Friday's prelims set the lineups for Simplot finals

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The stage is set in Pocatello for Saturday's finals at the 40th Simplot Games. 

Friday's action was entirely made up of prelims, which whittled the fields down for 32 contested events (16 for each gender). 

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Here is what we know after the prelims:

60-Meter Dash

Dallin Draper of Utah's Gold Medal Athletics ran a very strong 6.85 seconds -- faster than his winning time in 2017 (6.86) to secure his spot in the final. The senior from Delta High was 0.27 seconds faster than the next-fastest sprinter in the prelims, Ontario Christian's Nolan Crespo from Academy of Speed CA.

Arria Minor of Denver Lightning claimed to be feeling under the weather but didn't let it show in her two prelims Friday. Her 7.50 in the dash came after her dominant showing in the 400. California 100 and 200 state champion Ariyonna Augustine of Speed City (Long Beach Poly CA) ran 7.59 for the second-fastest time. Emerald Bowens of Academy of Speed and Redlands East Valley CA ran 7.63.

60-Meter Hurdles

Payne Wylie of the Riverdale Athletics Club (Saskatoon, Canada) was the top qualifer with his time of 8.12. Sondre Guttormsen of Davis Senior CA, who is also an elite pole vaulter, had the next best time with 8.23.

Jazlynn Shearer from South Bay Track Club (Silver Creek CA) ran 8.75 to grab the fastest time and the best lane in Saturday's final. She was one of three girls under nine seconds. The others were Alemany's Ekaterina Hupalo of Plyometric Fusion CA (8.91) and Upland's Jada Hicks of Academy of Speed CA (8.95).

200

Draper ran 22.12 and was a half-second faster than every other athlete in the prelims as he looks to lock down a sprint double on Saturday. The Academy of Speed CA duo of Redlands East Valley's Billy Bowens (22.62) and Carson's Chris Hill (22.63) were the next-fastest qualifiers.

Teammates Tierra Robinson-Jones (Bishop O'Dowd) and Alexis Surrell (Newark Memorial) from CATC of Oakland went 1-2 in qualifying. Robinson-Jones ran 25.07 for the day's top time and Surrell ran 25.23. Emily Ellis of Lone Peak Track Club UT was the third-fastest in 25.42.

400

Minor was super-impressive in her prelim race, clocking 54.25 seconds without the aid of blocks or spikes, which are permitted in Saturday's final. Meghan Hunter of Team Provo UT ran 56.58 and Puyallup's Christal Johnson of Xtreme Speed WA advanced with 57.36. Ellis, of Lone Peak UT, ran 57.56.

Jace Jensen of Bountiful UT was the only boy to crack 50 seconds in the prelims and his aggressive running produced a time of 49.57. There were seven athletes between 50.15 and 50.91. 

800

Only five boys broke 2:00 and the top two came out of the first heat (out of 10). Orem's Brandon Williams of Gold Medal Athletics UT, who ran 1:58.24, was the fastest. Brandon Bandley from Los Alamitos CA was next in 1:58.39.

Fairview's Marlena Preigh of RISE Boulder CO was the lone qualifier under 2:20 as she clocked 2:19.19. Emmy Johnson of Laramie WY was the next fastest with 2:20.03.

1,600

In Thursday's qualifying, Bronson Winter of Fremont UT was the fastest (4:24.10) and his twin brother Zach also advanced (4:28.12). James Lee of Creek Track Club CO (Silver Creek High) ran 4:24.22 and Landon Rast of Legend CO timed 4:24.67. The three fastest times came out of the second heat.

Bigfork MT's Bryn Morley was the most aggressive in Thursday's qualifying as she ran 5:01.97 -- more than five seconds faster than anyone else. North Summit's Sadie Sargent, the Utah state cross country champion and seventh-place finisher at Nike Cross Nationals, was the next fastest at 5:07.10. Mackenzie Marler of Cheyenne East WY ran 5:07.72.

3,200

Ryan Raff of Pioneer TC (Lehi UT) moved through the qualifying round in 9:17.90 as many runners played in conservatively in order to be fresh for Saturday's final. Dalton Hengst of York, Pa. made the trip west on the heels of his mile win at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston and ran 9:26.36. NXN team champion Duncan Hamilton of Bozeman MT, Curt Crossley of Roy UT, Nike Cross Nationals champion Aidan Troutner of Timpview UT and Foot Locker West champion Kashon Harrison of Kirtland Central NM rounded out the top six.

Aubrey Frentheway of Cheyenne Central WY and Camila Noe of Bozeman MT both went under 11 minutes in the first of three prelim races. Frentheway ran 10:54.25 for the win and Noe was next in 10:55.55. The rest of the field was more than 20 seconds back, which could be an indication of what's to come on Saturday.

4x200

Academy of Speed CA of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. led 12 qualifiers into the final by posting the top time of 1:32.05. Tri-Valley Flyers CA and Speed City Track Club CA were both within a second.

Speed City of Carson, Calif. ran 1:42.39 in the prelims and was two full seconds faster than the competition. Denver Lightning posted the ninth fastest time but will sub in Minor on Saturday.

4x400

Spokane Speed Academy WA ran 3:31.43 to claim the day's top time. Cheyenne Central WY was the second best with 3:32.39.

Denver Lightning ran 4:01.71 and was more than seven seconds faster than the field. California Heat and laramietracclub were the only other teams under 4:10.

4x800

Teams are entered according to seed times and there were no prelims.

Sprint Medley

Gold Medal Athletics UT (3:42.48), Team Idaho (3:43.20) and Rock Springs WY (3:43.37) were the fastest qualifiers.

RISE Boulder CO was the fastest team with 4:19.01 and laramietracclub was second with 4:20.84.

Field Events

Finals are seeded based on previous marks.

Weight Throw

In Thursday's finals, national leader Trey Knight of Ridgefield WA, a sophomore, won with 80-5. His winning throw was two feet shy of the meet record and won the competition by 18 feet. 

Alyssa Workman won a much closer girls competition by three inches. Workman, of Super Throwers Track Club and Tualatin High in Oregon, threw 44-6.50. Markayla Billings of Golden State Throwers and Cosumnes Oaks CA threw 44-3.50.