As most high school seniors spent their Saturday preparing for corsages, picture times, and dinner reservations, a group of Timpview sprinters laced up their spikes for one final pre-prom showdown at Orem High School.
At the Tiger Trials Invitational on April 26, Timpview’s senior sprinters had a series of standout performances, collecting new personal bests and state-qualifying times before heading to their last high school Prom.
Senior Zoe Deucher led the charge for the girls’ squad, with a personal-best 12.30 seconds in the 100-meter dash to finish second overall. “I feel really good about it,” Deucher said post-race. “The start felt really great. I got out strong, held it all the way through the line. I ended up being right behind this one girl, she’s the fastest in the state, and didn’t fade away. It felt really great.”
On the boys’ side, senior Jack Weaver tied his personal best in the 100 meters with a blistering 10.93-second run, securing first place overall. His teammate, senior Joey Covey, wasn’t far behind, setting a new personal best of 10.95 seconds to take third place. All three marks earned state-qualifying spots.
When asked about his performance, Weaver kept it simple. “You know, it was good,” he said. “Before I race I do my LeBron meditation and then I get into the blocks. I don’t get worried about who’s racing me. I just go out and run and I ended up being first, so yeah.”
As the meet wore on and picture times crept closer, Coach Chev offered his athletes a bit of motivational wisdom: “The faster you run, the sooner you can go to Prom.”
The T-Birds’ relay teams closed the afternoon on a high note. At 12:45 p.m., the varsity girls’ 4×100 “A Team” secured second place overall, clocking a season-best 49.8 seconds and punching their ticket to the state championships. Moments later, the boys’ varsity 4×100 “A Team” competed together for the first time this season and delivered a school-record-breaking, state-qualifying time of 42.23 seconds.
Later on, Weaver also took first place in the 200m run with a time of 21.98. Looking ahead to state, he remains confident. “We’re first seeded and we’re gonna stay first seeded.”
The UHSAA State Track and Field Championships will take place May 15-17 at BYU’s Clarence Robison Track and Field Complex. With new personal records, state-qualifying marks, and school records in hand, Timpview’s sprinters will trade their Prom suits for spikes once again, this time with medals on the line.
