South Platte Sentinel Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Page 21Sports

JOIN OUR TEAM!

970-774-6123235 West Fletcher Haxtun, CO 80731

WWW.HAXTUNHEALTH.ORG

Please send resume to Haxtun Hospital District or rbrigham@haxtunhealth.org

• Business Offi ce Manager Management of registration, billing, cash posting, accounts receivable, revenue cyle in a great Critical Access Hospital. 5 or more years experience in a hospital business offi ce.

• Multi Modality Tech Per Diem position. Must be ARRT registered with CT experience.

• Registered Nurse Per Diem position. Full Time Temporary position available.

• Certifi ed Nurse Assistant Per Diem positions available.

Attractive salary and benefi ts.

By Ken McDowell Sports Editor LAKEWOOD – Sophomore Victor Zimmerman added to the long pole-vaulting tradition at Sterling High School Saturday by capturing fi rst place in that event in the Class 3A State Track and Field Meet at Jeffco Stadium. The pole vault event was held Saturday with Zimmerman entering the meet ranked third in Class 3A with a height of 12-6. He more than surpassed that mark at state, exactly by one foot, to claim the title with a height of 13-6. Zimmerman became the fi fth Tiger to win a state title in the pole vault, following Truitt Parrish who won that event in 2013 with a height of 15-1. In 2010 Steven Richendifer of Sterling won the pole vault state title in Class 4A and in 2005 Wade Henderson was the state champion. Sterling’s fi rst state champion in the pole vault was Dennis Fuller in 1977. In last year’s Class 3A State

Meet Zimmerman placed 11th with a height of 11-7. The Tigers also came away with another state champion – sophomore Austin Chavez in the high jump with a distance of 6-2. Chavez lived up to his billing in that event as he went into the state meet ranked fi rst with a height of 6-5. Last year as a freshman Chavez tied for 10th in the high jump at 5-9. “Ever since last year I wanted to win the state in the high jump,” he said. “Every practice I just tried to jump higher and higher, and when the meet really mattered I was able to fi nish it.” After Chavez completed his leap of 6-2, he had to wait for the other competitors to fi nish to see if he captured the state title. The runner-up in the high jump was another sophomore, Spencer Whitfi eld of University. “I really didn’t know if I was going to win it at fi rst because all of the other guys missed but they still had more attempts to make it,” he

explained. “I hit 6-2 on my fi rst try so I was pretty confi dent “Then when the last guy missed on his fi nal attempt it hit me that I was state champion. I think the difference also for me was that last year at state I was more nervous because I was a freshman. But this year I was more confi dent and it just seemed like another meet to me.” Chavez knows that as a sophomore he has a couple of more times to win a state high jump title. But he also realizes he will go up against Whitfi eld of University, which is a member of the Patriot League just like Sterling. “I don’t really feel pressure of repeating,” Chavez said. “I know that Whitfi eld is a sophomore too, but I think me being a sophomore makes it more fun to look forward to my junior and senior years.” Senior Brent Gilliland of the Tigers closed out his outstanding high school career with a third place fi nish in the shot put with a throw of 49-1.75, a personal best for him. Gilliland entered the state meet ranked fi fth in the shot put at 48-3. The Tigers also sent 3 more pole vaulters to state as Chavez was seventh at 12-3, a personal best for him; sophomore Brady Krier was eighth at 11-9 and sophomore Connor Alsup participated but did not place.

Senior Bryant Lechman of the Tigers was a sixth place fi nisher in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.51. Also competing in the 100-meter dash at state for Sterling were senior Shay Benson,

17th in the preliminaries at 11.73 and sophomore Derrick Little, 19th in the prelims at 12.12. Lechman placed eighth in the 200-meter dash with a time of

Sophomore Austin Chavez of the Tigers clears the bar at 6-2 to capture the Class 3A state title in the high jump last weekend. (SPS Photo By Judy Beardsley.)

Please See Sterling Page 22

SHS sophomore Victor Zimmerman gets a good running start in the pole vault event during the Class 3A State Track and Field Meet. Zimmerman won the state title in that event with a height of 13-6. (SPS Photo By Judy Beardsley.)

Zimmerman, Chavez capture state track and fi eld titles

520 E. Chestnut St • Sterling, CO • 970-522-2523

www.WolfAuto.com

Is Proud to Announce

is now a Master Certified Technician for

Ford & Chrysler.As well as ASE Certified &

Advanced Level Certified in Automotive, Light & Heavy Duty

Truck and Trucking Equipment. He has been working as a

technician since 1986, and has been factory trained since 1987.

Bradd Jurgens

Master Certi� cation is quite an accomplishment, and Wolf Auto Center is very proud of Bradd and privileged to have him here. He has invested approximately 1500 hours of training to accomplish this level of certi� cation.