comes the waiting as they’ll find out their playoff seed when the state bracket is released. The Mustangs currently sit at No. 6 in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, which would have them seeded high enough to play at home all the way until the state semifinals.
Dorsey experiences highs and lows of golf’s fickle nature
On Addie Dorsey’s left wrist is a bracelet with a simple phrase spelled out in blocks: You got this.
Golf can be an emotionally draining game at times and Dorsey has certainly felt that roller coaster over the last week. At the Pueblo East Invite at Walking Stick, she shot a 1-under-par 71 to clear the field by nine shots. She was the only player to shoot in the 70s as she racked up her second win of the year.
She wasn’t quite as sharp at Cherry Creek Country Club on April 28 as she shot an 81 at the Showcase Invitational.
The Showcase is a gathering of the top players across the state to play in one tournament. In terms of strength of field, the Showcase is a tougher tournament to win than any of the state tournaments.
Dorsey’s 81 put her in a tie for 24th place. She finished better than players from Valor Christian’s No. 1 varsity team as well as players from top golf schools such as Lutheran, Rock Canyon, Erie, Mountain Vista and Colorado Academy.
But an 81 is a number that Dorsey the competitor is never going to be happy with.
“I just need to get back to focusing and playing smart like I have been before,” Dorsey said. “I need to be aggressive when I need to be instead of just letting it all go all the time.”
The good news for the Manitou Springs sophomore is that a course like Walking Stick will translate more to her state tournament experience.
She can certainly learn a lot from both tournaments. Unfortunately, the Showcase is the most recent, so that’s the one that lingers most recently in her mind.
She’ll get another crack at another solid course as she heads to the Eisenhower Blue Course at the Air Force Academy to compete at the Kadet Invitational. A week later, it’s off to the postseason as Dorsey and Madison Sharon will head to Lone Tree Golf Club for the Region 2 tournament.
With just two players, the Mustangs won’t be eligible for the team regional title, so they’ll have to qualify for state by finishing as one of the top 13 players who aren’t on one of the two full teams that qualify for state.
A top-10 finisher a year ago, Dorsey is looking to have another breakout tournament at state. And any lingering disappointment over the Showcase should be erased the next time she looks at her left wrist.
You got this.
STANDOUT MUSTANGS
Logan Moore (baseball): Hit a 2-run home run to pull Manitou even with Eaton in a non-league game.
Chloe Bresnahan (girls track and field): Set the school record in the 1,600-meter run, a record previously held by Keyaira Moore.
Ellie Bourgois (girls soccer): Scored Manitou’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Delta on April 24.
SPORTS CALENDAR
Friday, May 2 Track and field: at Pueblo Twilight (Dutch Clark Stadium) 1 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 Baseball: Buena Vista at Manitou doubleheader 11 a.m. Girls soccer: Fountain Valley at Manitou 11 a.m.
Tuesday, May 6 Baseball: at Falcon 12 p.m.
Thursday, May 8 Girls soccer: 3A state tournament first round (Time, Opponent TBA)
Friday, May 9 Track and Field at Friday Night Lights meet at Pueblo West 1 p.m.
Saturday, May 10 Baseball: at Tri-Peaks League Tournament (TBA)
