Andie Rasmussen(24) grabbed first place for her 400-meter dash with an outstanding time of 56:05 at the Colorado State track meet on May 20. That is not the only event she gave points for Eaton, as she also claimed fifth in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash and third in the 300-meter hurdles. Rasmussen’s 400 broke the school record and qualified her for the Nike Outdoor Nationals 2023 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. While in Oregon, Rasmussen plans to visit the University of Oregon for their Track and Field team. 

Overall, Eaton had a great performance in the 2023 State Track Meet. The Reds took third place just short to Resurrection Christian in second and The Classical Academy which placed first. Eaton was the best public school in their classification.

Other notable performances from the Reds came from the boy’s 1600-meter relay which broke the school record with an impressive 3:26.99. They broke the last record that was set at 3:27.99. Brody Niswender(25) also had an amazing performance by clinching sixth in his 400-meter dash. Cole Lockey(23) and Zac Grable(23) both tied for fourth in high jump. Grable also reached fourth in his 300-meter hurdles, second in the triple jump, and seventh in long jump.  

Grable said, “Competing in state is a great experience and I loved doing it. I’m looking forward to continuing to compete at Western.” Grable will continue his athletic career at Western Colorado University where he received a scholarship to compete in both football and track.  

Outside of Eaton, the 2023 state Track meet was filled with broken records. Scottie Vines(24) of De Beque started off the records, with a 6’10’’ high jump breaking the state meet record. Vines also jumped a 7’00’’ earlier this season that broke the current record. Brandon Hills(23) of Vista Ridge jumped a 24’ 8” on Friday giving him the state meet record for long jump. The most impressive run of the meet was Travon Underwood(23) of Mead with a 45.36 time in the 400-meter dash. Underwood not only broke the state meet record but also the Nation record, putting him first in the Nationals rankings. 

Vines said, “It was just a big relief because I have been trying to get 7 feet for over a year and there was just a lot of pressure through all of my meets from my sophomore year to my junior so when I finally hit 7 feet there was a lot of weight lifted from my shoulders.” 

Both Eaton’s boys’ and girls’ teams are losing key athletes to their relays and open events. However, the underclassmen from this year are already filling the shoes of these key seniors.