Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Asher Rohde recorded a new personal best in the 1,600-meter run Saturday at the Mickey Dunn Invitational in Grand Junction highlighting a strong early-season showing for the members of the Steamboat Springs High School track team.

“This was a big PR from him,” coach Greg Long said. “That was the best time in the last six years plus for our team. It was a good time for him, so we are moving in the right direction.”

Rohde placed ninth in the event with a time of 4 minutes, 42.19 seconds. Mountain Vista runner Stephen Chipman led the race with a time of 4:28.29, and teammate Andrew Walton was second at 4:28.50. Rodhe also placed 10th in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:41.71. Telluride’s Ty Williams won the race with a time of 9:44.58.

Rohde was one of several Steamboat athletes on the boys team posting top results in the squad’s second meet of the season.

Kodie Hoyt also posted a couple of personal bests en route to a 14th-place finish in the discus and the shot put. Hoyt tossed the disc 116-6 and the shot 40-3 in Saturday’s meet.

“I’m looking for good things from Kodie this year,” Long said. “He’s actually thrown much better this weekend in preliminary throws before he was throwing live.”

Tanner Morrison posted a personal best in the 400-meter run, where he was fifth with a time of 54.78. Mountain Vista’s Chipman posted the fastest time of the day at 52.62.

“Tanner is running really well this year,” Long said. “This is a new low time, so he is running faster than he did all last season.”

Morrison also was 26th in the 200-meter run at 24.92. Teammate Colton Lewer took fifth place in the 800-meter run with an effort of 2:07.17. It was the first time Lewer has competed in the 800 at a meet.

Alexandrea Bryant led the Steamboat girls team with a strong showing in the 800-meter run. She won her heat in the preliminaries and then placed 26th overall with a time of 2:52.94.

The Sailors will travel to Broomfield on Friday for the team’s third meet of the season.

“We have very young team with a lot of freshmen this year, and they are coming along, too,” Long said. “We just have to keep moving forward.”

To reach John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209 or email jrussell@SteamboatToday.com