It was a big weekend for four Custer County Track and Field athletes as they traveled to Lakewood to take part in the 2A State Track Meet.The athletes included Grant Rusk, Abbi Handy,Miranda Benoit, and Sully OâNeill.
The big winner on the day was Senior Grant Rusk, who, despite knee issues all season,managed to not only win first place in the longjump but also to break a school record that has stood since 1972.
This was his first state title, with a leap of 21 feet, 10.25 inches. He beat out Dayspring Christianâs Hawkins Flanagan, who was second, at 21-7.75, while 2025 champion Brady Mollendor of Sedgwick County was third at 21-5.75.
Grant was interviewed by a Colorado
High School Sports Association reporter right after the jump and stated, âI donât know how to feel about it. Itâs amaz-ing,â Rusk said. âIâve struggled through knee problems all this year â jumperâs knee. Couldnât find a fix, but just pushing through that pain and, I donâtknow, it just means a lot to me at this point.â
Rusk actually scratched on his first two jumps and barely made it into the finals on his third jump. But he said he felt good on his jumps and carried that into the finals.
âOh, itâs, I just, I canât put it into words.
Itâs crazy,â he said.
This record also broke the record that Jerry Peterson set back in 1972.
Jordan Hedberg
