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St. Joseph's Lexi Willardsen takes flight in the girls high jump at the annual City-County Meet on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Fremont High School in Plain City.

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Ogden High's Ethan Wardell soars through the air during the boys long jump at the annual City-County Meet on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Fremont High School in Plain City.

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Weber High's Abigail Hall watches her throw during the girls shot put at the annual City-County Meet on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Fremont High School in Plain City.

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St. Joseph's Lexi Willardsen takes a moment before competing in the girls high jump at the annual City-County Meet on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Fremont High School in Plain City.

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Ogden High's Morgan Ulrich lurches forward during the girls shot put at the annual City-County Meet on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Fremont High School in Plain City.

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Weber High's Nash Smoot soars through the air during the boys long jump at the annual City-County Meet on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at Fremont High School in Plain City.

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PLAIN CITY — Neither Fremont’s Abbie Baird nor St. Joseph’s Lexi Willardsen are the kind to shy away from extra reps. The pair elected to bump the bar higher at the annual City-County track and field meet Wednesday after each cleared the 5-foot mark and qualified for state.

Amongst 19 total jumpers, Baird and Willardsen thinned the pool as the soon-to-be girls high jump finalists during the first day of competition at Fremont High School. Willardsen, a senior at St. Joseph, is headed to state for a fourth consecutive year; Baird, a junior at Fremont, punched her state ticket just a second time.

Willardsen ranked in the top 10, placing eighth individually clearing 4 feet, 11 inches during the 2A state championships in Provo last spring. The recent addition of Daniel Line to the Jayhawks coaching staff pushed Willardsen’s personal best to 5 feet, 1 inch this offseason.

“(Line) told me the best jump you’ll ever have, you won’t be able to tell people how you did it,” Willardsen said.

Wednesday’s faceoff with Baird was more than welcomed by both sides, eager to couple their state berth with a new personal record. Baird beat Willardsen to the punch, clearing 5 feet, 1 inch before the St. Joseph senior to claim the event.

It wasn’t a crowded mat but Willardsen assigned unique meaning to a faceoff with someone she considers a tremendous talent.

“Of course I want to win, but I thought it was a really cool to see (Baird) jump,” Willardsen said.

Fremont’s lone competitor in the girls high jump, Baird said her third season battling the bar comes with some relief knowing she’s working within her own world out there. Baird cleared 5 feet as the 10th-place jumper at the 6A championships in 2024.

“Any extra jumps I can get I’m always down for,” Baird said. “I don’t get much competitive being the only Fremont jumper so it’s definitely nice. … I’ve tried to have more fun this time instead of trying to beat this person or this person.”

Many event results were not available Wednesday night. This story will be updated with more individual winners from Day 1 when those results are available.

BOYS INDIVIDUAL WINNERS

1600: Garrison Johnson, Weber, 4:27.17

4×200 relay: Fremont; Kaeden Posell, Taggart Burton, Taylor Graham and John Suka, 1:34.73

4×800 relay: Roy; Luke Pebley, Eli Pebley, Henrik Julbert and Haven Gee, 9:02.25

Long jump: Davis DeGroot, Bonneville, 22-1

Boys discus: Zach Masters, Fremont, 150-0.0

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL WINNERS

1600: Avery Barton, Bonneville, 5:03.67

4×800 relay: West Field; Taylie Allen, Hailey Atwater, Shae Casperson and Kaitlyn Yerka, 11:14.38

Shot put: Abigail Hall, Weber, 33-6.5