Carson High track sends four to state

Alyssa Rowe spent the last school year as an exchange student in Italy after transferring from Sierra Lutheran, so she was starting over this spring with the Carson High track team.

Rowe has made steady progress this year, and she is making the most of what may be her only season as a Carson student-athlete.

Rowe uncorked a career-best throw of 38-feet 7 1/4-inches on her first attempt to win the 4A regional shot put title Saturday at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.

The win earned her a trip to next weekend’s state meet, which is at Carson. She will be joined by teammates Ben Granados (100 and 200), Abigail Pradere (800 and 1600), and Hunter Rauh (800).

Rowe’s throw was a 3-foot PR. She threw 35 at last week’s trials at Reed.

“I was throwing in the mid-20s when I first started this year,” Rowe said after her victory and trip to the podium. “It took a lot of work getting back.

“You can feel it (when you throw a good one). It’s effortless and not forced.”

Mike Louisiana, Carson’s throws coach, said he’s been working hard with Rowe on technique.

“We’ve been on a season-long mission,” Louisiana said. “We had to change some things. She was teeter-totering (at the front of the ring). We’ve been working on turning her shoulder and being quicker.

“I knew Alyssa from when she was at Sierra Lutheran. I knew she had some technique issues. She is strong and quick. Can she go 40 feet? We’ll see.”

Pradere put together two impressive performances, outlasting Bishop Manogue stars Rosie Linkus in the 800 and Hannah Covington in the 1600.

Pradere PRd in the 1600 in beating Covington by more than three seconds with a nice kick over the last 300 meters. In the 1600, she outlasted Linkus by .19 seconds.

In the 1600, Pradere started in the middle of the pack for the first 300 meters and ended the first lap in third place behind Covington and Spanish Springs’ Alexis Melendez. It wasn’t until early in the last lap that Pradere made her move, and she showed some great strength down the stretch. It wasn’t an easy day to run because of wind on the backstretch.

“When I went out (at the start of the race) I didn’t feel it because I was in the pack,” Pradere said. “The last two laps I felt it.

“When I came around for the last lap, my coach said it was just the three of us. I didn’t have to go then, but I wanted to see what I had left.”

As it turns out, she had plenty.

Nicole Kastens, who helps coach the distance runners, said Pradere doesn’t like to have a plan beforehand.

“She wanted to run by feel,” Kastens said. “She is so smart.”

Covington was the only runner in the north to have a sub-5-minute mile coming into the meet, and Pradere said one of her goals next week is to break the 5-minute mark.

Pradere was considered a shoo-in to medal last year, but got ill the night before the meet, and was never a factor in any of her races.

In the 800, Pradere took the lead on Linkus with about 300 meters left, and there was never more than 5 meters separating the two standouts the rest of the way.

“We wanted her to keep in contact (close),” Kastens said. “There was a little bit of contact on the first lap.”

Granados PRd in both events, winning the 200 with a dive right at the finish line ahead of North Valleys’ Jalen Buckner, and taking third in the 100 with a 11.13 behind winner Peyton Dixon of Bishop Manogue and DJ Beckum of McQueen.

“I didn’t know who it was (behind me), but I heard somebody,” Granados said. “I knew somebody was close.”

“It was a lunge,” said CHS head coach Steve Nelms, who coaches the sprinters. “It was a great race.”

Granados knows his time will have to come down again next week to compete against the Vegas runners. He said he thinks he may be able to get down to the mid-20s.

“He may be running from behind next week, and I think he’ll be more relaxed,” Nelms said. “He has tightened up (at times) when he’s running from the front.”

In the 100, Granados said his start was OK.

“I could have come out faster,” he said. “I need to get into the 10s next week, and I need to work on my start.”

“His start was not great,” Nelms said. “He ran a full 100 today. He PRd by .14. He was flying. We’ll work in the blocks this week.”

Nelms said it’s the first time in at least 12 years that Carson has put a 100-meter runner into state.

Rauh ran a very strategic race in the 800. He got boxed in a couple of times, but was always able to get outside and run free. His 2:02.98 was .31 behind the winner Colby Thomas of Reno, who has a season-best of 2 minutes in the event.

“I thought I ran a great race,” Rauh said. “I did get boxed in but I knew I could recover.

“I want to be competitive next week, and I want to break 2 minutes. Those are my goals.”

Carson had some near misses. Ashley Britt was fourth in the 300 hurdles despite running a season-best 47.63, a scant .03 behind the third-place finisher. The boys’ 400-meter relay and the girls’ 3200 relay were fourth.

Tanner Kalicki, one of the favorites in the triple jump, didn’t compete due to a violation of team rules.