The Fountain Hills High School track and field team competed in the second annual Maricopa Invitational this past Saturday, March 5, to kick off its season. The Falcons are under new direction this year, as Kevin Clancy took over head coaching duties for Fountain Hills.

The Falcons had three to-p-10 finishers in four events. Sophomore Erin Hooley finished ninth in the 800m (2:44.20) and she also finished eighth in the 1600m (6:05.49). Sophomore Giada Lombardo finished ninth in pole vault (6-00.00), and junior JP Cahill finished fifth in the boys high jump (5-03.0).

Cahill also came in 14th place for the long jump (18-04.73), and 40th in the 200m (26.21). Sophomore Garren Keeler placed 60th in the 200m (28.17), 61st in the 400m (1:03.14), and 30th in the 100m (12.43). Senior Anthony Kasson placed 63rd in the 100m (13.97), and 62nd in the 200m (28.24), and 40th in the long jump (6-01.25).

Sophomores Andy Nguyen placed 69th in the 100m (16.10), William Breen placed 56th in the 800m (2:47.59) and 63rd in the 1600m (6:00.14). Junior Timothy Lamar finished 14th in the 400m (55.90) and sophomore Caleb Lara finished 45th in the 1600m (5:28.34).

Junior Space Kingpakorn finished 50th in the long jump (14-08.0), and juniors Brandon Despain and Dylan Horsfall competed in discus. Despain came in 45th place (56-02.0) and Horsfall came in 60th (21-04.75).

Lombardo placed 62nd in the 100m (16.52), and she also took 44th in the long jump (10-09.6). Sophomore Jacelle Bautista placed 24th in the 100m (14.59), and freshman Katherine Hampton took 58th place in the 200m (33.78).

For the girls’ field team, sophomores Eliana Bartman and Skye Alker did discus, and sophomore Katelyn Smout joined the two for shot put. Bartman finished 39th in discus (45-02.00) and 45th in shot put (17-08.0). Alker finished 44th in discus (36-11.00) and 37th in shot put (20-00.0). Smout finished 43rd in shot put (17-09.0).

Bartman and Alker also run for the Falcons. Bartman finished 47th in the 100 m (15.47), and Alker finished in 44th for the 200 m (31.84) and 26th in the 400 m (1:10.48).

“We have a couple of mixed athletes out there,” junior Jentezen Behnke said at a recent practice. “We got soccer, we got cross country, and we got football, so it’s a very good mix of everyone. It makes it better because that means they’re an all-around athlete.”

The Falcons have another meet Thursday, March 10. They will travel to Phoenix Christian for the Cougar Invitational at 3 p.m. The Falcons will have next week off for spring break, and then they will return to Phoenix Christian on Wednesday, March 23.