East Idaho Sports track honors go to Soda Springs’ Cole Garbett and Century’s Ethan Hansen

EASTERN IDAHO – It was another strong track and field season for area athletes.

So much so, that criteria to be considered for East Idaho Sports Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year started with state champions.

Did you win a state title?
Check.

Did you set a record?
Check.

That narrowed the list down to a couple of dozen athletes.

How about winning more than one state title?

And just like the East Idaho Sports Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year selections, there was no way to pick just one outstanding performer.

So, we picked two.

Ethan Hansen, Century

Hansen had already earned a state title in cross country in the fall, and was reigning 3,200 champion. He came close to a doubling up in the 1,600 last season, finishing second.

“I had very high hopes coming into this season,” Hansen said.

The former soccer player decided this season to focus all of his attention and training on running.

After setting a PR and winning the 5A cross country title and helping Century finish third in the team standings in the fall, Hansen said he had a good winter of training.

Once the track season started, he set his sights on the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

“I already had the endurance in my legs,” Hansen said, noting workouts progressed during the season and he was racking up about 60 miles per week in training.

“By the time state came around I was really excited,” he said.

The first day of the meet featured the 1,600 and Hansen ran out to a fast lead.

“I kind of knew this is the place to put it down and this is the time,” he said about his strategy of not trying to conserve energy for the later races.

The strategy worked as Hansen won the 1,600 in a PR of 4:13.14.

On the second day of the meet he set another PR in the 800, clocking 1:53.80 to finish second behind Blackfoot’s Owen Gregory, who set a 5A meet record of 1:50.93. Hansen’s time also broke the previous state record.

Hansen capped the meet with a win in the 3,200, giving him back-to-back titles in the event.

Century also earned a third-place trophy in the 5A team standings.

Cole Garbett, Soda Springs

The Cardinal senior had been on the podium at the state meet, but never on the top of the podium.

Last year Garbett got a taste of the rarified air, finishing second in the discus and shot put.

“That was a lot of motivation,” Garbett said, noting he had good marks going into last year’s state meet, but fell short.

This year he left no doubt, setting a PR of 58-2.25 to win the 3A shot put by more than nine feet.

Garbett won the discus by eight feet to finish the season with 10 event wins in 11 meets.

“The hard work paid off,” Garbett said of finally getting to the top of the podium, not once, but twice. “Looking back at it … the amount of time I put in, it couldn’t have gone better.”

Garbett is also a state champion wrestler, so the pressure of performing at the state championships didn’t faze him.

Garbett said he may go on a mission, but nothing is planned.

With so many state medalists from area schools, it’s appropriate to acknowledge the best of the best.

Here’s the list of boys who finished the season as the top performers in the state or won multiple state titles.

Top in the state
-Owen Gregory, Blackfoot, 800, 1:50.93

-Spencer Van Orden,* Highland, 110 hurdles, 13.44

-West Side (Tanner Henderson, Micah Benavidez, Gage Kidman, Ethan Willis), SMR 1,600, 3:29.17

-Kade Scott, Rigby, pole vault, 16-4.75

*Van Orden had a hamstring injury and did not finish at the state championships.

Multiple state championships
-Ethan Willis, West Side: 3A 800, 1,600, SMR 1,600.

-Brayden Maughan, Rigby: 6A shot put, discus.

-Cooper Williams, Butte County: 2A 100, 200.