NEVADA STATE MEET

Kenan Dagge Smashes Course Record; Britta Johnson Becomes 3-Time State Champion; Shadow Ridge Sweeps 5A Titles; Somerset Sky Pointe Sweeps 4A

By John Dixon for DyeStat

After breaking the Veterans Memorial Park course record last week at regionals (15:54), Desert Oasis senior Kenan Dagge left no doubt as who is the best distance runner in Nevada.

Dagge went much faster at Saturday's Nevada state championship meet and lowered the course record to 15:28.3. He went through the mile in 4:46 and 2-mile in 9:38, cruising to a 27-second win over Shadow Ridge’s Carson Wetzel (15:55.4).

Shadow Ridge, however, came out on top of the team race with 75 points. Galena was second with 79.

The 5A girls race was one of the best of the day as Galena’s Eleanor Raker and Spanish Springs’ Kambri Felsted battled right from the gun. They were side by side at the mile (5:56) and 2-mile splits (12:10).

With 50 meters of flat grass to the finish, the two were still even. Felsted, with a late lunge at the tape, won by a tenth of a second: 18:38.3 to 18:38.4

Shadow Ridge won the team championship (63) over Galena (72).

Somerset Sky Pointe ruled the Class 4A division. The boys placed five in the top eight. Sky Pointe’s Carter Prater (16:10.9) won by seven seconds over Rancho’s Emmanuel Salinas (16:17.6).

Sky Pointe, with 24 points, dominated the team scoring. Clark placed second with 82.

Somerset Sky Pointe’s Lacy Tippetts (19:35.4) led her Eagles with a very impressive finish. Sky Pointe placed five in the top seven as their scoring five averaged 6:34 mile pace over the rugged Vet Park course. Second place went to teammate Katherine Hodges (19:50.3).

Sky Pointe scored 18 points to second-place Clark's 54.

It’s not an easy feat to break 16 minutes at Vet Park, but Tahoe-Truckee’s Keifer Willcox joined an exclusive list that has done it, running 15:58.1 to defeat Wooster’s Atticus Reyher (16:13.8) in the 3A boys final.

Willcox went though the mile in 4:51 and was even with Moapa Valley’s Mordechai Yadegar. At two miles, it was Willcox (9:55) and Yadegar (10:08). Yadegar eventually placed third in 16:25.4. 

Truckee won the team championship (46 points) over Spring Creek (63).

Truckee’s Sidney McIntosh cruised to a 15-second win over South Tahoe’s Lyla Landy (19:45.9 to 20:09.0).

Landy had a one-second lead over McIntosh at the mile, but McIntosh pulled away after that. McIntosh gained a 13-second advantage over Landy at the 2-mile mark. Northern girls dominated, as the first seven came from the North.

Truckee captured the championship (37) over Elko (57). 

Lincoln County’s Ben Finlinson capped off an impressive season with 79-second win over North Tahoe’s Elio Adriani (16:23.5 to 17:41.3) in the 2A boys race. Finlinson had a 14-second lead at the mile (5:00) and never looked back.

In the closest team race of the meet, with North Tahoe going for its 28th state title and 12th straight, it took a fifth-man tiebreaker to pull out a win over Lincoln County after the teams were deadlocked at 19-19 (four scoring).

North Tahoe’s fifth placed 11th to Lincoln County’s 24th.

Britta Johnson from North Tahoe became a three-time state champion (20:34.1) as North Tahoe went 1-2-3-4.  Niki Johnson was second (21:41.9), followed by Hailey Gordon (21:30.8) and Alexis Hallenberg (22:01.7).

North Tahoe captured its 17th state championship and third straight with 10 points (four scoring). Second went Lincoln County (38).

Team Champions - 

Class 5A - Shadow Ridge boys 75 points, Shadow Ridge girls 63 points - RESULTS

Class 4A - Somerset Sky Pointe boys 24 points, Somerset Sky Pointe girls 18 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Truckee boys 46 points, Truckee girls 37 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - North Tahoe boys 19 points, North Tahoe girls 10 points - RESULTS