Where is the track and field capital of the Cowboy State?

Monte Failoni, Special to the Gazette
Posted 4/19/18

Have you ever wondered which town in Wyoming deserves the title of the track and field capital of Wyoming?

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Where is the track and field capital of the Cowboy State?

Posted

A Cheyenne Central runner makes her way ahead of the pack in a 1600-meter run event. Cheyenne Central has a total of 237 state titles in Wyoming high school track and field competitions. (COURTESY PHOTO / WyoPreps)

Have you ever wondered which town in Wyoming deserves the title of the track and field capital of Wyoming?  If one looks at the state archives of individual champions, a likely place to start is the 200-meter dash. The oldest event in the Olympics was called the stadion in which the runners sprinted over the distance of 1 stade (192 meters).  A stade was the length of the original Olympic Stadium in 776 B.C and the stadion was the only event competed in the first thirteen Olympics.

Since 1972, Cheyenne Central and Lovell have both crowned a total of 15 state champions (including boys and girls) in the modern version of the stadion, the 200-meter dash. Powell ranks third with 14 state champions, followed by Cheyenne East with 13 and Kelly Walsh with 12. In the 100-yard/100-meter dash, Kelly Walsh has 20 champions to date, followed by Central with 18, Pine Bluffs with 16, Torrington 14, Campbell County 12 and Douglas 12.

At the fourteenth Olympics in 724 B.C., a race of two to three stades in length was introduced with the requirement that it be run in full body armor.  Today’s version is the 400-meter and 800-meter dashes. 

In the 400-meter, Worland leads the state with 16 champions. Burns and Cokeville have each produced 14, followed by Kelly Walsh and Torrington at 12.  Cokeville has 16 individual champions in the 800-meter, then Campbell County 15, Worland 15, Cody 12, Central 10, Douglas 10 and Newcastle 10.

In the 1600-meter run, Campbell County leads with 22 champions. Cokeville has 17, Natrona 14, Worland 14, Wyoming Indian 13, Douglas 12 and Greybull 12.  In the 3200-meter, Campbell County has 29, Cokeville 16, Little Snake River 14, Jackson 13 and Wyoming Indian 13.

In the combined hurdle races of  l10 meters or less, Cheyenne Central has 27 state champions, Torrington 21. Worland 14, Southeast 14, Jackson 13, Kelly Walsh 13 and Kemmerer 13.   In the longer hurdle races which have become the 300-meter race, Central has 16 champions, Powell 15, Upton 14, Cokeville 14 and Riverton 13.

In the long jump, Central has 19 champions, Lovell 17, Torrington 14, Burlington 12, 

Kelly Walsh 12, Natrona 12 and Pine Bluffs 12.  Lovell has 18 champions in the triple jump, followed by Cheyenne East 16, Torrington 16, Central 14 and Burlington 13.

Burlington has 20 state champions in the high jump and 27 in the pole vault to lead both events.  Lovell has 19 high jump champions, Kelly Walsh 18, Natrona 12 and Worland 12.  Cody has 21 pole vault champions, Campbell County 18. Upton 16 and Dubois 13.

Torrington has crowned the most champions in all of the throwing events with 28 discus, 26 shotput and four softball throw champions.  Pine Bluffs has 22 discus champions, Lingle-Ft.Laramie 17, Natrona 15 and Sundance 14.  Lingle has 16 shotput champions, Lusk 15, Sheridan 14 and Southeast 14.

In the 4x100-meter relay, Cheyenne Central has won the state title 21 times, Torrington 18, Natrona 13, Big Piney 13, Dubois 12 and Lingle-Ft.Laramie 12.  In the 4x200, Central and Pine Bluffs have each won it eight times.  Douglas, Hanna-Elk Mountain, Ten Sleep and Torrington have won it four times.  The 4x400-meter relay has been won by Powell 20 times, Torrington 18 times, Lingle-Ft.Laramie 16 times, Douglas 15 times and Campbell County 14 times..  Campbell County has won the state title in the 4x800 meter relay 18 times followed by Douglas 14, Central 13, Lander 12 and Lingle-Ft.Laramie 11. The 800 medley relay was won by Burns six times, Torrington four times, Worland four times and Central three times.

So what town is the track and field capital of Wyoming?

Cheyenne Central has a total of 237 state champion titles. Torrington has 236.  The rest of the list:  Campbell County 202, Kelly Walsh 176, Pine Bluffs 170, Worland 170, Casper Natrona 166, Lovell 160, Lingle-Ft.Laramie 158, Cokeville 155, Douglas 155, Powell 146, Burlington 143, Cheyenne East 123, Cody 123, Southeast 119, Lander 111, Upton 110, Ten Sleep 107, Dubois 106, Jackson 102, Star Valley 101, Greybull 100, Laramie 100, Burns 99, Big Horn 90, Guernsey-Sunrise 86, Tongue River 86, Mountain View 83, Sheridan 83, Big Piney 81, Meeteetse 79, Riverton 79, Buffalo 78, Green River 74, Kemmerer 72, Little Snake River 72, Hanna-Elk Mountain 71, Rock Springs 70, Lusk 68, Evanston 62, Glenrock 62, Thermopolis 60, Wheatland 59, Sundance 58, Shoshoni 55, Encampment 54, Wright 50, Saratoga 49, Wind River 49, Hulett 46, Newcastle 43, Wyoming Indian 43, Lyman 41, Pinedale 41, Riverside 41, Rawlins 38, Chugwater 36, Rocky Mountain 36, Midwest 34, Kaycee 33, Arvada-Clearmont 23, Farson-Eden 20, Moorcroft 16, Glendo 15, St. Stephens 7, Cheyenne South 6, Normative Services 5, and Rock River 3.

Another way to name the track and field capital of Wyoming would be to look at team state track championships.

Cheyenne Central and Campbell County each have 26.  Torrington and Lingle-Ft.Laramie each have 18. Pine Bluffs rounds out the top five with 17.  Let the debate begin.