Pinedale High School sophomore Madison Antonino captured first place in the finals for the girls’ varsity 3200-meters and earned 3A All-State honors. Antonino’s race for gold against Rawlins’ Ryann Smith remained close until Antonino pulled ahead by 0.15 seconds for the victory at 11:28.11. Antonino snagged bronze in the 1600-meter finals, crossing the finish line in 5:25.89. Rounding out her podium finishes, Antonino took fourth place in the 800-meter finals with a time of 2:26.56.
“We’re really excited to go to State and play together on that big floor like we did last year,” Kunard added. “We’re out to prove something and that is a big motivation for us this weekend.”
“We had a fantastic weekend at the State ski meet,” wrote Head Coach Scott Auld and assistant coaches Dylan Bear and Dan Williams. “Our athletes skied smart, they skied clean and it paid off for them. Second place for the boys and fourth place for the girls are an improvement for this season. We couldn’t be more proud of everyone.”
“It takes a village,” he said. “The Pinedale High School alpine ski team and our local community demonstrated how to do this well this weekend when over 40 volunteers, 100-plus racers, the Sublette County Ski and Snowboard Association, White Pine Ski Resort and many families came together to put on two days of racing. Thanks to everyone and the racers who made it possible. We look forward to many more days of good snow, fast racing and solid memories on the hill.”
“The Wrangler wrestling team competed at Regionals and had some great success,” said Head Coach Kendall Horrocks. “Of 23 athletes who competed, 17 qualified for the State Tournament. We are very happy with their performances, especially since the 3A West (Conference) is arguably the most competitive region in the state for wrestling. Four of the top five teams are in this region.”
“We had a great time at State swimming,” said Co-Head Coach Kursty Day. “Owen Nielson, John Ruby, Kaden Day and Andy DeClue swam personal best times at State. It was exciting to see all of their hard work pay off. We will truly miss our seniors. As our season comes to an end, we encourage our athletes to continue to be active in track or soccer. I would like to say thank you to all the parents and swim fans for all their support this season. It means a lot to the athletes and coaches.”
“It was a good game against Big Piney,” said Head Coach Trent Bowers. “The girls came out and did what they set out to accomplish. The team did a great job playing unselfish basketball together. Defensively, every girl (with playing time) got a rebound or steal.”
“It was great to see the seniors on the floor together and for us to collectively get them a win on Senior Night,” said Head Coach Marcus Helland. “They are a huge part of the program and provide this team with so much.”
“We are very happy with their performances,” noted Horrocks.
The 19U traveled to Jackson for a pair of away games on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4-5. The Glaciers defeated Jackson, 3-2, in both games. The 18U hosted Sheridan. Rallying from a tough 9-0 loss on Saturday, Feb. 4, the Glaciers pulled ahead in a close game on Sunday morning to score the win, 6-5.
“It was very exciting to have Owen Nielson, Dillon Boespflug, Andy DeClue, Ryen Hacklin and Kaden Day make it into the finals in their individual events at Conference,” wrote Co-Head Coaches Kursty Day and Cheryl Grossman. “Dillon posted a personal-best time and a third-place finish in the 100-breaststroke. Owen took sixth in both the 200-freestyle and 100-freestyle. John Ruby and Ryen both added an event to their State list and we added Kaden to our State roster. Scotty Ring, Calleb Willson and Sage Mahaffey are very close to qualifying.”
The 19U team celebrated Senior Night on Saturday, Jan. 28, honoring Lexi Harper, Molly Murphy and Kylynn Martin.
Sublette County secured third place at the Quad with 345 points, beating Lyman and Jackson. The team left it all in the water on Saturday, earning silver with 241 points and besting Lyman, Kemmerer and Jackson.
“The girls came out and played really well, getting off to a strong start in the first quarter that dictated the pace for the whole game,” said Head Coach Trent Bowers. “We tried some different things defensively and offensively, we looked for new shots. Eight of nine girls scored – it was nice to see that balance. Every girls got at least one rebound – we’ve been focusing on being more aggressive and really dominated on the boards. With the girls getting multiple rebounds on both ends of the court and securing second-chance opportunities to score, we eliminated our opponent.”
“I thought we competed really well on Friday night,” said Head Coach Marcus Helland. “To shoot the ball well against a team that plays 2-3 zone and still have a chance to win shows how well we competed on the defensive end and on the glass. We’ve found our identity and we’re excited for the remaining six weeks of the season.”
Six athletes advanced to the finals in the girls’ tournament, with four breaking into the finals and three returning home with Ron Thon Championship belts. The Lady Wranglers beat more than 30 teams from all classifications in Wyoming to secure second place with 148.5 points.
“The coaches were a little nervous entering Saturday’s game after such an emotional in Lyman,” said Helland. “We didn’t play great at first, but stepped up down the stretch and pulled away. Josh (Gosar) was lights out Saturday offensively with 39 points. We could tell the difference without Owen McMillen on the floor this weekend, but multiple guys stepped up and made plays to help fill his void.”
True to form, the Lady Wranglers refused to be intimidated and thwarted Mountain View’s designs to secure another win. In front of the home crowd on Saturday, Jan. 21, Pinedale coalesced as a team and focused on the task at hand to defeat Mountain View, 59-46.
The Wrangler boys’ earned fourth place out of 25 teams at the Lander Invitational, posting 155 points and beating Wyoming opponents from all classifications.
Gillette won the first period of Friday’s game, scoring 2 points while holding Pinedale to nil. The Glaciers tied Gillette, 1-1, in the second period. Molly Murphy scored for Pinedale, assisted by Seren Noble.