The girls? track team huddled together, anxious to hear the final results of the West Sierra League championship on April 26. Rumors of another Fowler victory created unrest among the girls, as Redcats had won the championship the year before.

Awaiting the final results, the girls? pregnant coach, Dorina Gilmore, broke the tension. ?I really hope I don?t go into labor.?

Defying all assumptions, and defeating all odds, the girls screamed in excitement when Fowler was announced as silver medalists, crowning the Lady Eagles as champions.

The girls’ and boys’ teams had outstanding group as well as individual performances on Thursday, with exceptional efforts coming from senior Wesley Wells, junior Aliza Ford, and freshman Larissa Hensley.

?Our girls’ team won first overall, out of all the schools,? Ford said. ?We scored 152 points to win over Fowler. I won first in the 100 meter hurdles, and first in the 200 meters and first in the 100 meters.?

Both Ford and Hensley had exceptional performances, with Ford taking first in three events, and Hensley winning two.

?It was really exciting to watch my sister win second in the 400 meters,? Ford said. ?We all worked hard, had a successful year, and achieved our goal which was to win the league championships.?

The boys? team, while not finishing first, had a memorable meet as well.

?The boys team finished fourth overall,? Wells said. ?I took first in the long jump, and the 400 meters. I even broke coach [Ericlee] Gilmore?s record in the 400 meters and did it in his running shoes.?

Wells broke Gilmore?s long-standing record in the 400 meters after Gilmore lent him his shoes for the meet.

?For 14 years, no one has broken my record,? Gilmore said. ?No one has even gotten close. It was so exciting to see Wes break it in my own shoes. He didn?t want to buy track shoes for only 1 year of track, so I lent him mine from high school.?

Gilmore ran track as a high school student on campus, and then decided to come back and coach the sport loves.

?It was so fun to see Wes win the race,? Gilmore said. ?I was standing near the end, and I saw in his eyes that he really wanted to win this. He got that look, and he just took off.?

The 400-meter race came down to the last 100 meters, where Wells was neck and neck with his opponent. Rounding the final turn, Wells? face became one of sheer determination, as he turned on the afterburners and took first place (51.50) by fractions of a second.

Wells also beat his personal best in the high jump at the Reedley Invitational on April 28. The bar started at 5?8?. He had never jumped higher than 5?8?, but ended up winning the event with 6?2?.

?I broke my own personal best in the high jump, and I had 35 of the boys 76 total points,? Wells said. ?Next up I qualified for the Fowler Sierra Championships.?

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