CASPER — Enjoying an abundance of sunshine for the first two days of the 4A State Track and Field Championships, the Evanston High School track and field teams used the warmer temps to turn in some solid performances, with the Red Devils finishing eighth as a team and the Lady Devils finishing 11th.

With a combined 14 individual trips to the podium — as well as medals for five relays — the 2025 season ended on a positive note, according to head coach Roy Barker.

“Overall, the season was good,” he said. “The regional meet was good for us — both boys and girls. State went well; I think we were a little disappointed in a few things here and there, but overall, it was a good season. I think we broke six school records this year, and we had a lot of kids move up the Top 10 list with a lot of good marks, so I was happy with the result.”

Lady Devils

Emma Lonsway and Cassie Barker led the charge for the Lady Devils in Casper, with a pair of podium visits apiece. Lonsway placed fifth in the pole vault — clearing a height of 10 feet, 6 inches — and finished sixth in the 300 hurdles, posting a time of 47.86.

Barker placed fourth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.87, and joined Lonsway on the podium in the 300 hurdles, placing seventh with a time of 48.58.

Celeste Swensen placed in the triple jump, finishing sixth with a distance of 35 feet, 9 inches, while Alyssa Brown made the podium in the shot put, surpassing her own school record with a toss of 38 feet, 3.5 inches to finish seventh.

In the relay events, the 4x400 team of Cassie Barker, Emma Lonsway, Violet Cook and Hallie Prete finished sixth, posting a time of 4:12.66; Cook, Beatriz Navarro, Elizabeth Ellsworth and Prete finished 10th in the 1600 sprint medley relay, with a time of  4:27.91.

Other notable performances included Hallie Prete in the 800 meters (11th, 2:24.25) and Alyssa Brown in the discus (13th, 102’5”).

“I thought our girls competed really well in Casper this weekend,” coach Barker said. “The girls that went either had a seasonal best or a PR, right around there, in most of their events. I thought Celeste Swensen was amazing in the triple jump, Alyssa Brown was awesome in the shot put, to break her school record again. Cassie and Emma, to score the way they did in the hurdles — it was what we were hoping for. I did not expect that many points out of the hurdles, which was a nice surprise. And I thought the relays did really well. Hallie Prete did a nice job in the distance races. We only took eight girls, so the crew that went I thought did a tremendous job. They performed very well.”

Red Devils

For the boys, senior sprinter Ayden Hartzell closed out his Red Devils career with fourth-place finishes in both the 200 meters (22.68) and 400 meters (49.18); the Chadron State commit also ran legs on the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams, placing eighth and fifth, respectively.

“We’re proud of Ayden, he’s going to go off to Chadron and have a great career,” Barker said. “He’s set a great example for the younger kids with his work ethic, so we’re excited for him.”

In the distance races, fellow senior Paul Baxter also notched a pair of podium finishes, placing eighth in both the 800 meters (1:57.30) and 1600 meters (4:27.88); Baxter also ran the 3200 meters, finishing 21st (10:23.86).

Senior Aidan Conrad placed fifth in his final 800 meter run, posting a time of 1:56.93; he also ran the 1600 meters, finishing 17th (4:38.48).

Sophomores Jayden Rieker and Timber Fitch showed flashes of things to come, earning spots on the podium in the 400 meters and the 300 hurdles, respectively.

Fitch placed fifth in the 300 hurdles, posting a time of 41.20; he also placed 10th in the 110 hurdles (16.57).

“Timber has an interesting story,” Barker explained. “First meet of the year, he and I had a little Come to Jesus meeting about that race [300 hurdles], and what his potential could be. We had a great conversation, and I basically told him, ‘You don’t realize how great you can be.’ I think he kind of took that to heart, changed the way he worked, changed the way he looked at himself. Later on in the season, he ran a great split in the 4x400, and it just turned the corner for him. He just really started excelling in the 110 and 300 hurdles. For a sophomore to make state in both of those races is pretty tough for boys, and he did it very well this year. I’m very proud of him.”

Rieker finished seventh in the 400 meters (51.12), and was 13th in the 200 meters (22.62); both Rieker and Fitch also ran legs on the 4x100 relay team — along with Hartzell and Brayden Wallace — that finished eighth (43.37).

“The boys’ 4x100 — the handoffs were clean, it just didn’t look like they had the same acceleration they had in the past,” Barker said. “They still ran a good race – I think it was their third-fastest time ever. They were disappointed, but they had some tough competition.”

In the field events, senior Trayten Wallace shook off a problematic ankle to finish third in the pole vault, clearing a height of 14 feet, 6 inches. That ankle would become an issue later on in the meet, however, hindering his chances at a medal in the long jump and triple jump.

The 4x400 relay team of Ayden Hartzell, Jayden Rieker, Paul Baxter and Aidan Conrad placed fifth (3:25.12), while Bryan Baxter, Daemon Parks, Justin Moon and Addison Shea placed seventh in the 4x800 relay, with a time of 8:29.80.

Other notable performances included Brayden Wallace in the pole vault (11th, 12’6”), 11. Conner Olsen in the shot put (11th, 45’4.5”), Cole Brown in the pole vault (12th, 12’6”), Raife Wiedrich in the high jump (14th, 5’10”), Luca Flores in the shot put (16th, 38’4.75”), Bryan Baxter in the 3200 meters (26th, 10:45.43) and Addison Shea in the 3200 meters (27th, 10:51.36).

4A State Track and Field Championships

Girls Results

1. Natrona County 139, 2. Kelly Walsh 100, 3. Cheyenne Central 94, 4. Sheridan 83, 5.  Laramie 65.5, 6. Thunder Basin 52, 7. Cheyenne East 32, 8. Jackson 26, 9. Riverton 24, 10.  Campbell County 23, 11. Evanston 21.5, 12. Rock Springs 15, 13 Green River 14, 14. Star Valley 12

800 Meter Run

11. Hallie Prete 2:24.25

100 Meter Hurdles

4. Cassie Barker 15.87, 13. Emma Lonsway 17.31

300 Meter Hurdles

6. Emma Lonsway 47.86, 7. Cassie Barker  48.58

4x400 Relay

6. Cassie Barker, Emma Lonsway, Violet Cook, Hallie Prete 4:12.66

1600 Sprint Medley

10. Violet Cook, Beatriz Navarro, Elizabeth Ellsworth, Hallie Prete 4:27.91

High Jump

17. Cassie Barker 4’9”

Pole Vault

5. Emma Lonsway 10’6”

Triple Jump

6. Celeste Swensen 35’9”

Shot Put

7. Alyssa Brown 38’3.5”

Discus Throw

13. Alyssa Brown 102’5”

Boys Results

1. Sheridan 123, 2. Star Valley 105.5, 3. Natrona County 87, 4. Cheyenne Central 8, 5.  Laramie 64, 6. Cheyenne East 52.5, 7. Thunder Basin 38, 8. Evanston 35, 8. Kelly Walsh 35, 10. Jackson 34, 11. Campbell County 21, 12. Cheyenne South 14, 13. Riverton 9, 14. Rock Springs 4

200 Meter Dash

4. Ayden Hartzell 22.68, 13. Jayden Rieker 22.62, 22. Brandon Blackwell 23.35

400 Meter Dash

4. Ayden Hartzell 49.18, 7. Jayden Rieker 51.12

800 Meter Run

5. Aidan Conrad 1:56.93, 8. Paul Baxter 1:57.30

1600 Meter Run

8. Paul Baxter 4:27.88, 17. Aidan Conrad 4:38.48

3200 Meter Run

21. Paul Baxter 10:23.86, 26. Bryan Baxter 10:45.43, 27. Addison Shea 10:51.36

110 Meter Hurdles

10. Timber Fitch 16.57

300 Meter Hurdles

5. Timber Fitch 41.20

4x100 Relay

8. Timber Fitch, Ayden Hartzel, Jayden Rieker, Brayden Wallace 43.37

4x400 Relay

5. Ayden Hartzell, Jayden Rieker, Paul Baxter, Aidan Conrad 3:25.12

4x800 Relay

7. Bryan Baxter, Daemon Parks, Justin Moon, Addison Shea 8:29.80

High Jump

14. Raife Wiedrich 5’10”

Pole Vault

3. Trayten Wiedrich 14’6”, 11. Brayden Wallace 12’6”, 12. Cole Brown 12’6”, 15. Raife Wiedrich 12’

Long Jump

18. Trayten Wiedrich 19’2.75”

Triple Jump

18. Trayten Wiedrich 39’7.5”

Shot Put

11. Conner Olsen 45’4.5”, 16. Luca Flores 38’4.75”

Discus Throw

12. Conner Olsen 126’11”, 18. Luca Flores 102’7”