Rocky Mountain's Emily Higgins wrote her split times for the 3,200-meter race on her left wrist with permanent marker.

Every few laps, Higgins would cross the line, check her wrist and compare it with the time being shouted at her by the timers.

It worked.

Higgins, a junior, won her third consecutive 3,200 state title on Thursday and finally broke the Class 2A record in the event, something she's been trying to do for three years. Her time of 11 minutes, 35.22 seconds at the Wyoming State High School Track and Field Championships shattered the old record of 11:41.18, held by former Rocky Mountain standout Jeanna Blair.

Higgins now holds 2A state records in the 3,200 and the 1,600, and won the meet's "Best of the Best" award for the 3,200 over Natrona County's Sarah Balfour. The two runners have supported each other at track and cross country meets since Higgins broke onto the Wyoming high school scene.

"When I was a freshman I almost got it, and it feels good to finally get it," Higgins said of the record.

Higgins was the only Grizzlies athlete to score points as Burns took the early lead in the 2A team race. The Broncs scored 26 points behind the strength of Amanda Gordon, who won the long jump and set herself up for more points by running the fastest preliminary time in the 200.

But the girls' 2A race is the tightest of all the classes save the boys' 4A race, with Burns holding off Upton by six points. Lingle is third, 1.5 points behind Upton.

The class will really get interesting on Saturday, when Gordon and Lingle's Maggie Ochsner square off in the sprints. The two held the top times in the 100 and 200 heading into the meet, and Ochsner trailed Gordon by only .16 seconds in Thursday's 200 prelims. Both athletes won their respective heats.

CLASS 2A BOYS

When Upton's Kurt Ludemann found himself jumping higher than he'd ever dreamed of jumping in the pole vault, he had a dilemma. He was vaulting later than expected, and needed to report to the track soon to run the prelims of the 110 hurdles.

He ran over to the start line of the hurdles, found out he had time to vault twice more, went back to the pole vault pit and, on his second try, leapt a foot higher than he'd ever leapt before to win a state title.

"I just got a heavier pole and it had more spring," Ludemann said afterward, clearly excited from the day's events.

Ludemann's 13-foot vault led Upton right to the top of the 2A boys standings after the first day of competition. The Bobcats scored 26 points, seven more than Big Piney.

Ludemann wasn't done after winning the pole vault. He quickly headed back to the track, got in position for the hurdles, and didn't clip a single one as he took second in his heat and fourth overall.

CLASS 1A GIRLS

The Cokeville girls capped off their first day of competition with a win in the 3,200-meter relay, a win that allowed the girls to join the boys in first-day domination.

The Panthers scored 32 points, thanks in part to that final relay and a solid team effort. Cokeville didn't win any event other than the relay, but notched two second-place finishes. Freshman Camille Petersen took second in the 3,200 and senior Torey Birch finished second in the shot put.

CLASS 1A BOYS

While Cokeville was dominating, the rest of the teams were just trying to stay afloat Thursday. Guernsey took second on the strength of a win in the 3,200 relay. The only event in which the other teams were able to stifle Cokeville was the discus, won by Ten Sleep's Zack Walter.

Sports reporter Peter Hockaday can be reached at (307) 266-0615 or peter.hockaday@casperstartribune.net