How Pueblo area athletes fared on Day 2 of Colorado track and field state finals

As the clouds parted mid-afternoon, the Colorado track and field state championship resumed on Day 2 on Saturday at Jeffco Stadium.

As the athletes and the crowds tried their best to keep warm, the competition itself was heating up. While no Pueblo area athlete took home state honors, there were a few standouts and several athletes that put themselves in a good position to earn a podium spot on Sunday, the meet's final day.

More: Day two of CHSAA track and field championships postponed due to weather

Here is a recap of Day 2 events:

Boys Class 4A

Cooper Morris, Pueblo West

800-meter run 

Cooper Morris was one of two individual runners left for the Cyclones in this year's state finals. In his only event in this year’s competition, Morris finished in 13th place with a time of 1:58.45 in the 800.

Austin Clower, Pueblo West

300-meter hurdles 

Clower qualified for the final heat in the 300-meter hurdles. His time of 40.55 was good enough for the final spot, ninth place, at the final heat.

Seth Sherwood, Pueblo County

300-meter hurdles 

Sherwood also competed in the 300-meter hurdles today but came up just short of qualifying for the final heat. His time of 41.46 was good enough for a 12th-place finish in the prelims. Sherwood was the last remaining competitor from Pueblo County.

Pueblo West Relay

4x100-meter relay, 4x200-meter relay

The Cyclones were able to advance to the finals of the 4x100 race. Gavin Lockett, Evan Lujan, Keishaun Gylling, and King put up a time of 42.92, which was good enough to finish third in the prelims. In the 4x200 finals race, the Cyclones finished in fourth place overall in the state with a time of 1:29.45.

Pueblo East Relay

4x100-meter relay, 4x200-meter relay

The Eagles made it close in the 4x100 relay but were able to get by with a time of 43.63, which was good enough for eighth place and a spot in the final heat. Oscar Flores, Rocco Rowell, Cesar Sanchez-Acosta and Izaiah Trujillo will look to better their pace in the final heat. In the 4x200-meter finals, the Eagles finished in eighth place in the state with a time of 1:30.81.

More: Colorado state track and field championships: Pueblo Central's Bigley wins title on day one

Class 4A girls

Aspen Fulbright

3200-meter race, 800-meter race 

In her final year running for Pueblo West, Fulbright wasn’t able to finish off the season the way she had hoped. In the 3200 she finished 12th overall with a time of 11:20.80, and in the 800-meter race she finished in 14th place with a time of 2:21.54.

Leyah Martinez, Pueblo East

300-meter hurdles 

Martinez once again put herself in a position to finish on the podium during the final day of this year's track and field finals. Her time of 44.83 in the 300-meter hurdles was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the qualifiers. She will look to finish higher than she did last year, which was third overall in the state.

Pueblo West Relay

4x100-meter relay, 4x200-meter relay

The Cyclones put themselves in a good position on Day 2 to run for a medal in the final heat of the 4x100 relay. The team of Nkechi Onyejekwe, Olivia Melvin, Jamie Suazo, and Kiera Kirkpatrick put a time of 50.25, which qualified them in eighth place in the prelims. In the 4x200 finals race, the Cyclones put up a time of 1:45.11, which earned them fifth place overall.

Pueblo South Relay

4x100-meter relay

The Colts nearly missed out on qualifying for the final heat of the 4x100 relay. Ashleigh Avalos, Brooke Huth, Cierra Martinez, and Layla Armijo finished with a time of 50.79, 12th in the prelims.

Girls Class 2A

Kaitlyn Pearson, Swallows Charter Academy

300-meter hurdles 

Pearson once again put herself in a good position to earn a top podium spot in this year's final heat of the 300-meter hurdles. In the prelims, Pearson put up a time of 48.32, good enough for third overall.

Hailey George, Rye High School

Long jump 

George was competing in her first-ever state finals, and she managed to put up a respectable distance of 15.03.00, which was a personal best for George. She would end up 12th in the state.

Jordan Holgerson-Rahl, Rye High School

Long jump

Holgerson-Rahl also competed in the long jump. She not only put up her personal best but broke the school record with a distance of 16.02.75, which earned her fifth in the state overall.

"It's a huge accomplishment, and I'm still moving forward," Holgerson-Rahl said. "Yes, I have the school record, but it doesn't define me."

When asked what she needs to improve on for next year's track and field season, Holgerson-Rahl responded with: "Knees up!"

Audrey Maroney, Rye High School

3,200-meter race 

Maroney finished with a time of 12:29.34 in the finals of the 3,200 for Class 2A girls. This was seventh overall in the state.

Mallory McArthur, Swallows Charter Academy

Shot put 

McArthur was the lone thrower from the girls' Class 2A division in Pueblo. Her distance of 31.04.5 put her in 11th place overall in the state, and it was her second-best distance all season long.

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on twitter @chowebacca

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How Pueblo area athletes fared at Colorado state track and field meet