By Breven Honda
Throughout the 2026 high school track and field season, Virgin Valley High School senior Keegan Stahl has been a force in the sprint events.
His success continued at the NIAA Class 3A State Championship Meet at Hug High School on May 15, when he captured the state title in the 100 meters with a winning time of 11.09 seconds.
Stahl won the race by 0.32 seconds over Brenden Van Vliet of Moapa Valley. The state title capped a senior campaign in which Stahl won the 100 meters seven different times, including a personal-record performance of 10.88 seconds at the Boulder City Invitational.
With the victory, Stahl became the first Bulldog to win the 100 meters at a state meet since Jesse Avillar accomplished the feat in both 2003 and 2004 with winning times of 11.2 and 11.13 seconds, respectively.
Stahl qualified for the state meet by running the 100 meters in 11.05 seconds and finishing second to Van Vliet by just 0.01 seconds.
The senior also competed in the 200 meters at the state meet. Stahl, who won the 200 meters in personal-record fashion at the 3A Southern Regional on May 9 with a time of 22.08 seconds, came just short of winning a second state title, finishing runner-up in the event with the same time of 22.08 seconds.
Entering the state championship meet, Stahl had won the 200 meters at six different meets, including the Ken Jensen Invitational on his home track, where he posted a time of 22.66 seconds.
Another state championship for Virgin Valley High School came from senior Wynn Kelly, who won the girls high jump event by clearing 5 feet, 2 inches.
In all 12 of her high jump competitions this season, Kelly finished either first or second, highlighted by victories in 10 meets.
The senior entered the state championship meet riding a streak of seven consecutive high jump victories, including a personal-record performance of 5 feet, 5 inches at the regional meet.
Kelly became the first Virgin Valley athlete to win the high jump at a state meet since 1997 and the first Bulldog to win a jumping event at state since Nikita Eskelsen captured the long jump title in 2019.
At the state meet, Kelly also placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 2 inches and finished fifth in the long jump at 16 feet, 3 inches.
Her mark in the triple jump was also a personal record after previously reaching 33 feet, 5 inches earlier this season and 33 feet, 9 inches at last year’s state meet.
Like the high jump, Kelly entered the state meet with a personal record in the long jump after reaching 16 feet, 7 inches at the regional meet.
Also earning podium finishes for the Bulldogs were Ethan Ofori, who placed third in the boys triple jump at 41 feet, 7 inches, and Tyzin Broderick, who finished fifth in the boys 3,200 meters.
Mayzie Tobler also placed sixth in both the shot put and discus events with marks of 29 feet, 10 inches and 81 feet, 10 inches, respectively.
