Steamboat Pilot & Today

Sometimes results can be deceiving, as was the case Saturday for the Steamboat Springs track team.

The Sailors traveled to Eaglecrest for an elite-level meet that featured three of the state's premier track programs, Smoky Hill, George Washington and Montbello.

All are Class 5A schools, and although Class 4A Steamboat won't compete against the trio at the state meet in May, the Sailors were head to head against some of the state's best Saturday in Denver.

The girls placed fifth overall out of 16 teams, scoring 62.5 points.

"That's pretty good considering we don't have a full team yet," Steamboat coach Andy Reust said. "We could have probably taken third place pretty easily. We were only 12.5 points out of third."

Steamboat is competing without Tara King, a strong 800-meter runner. Jessica Peters, the 2003 state champion in the 400, did not run Saturday, along with several other Steamboat athletes who aren't healthy or eligible to run yet.

But those who did travel to Legacy Stadium, the site of the 2005 Class 4A/5A meet, performed well for the Sailors.

Missy Chotvacs broke the school record she set last week, leaping 34 feet, 10 1/2 inches to place fourth in the triple jump. Kayla Kostur, who set three personal jumping records Saturday, leapt 34-1 to take sixth.

Kostur took second in the high jump, clearing 5-3, to pre-qualify for the state meet. Teammate Peters also cleared 5-3 to take third and pre-qualify, as well.

Kostur was seventh in the long jump, leaping 15-4.

Steamboat's sprint medley team of Missy Chotvacs, Hannah Bowers, Patricia Henderson and Peters won the 800-meter sprint medley in 1 minute, 53.01 seconds to pre-qualify for the state meet, as well.

Jennifer Hooper was third in the 3,200 meters with a time of 12:46. The only girls to beat her were from Smoky Hill, arguably the state's top distance-running school.

Peters took fifth in the 100 in 12.7 and fourth in the 200 in 26.75. Everyone who beat her ran for a 5A school. George Washington swept the top three spots in the 200.

It came as little surprise that George Washington won the 800-meter relay. The Sailors were third in 1:51.97.

"That's a pretty impressive time," Reust said.

The team consisted of Chot--vacs, Bowers, Chelsea Mosser and Henderson.

Bowers, Mosser, Lizzie Stoll and Henderson finished sixth in the 400-meter relay in 53.81. Mackenzie Frank was sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the 300 hurdles with times of 17.76 and 51.81, respectively.

The Steamboat boys scored only 17 points but had several good finishes. Alec Nelson placed third in the 800 in 2:04.25. Teammate Matt Hill was fourth in 2:05.19. Both runners continue to drop their times each week.

"It's going to be exciting down the road here," Reust said.

Steamboat's 3,200-meter re--lay team put together a time of 9:18.43 to place seventh. The team consisted of Treat Romick, Andy Garber, Andy Morell and Mike Gleason. Garber and Gleason competed in their first track meet after recently wrapping up the Nordic season.

The Sailors' rounded out their scoring with a seventh-place finish in the 800-meter relay with a time of 1:36.05. Team members were Pat Ayres, Harrison Mader, Walker Hammond and Nelson.

Steamboat's next meet is Saturday in Palisade.