Sandpoint High School Athletes Break Three School Records at Van Kuren Invitational in Cheney
Sandpoint Sprinters Rewrite Record Books in North Idaho Prep Track and Field
CHENEY — It was a record-shattering Saturday for Sandpoint High School’s track and field program, as Idaho athletes broke three school records at the Van Kuren Invitational held at Cheney High. Both the boys’ sprint relay squad and the girls’ 4×800 relay team etched new marks into the Bulldogs’ record books, signaling what could be a strong postseason run for one of North Idaho’s most competitive prep programs.
Sandpoint seniors Maverick Gomez, Isaac Schmit, and Kamren Ziarnick, along with junior Trey Blumenberg, delivered gold-medal performances in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, besting fields that included 15 and 18 top-ranked squads respectively. The foursome clocked a 1 minute, 29.98 seconds in the 4×200 relay — a new meet and venue record — and followed that up with a 42.34-second finish in the 4×100, establishing a new meet, venue, and Sandpoint school record. The previous school record of 42.49 seconds had been set by Gomez, Schmit, Ziarnick, and Van Lee at last year’s district championship.
“And they’ll keep getting faster the further we get into the season,” said Sandpoint High head coach Doug Fry. “Maverick has been dinged up a little bit, but he’s back, and running really fast.”
Schmit turned in an equally impressive individual effort, finishing fourth out of 60 runners in the 100-meter dash at 10.86 seconds and fifth out of 50 in the 200-meter dash at 22.49 seconds — both season bests. Blumenberg was close behind, placing fifth in the 100 at 11.05 seconds and eighth in the 200 at 22.72 seconds, both personal bests.
Other notable Bulldog performances included junior Knox Williams placing third out of 53 in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.42 seconds, senior Paul Kent finishing third out of 45 in the 3,200-meter run at 9 minutes, 42.83 seconds, and junior Damian Porter placing fourth out of 60 in the discus with a throw of 141 feet, 4 inches. The Sandpoint boys’ team finished third overall out of 31 scoring teams.
Girls’ 4×800 Relay Shatters Nine-Year-Old School Record
The Sandpoint girls’ squad made history of their own on Saturday, erasing a school record that had stood for nearly a decade. Junior Elizabeth Storms and sophomores Lillian Grant, Ruthie Laughridge, and Delaney Barron combined to finish second out of 11 teams in the 4×800 relay with a time of 9 minutes, 51.96 seconds — just 0.59 seconds behind Gonzaga Prep’s gold-medal squad. The previous record of 10 minutes, 4 seconds had been set in 2017 by YeoWon Yarnell, Kali Scheel, Katherine Kaul, and eventual Utah State standout Hannah Davidson at the Christina Finney Co-ed Relays.
“It’s really phenomenal, and the kids are embracing it,” Coach Fry said of the string of record-breaking performances. “They’re loving working together and appear to be really settled.”
Storms added an individual crown to her day, winning the 800-meter run in a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 19.69 seconds — a mark that now ranks fourth all-time in Sandpoint school history. Laughridge was fourth in the same event with a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 24.52 seconds.
Other Lady Bulldog standouts included senior Izzy Davidson, who placed fourth out of 18 in the pole vault at 10 feet, senior Jasmin Laing, who tied for fifth out of 41 in the high jump at 5 feet, and senior Elia Howard, who finished fifth out of 59 in the 100-meter dash at 12.62 seconds and seventh out of 52 in the 200-meter dash at 26.16 seconds. The Lady Bulldogs finished sixth out of 28 scoring teams.
The performances come amid a competitive spring season for prep athletics across North Idaho and the Idaho Panhandle region. Fans of Bonner County school district programs have had plenty to follow this spring, with student athletes continuing to raise the bar in competition.
What Comes Next
Sandpoint will divide its roster between two meets this coming Saturday, with athletes competing at both the 29th annual Priest River Invitational in Bonner County and the Legends Twilight Invitational in Walla Walla. With three school records already down and Coach Fry suggesting the team has more room to grow, the Bulldogs appear primed to remain a force in Idaho prep track and field as the postseason approaches.