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Hayden’s Aguirre inching toward track goal

Austin Colbert
Tiger sophomore Alan Aguirre runs through sprint drills last week at track practice outside Hayden High School.
Austin Colbert

— It didn’t happen Friday at the Coal Ridge Invitational, but the belief is Hayden High School sophomore Alan Aguirre will reach his goal before the track season ends.

“I’m excited about the next few weeks for him; he was kind of sick this week,” Hayden track coach Pat Moore said. “His goal has been to break that 12-second mark all year, and every meet he gets closer and closer. He’s at 12.08 right now. I’m very confident he is going to do that, and that would put him right up there in the state standings.”

Aguirre ranks in the top 40 of Class 2A in the boys 100-meter dash. Despite his illness, he took eighth at Friday’s meet with a time of 12.10 seconds, just shy of his personal record. If he can break the 12-second barrier, it would put him in position to make next month’s state meet in Lakewood.



Currently, the last qualifying sprinter (top 18 make state) has a time of 11.77 seconds.

“I want to get a little faster. I’ve been hitting the weight room every day after practice, trying to get a little better,” Aguirre said last week. “I’m pretty sure I was a little faster last year. Something happened this summer. I ate too much pizza, I think. But I’m trying to get back in the game, and it’s working. I’m getting a little speed back.”



Moore said Aguirre is certainly faster today than he was as a freshman. The greatest difference this season is his strength — weight training having been a key part of his offseason workouts. Aguirre was also a key piece of the Tigers basketball team this winter and played football, which he said is his favorite sport, for the first time in high school last fall.

“He’s going to make it happen. He understands how self accountability leads to success, and that’s a hard thing to teach,” Moore said of Aguirre. “I’m confident in Alan. He works so hard in practice it would be disappointing for him not to make it this year, but he’s only a sophomore. He’ll make state, whether it’s this year or the following two years.”

Aguirre, who also competes in the 200-meter dash and some of the relays, is one of two Hayden boys sitting on the state bubble, the other being junior Christian Carson, who was sixth in the shot put Friday at Coal Ridge (38 feet, 2.5 inches) and 10th in the discus throw (110-04). As it stands, Carson will need another two feet or so to make state in the shot put and about 10 feet more in the discus.

“I’m just improving, trying to beat myself,” Carson said. “You always want to one-up yourself. Don’t worry about the competition. Just worry about how you’re doing.”

Overall, Friday’s meet at Coal Ridge did little to improve Hayden’s stock for state.

Moore said some of it had to do with a tough week of practice that left the athletes fatigued, but it’s something that could pay off with only three meets remaining before state.

Other notable finishers from Friday’s meet include freshman Makenna Knez, taking fourth in the girls’ 3,200-meter race and ninth in the 400-meter dash. Junior Darian Murphy was seventh in the girls long jump and freshman Allison Ingols fourth in the girls triple jump. Freshman Chris Carrouth was seventh in the boys 800-meter run, and the girls 800-meter relay team was sixth.

“Things went really well,” Moore said of Friday’s meet. “It was a tough week of practice, workout wise. We are going to start tapering off this week. I think some of the kids were a little fatigued, but that was expected coming into the week. (We’re) trying to get them to have some big PRs next week in Craig and then regionals and West Grand.”

The Tigers compete Friday in Craig before traveling to regionals in Grand Junction May 6. They’ll have one final meet at West Grand May 12 before state gets underway May 19.

To reach Austin Colbert, call 970-871-4204, email acolbert@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @Austin_Colbert


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