Competing among schools from all classes, as well as some Montana squads, the Powell High School boys and girls track teams notched top-six finishes at the Dan Hansen Invitational on Saturday at Sheridan High School.

A total of 14 teams from Wyoming High School Activities Association Class 1A through 4A were present as well as Laurel High School (Mont.), whose boys finished third and girls finished fifth.

The Lady Panthers posted 64 points to place fourth overall. The PHS girls’ day was again highlighted by a record-setting performance from junior Anissa Warner, who set a school record for the second straight meet.

The PHS boys were limited due to several outside commitments, but still managed to score 49 points to finish sixth.

Campbell County (Gillette) finished first in both standings, as the girls won with 201.5 points and the boys with 197.

Warner’s record paces Lady Panthers

After setting the PHS girls record in the high jump in Lovell on April 18, Warner added another event to her resume on Saturday by setting a new school record in the long jump. Her third-place leap of 16 feet, 3.5 inches bested the previous record of 16-3 set by Lacy Winninger (Hanson) in 2000. Warner’s back-to-back big weeks are especially impressive considering the athlete is still recovering from surgery on her left knee.

“Just incredible,” PHS head coach Scott Smith said. “We want to be careful with that knee, but she’s just getting stronger and stronger.”

Warner said the record was an unexpected bonus for achieving a bigger goal.

“It’s extremely exciting to hold that record. I was just hoping to pre-qualify for state,” Warner said. “I’ve been working hard lately to just be the best I can.”

Another strong performance came from rising freshman Julia Kay O’Neill. The youngster just missed beating out 4A Campbell County runner Ashlyn Erisman in the 400-meter dash, posting a 1:02.59 to Erisman’s 1:01.86. O’Neill’s older sister, senior SarahJean O’Neill, battled asthma symptoms Saturday, but managed to place seventh in the 400 with a time of 1:05.54.

The elder O’Neill also showed some grit in the 4x800 relay. In the last 250 meters of the event, she began suffering an asthma attack but still managed to finish the race. However, she later left the event due to the condition.

“That was one of the down points of the day,” Smith said. “But still a gutsy effort from her.”

In the 1600 run, sophomore Teo Faulkner finished seventh out of 13 runners with a time of 6:08.8. Two Lady panthers finished top seven in the 100-meter hurdles, as junior Dana Hanks (16.46) placed fourth and junior Lexee Craig (17.56) finished seventh. Hanks also finished fourth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 51.15. In the pole vault, Craig set a new personal record, surpassing her previous best by 8 inches after reaching 9-02 on Saturday to place fifth.

Weather during the meet featured heavy rain and cold, strong winds, making Craig’s showing a stellar one, Smith said.

“That’s pretty impressive when it’s cold and rainy,” the coach said.

The Lady Panthers’ 4x400 relay team placed second in 4:25.85.

In the triple jump, freshman McKenna Hanson placed third with a leap of 31-06.5.

Stringer, Baxter continue leading Panther boys

Surrounded by some of the best throwers in the state Saturday, seniors Riley Stringer and Carter Baxter continued to make their presence felt.

Stringer fell 1.75 inches shy of Big Horn’s Allen Garrett’s 48-10 in the shot put before placing second in the discus. Stringer heaved the shot put 48-08.25 and launched the discus 139-06. Baxter placed third in the shot with a throw of 43-01.5 and fourth in the discus with a heave of 119-10. Stringer and Baxter accounted for 27 of their team’s points.

In other events, junior Ezra Andreasen finished second in the 3200 run in 11:47.51, cutting nearly a half minute off his previous best time, Smith said. PHS’ 4x400 relay team placed fourth out of six teams in 3:50.09

In the high jump, junior Jackson Griffin cleared 5-07 to take fifth. In the triple jump, Nate MaGill claimed fifth with a leap of 36-0.25

Only two more regular-season meets separate Powell High School and regional competition, which plays out May 15-16 at Star Valley High School. Smith said his team’s finishes at meets during the regular season don’t mean as much as the improvements his teams are making as they prepare for the postseason.

“We’re going to keep improving and finish well at state and feel pretty good at the end,” Smith said, and added: “I really like this team; they’re looking like they’re going to have a good end of the season.”