It has been a strong two weeks for the GHS track and field teams. The Cowboys shone in both Pueblo and New Castle, and continued to steam ahead on the eve of the league championships.
In Pueblo, star senior Madelyn Stice returned from an injury and competed for the first time in 2025. A week later, Shane Mensing shattered the GHS discus record, completing his season-long goal in New Castle.
“The success of our seniors this year has been great for our younger kids, because they see how hard they work and want to compete as well,” said Head Coach Stacey Mickelson. “Everybody is really excited to go to the league meet and see what they can do. Then we’ll see how everything shakes out, and who qualifies for state.”
The Cowboys started the hot streak on April 12, competing against 35 rival schools at the Thunder-Storm Invitational in Pueblo. The GHS jumpers continued to impress. Angela Hindes soared to 5 feet, 4 inches in the high jump, taking home first place. Sienna Gomez joined her at the top of the podium, placing first in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump. Caroline Sudderth wrapped up with a fifth-place time in the 100-meter hurdles, and Kathryn Frey took seventh in the discus.
It was Stice’s return that boosted the Cowboys morale ahead of a fast and furious gallop to the state meet. The senior, who signed on to run at Colorado State University next fall, took second in the 1600 meter. Her time of 5:30.93 added to the already impressive results set by the Cowboys’ distance pack. On the boys front, Jackson Dalleck placed third in the 3200 at the Thunder-Storm, and senior girls Catalina Schwab and Jemma Petrie added fifth-place finishes in the 800 and 3200.
The Cowboys continued the electric pace at the Coal Ridge Invitational in New Castle on April 18. The GHS athletes not only battled against opposing schools, but faced frigid temperatures and gusting winds. Still, the harsh conditions didn’t stop senior slinger Mensing from hurling his discus 38 feet, 10 inches. The distance took third place, and broke the GHS record — ensuring Mensing’s name will be etched at the top of the school leaderboard long after his graduation this May.
“During my sophomore year, I took a photo of the GHS record board, set it as the wallpaper on my phone, and told myself that I was going to break it,” Mensing said. “Breaking the record was gratification for all the hard work I’ve been putting in. It’s cool to have all the work pay off, but I hope I can continue to help the younger guys work hard both in school and the rings.”
Dalleck added to the Coal Ridge results with a 2:04.94, first-place time in the 800-meter run, and a third-place finish in the 1600. The Cowboys girls rallied behind a first-place high jump from Hindes, a second-place finish from Eden Williams in the long jump and a second-place distance from Sienna Gomez in the triple jump. The 4x800 relay team of Stice, Jemma, Schwab and Elora Jones added the final feather to the cap, taking home second place. The results earned the girls a second-place team score, just shy of the hosts.
Additionally, Cowboy sophomore Maya Petrie placed sixth in the 200-meter dash, freshman Gianna Wickenhauser placed 12th in the 400-meter dash and Emma Bogart took third place in the high jump. The exciting results hinted at the future talent among the GHS underclassmen.
The athletes will return to action in Colorado Springs on April 25, and hunt down state qualification ahead of the league championships on May 2 and 3.
(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@gunnisontimes.com.)
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