Carson City-Crystal’s Coleman Clark will remember the 3,200-meter run at the Division 1 state track and field finals for a long time.
He became a state champion as a sophomore with a time of 9:47.23. He finished more than 11 seconds in front of the second-place finisher, Mason Sumner of Breckenridge.
“He was ranked first since the beginning of May,” Carson City Crystal track and field coach Grant Woodman said. “Last year he made it to the state finals in the 3,200 but he got tripped up in the second lap and ended up finishing 11th.
It was definitely smoother this time.
“He ran very well,” Woodman said. “He had a plan and we went over it a couple of different times he wanted to get out pretty good to avoid getting tripped and spiked like he did last year. Once he got out he maintained it and built upon it. That’s been his strength (all season).
“He gets out pretty good, and then he maintains it. We’ve been working on building a little more strength and stamina so he can go out quicker and maintain it during the race. He’s still young. We’re adding a little bit at a time.”
Clark was second in the 800 and 1,600 meters in the conference regional and state meets.
The 3,200 has been his best event.
Clark also runs cross country. He was fifth in the state at the finals last season. He’s equally effective in both sports, Woodman said
Clark’s goals for the next two years are fairly simple: to get better each year.
“He does a decent amount of running over the summer and winter,” Woodman said.