Neither Landry Cogburn nor Marissa Smith was able to propel their respective teams to a state championship, but both produced some unforgettable moments last weekend. Photos by Alan Versaw.
Baca County doesn't bring a lot of athletes to the track. But, the ones they do bring have a way of delivering the goods. Landry Cogburn captured both hurdle titles for Baca County and contributed heavily on relays as well. And Cogburn will be back next year--perhaps to take a run at the state meet records in both the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.
You don't hear of many athletes coming home from the state meet with four first-place medals. Or, for that matter, four first-place medals and a state meet record. That, however, was the story of Marissa Smith's weekend. The Holyoke Dragon was untouchable in the sprints and added an anchor leg of the 4x200 that put away the competition and delivered a new 2A state meet record of 1:45.69. If you're tempted to think, "Oh, that's 2A, anyone with a little talent could do that," consider that Smith won the 2A 400 in 56.63 on her eighth race of the weekend. Smith is a top-tier athlete in any classification.
Congratulations, Landry and Marissa, on your spectacular performances at the state meet. Individualized certificates will be mailed to your school in the next three weeks. If you prefer to have them mailed to a different address, please contact me offline or have your coach contact me offline with an alternate address.