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PORTS: New track yields records at Port Angeles Invitational
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Chanda Romney of Forks, right, is a step ahead of Sequim's Christina Bruce in the bell lap of the girls' 3,000-meter race at the Port Angeles Invitation on Thursday. Romney captured second, and Bruce was third. -- Photo by Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News
From the PDN:







Peninsula Daily News


Peninsula Daily News

PORT ANGELES -- The Port Angeles Roughriders' new track held up just fine at the Port Angeles Invitational on Thursday afternoon.

Port Townsend's Quinton Decker set a track record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 13.8 seconds, as the pace was fast and furious at the 28th annual event.

"We had some great times today," Port Angeles coach Dwayne Johnson said. "We had a good atmosphere. The sun was out. It was warm. [Decker] just crushed the record."

The Redskin senior, who won the Class 1A cross country state title in the fall, bettered former Port Angeles runner Frank Prince III's old mark (9:18.4) by more than four seconds.

But Decker wasn't the only highlight in the season-opening event for several North Olympic Peninsula high school track and field teams.

Port Angeles' Nick Peterson won the high jump with a leap of 6-feet flat, while teammate Spencer Moorman was a double winner with victories in the discus (118-11) and shot put (42-8).

Neah Bay's Billy Secor won the javelin (143-5), narrowly edging out North Olympic League rival Josh Anderson of Crescent (140-11).

Port Townsend also had some girls take home first-place finishes, with Brianna Hemsley winning the 200 meters in 27.81 and Khloe Frank the 400 in 1:04.91.

Port Angeles' Shelby Napiontek was the top Rider girl with a second-place mark in the triple jump (29-9¬½).

Sequim's Samantha Whiteside took first in the pole vault (8-6) to lead the Wolves girls.

Team scores and full meet details were not available at press time. Look for more information on the Port Angeles Invite in Sunday's PDN.

http://www.chinookobserver.info/main.as ... M=50246.33

Comets primed at pole vault, distances

By KEVIN HEIMBIGNER
Observer staff writer

NASELLE - Last season Tylor Nortrup finished third in the state 2B pole vault for the second consecutive season and for his senior year he has his sights set a bit higher - maybe six inches to a foot and a half higher than last season's 11-foot vault - as he wants in the worst way to come away with a state championship for the Naselle Comets track team.

Alongside Nortrup, the Comets will feature a strong contingent of distance runners who earned a trip to the state meet for the first time in school history last fall as part of the Comets cross country team. Nathan Reitz, who finished 27th at the state XC meet, will be a strong competitor in the distance races. As will Conor Smith, who was fifth in the 800-meter run at district last spring and was an alternate to state. This year he would like nothing better than to qualify in the event and he is already adding much-appreciated "senior leadership" to the squad according to coach Debbie Denny. Alex Bennett will return as a distance runner after taking a year off and Drew Macy will be a runner and compete in the high jump, also after taking a year off.

Jodi Christie and Nicole Laney also competed at state for the Comets 4x400 relay team, finishing 15th, and they are hoping to add two more members to the team and improve on that mark. Christie is very versatile in that she also competes in the pole vault and the 400-meter run. Laney is equally as versatile, also running the 400 and competing in the triple jump.

Junior Randy Hamm is looking strong in the discus throw and Sam Bauer is also competing well in the field events and is in line to take one of the 4x400 relay legs.

Taylor Wasmundt, a sophomore, will compete in the pole vault, discus, shot put and javelin throw.

A strong contingent of freshmen will bolster Naselle's team. Alana Darcher, Keely McGuire, Tasha Stenvall, Rob Baker, Austin Smith and Cramer Smith are all ninth graders out for track. Sophomore Bryant Oman and junior Tim Blaylock are also competing for the Comets.

The Comets will again be assisted by veteran coach Scott Smith, who doubles as cross country coach and also assists Naselle's boys' basketball team.

http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090 ... ate-title-

Track previews: Eastmont harriers hope to contend again for state title
Wildcat girls hit hard by graduation but talent remains
By Corey Voegele
World sports writer
Posted March 19, 2009
EAST WENATCHEE — The Eastmont girls track team won't be back to defend its Class 3A state title this season, but it's not because of a lack of talent.

The Wildcats fully expect to be among the top teams in the state again, but they'll be competing in Class 4A this season.

"We finished up pretty well last year," Wildcats coach Gary Millard said of the state title. "That was kind of fun."

The strength of last year's team was in sprints and relays, but that will change this year due to several key contributors who graduated.

Morgan Clem, winner of two individual state titles in both her junior and senior years, is now running for Washington State University, and Chelsea Putnam and Devon King were also lost to graduation.

"They didn't leave the cupboard bare, but we are going to miss them," Millard said. "We've been riding our sprinters for so long, but that might change."

The Wildcats return a pair of state placewinners in field events. Shelby Johnson was fifth at state in the pole vault, and Brooke Randall was the runner-up in the javelin. Both are school record holders in those events.

Other athletes Millard expects to contribute in the field events are Mady Miller, who is coming off a knee injury, Cait Johnson and Kayla Lannoye.

Nikki Dotter and Hannah Moreland were both part of the Wildcats 4x400 relay team that placed at state last season. Dotter will compete in the 800 and 1,600 again this season. Syd Schwilke was an alternate on the 4x400 relay team, but Millard expects big things from her this season.

"She was coming on bigtime at the end of the season in the 400," he said.

Also returning for the Wildcats is Mac Holman. Holman was limited last season as she recovered from a knee injury suffered during the soccer team, but should be back to full strength for her last season.

"We also have some nice young talent that hopefully we'll be talking about as the season progresses," Millard said.

Jessika Hardgrove and Taylor Reynolds will lead the 2009 contingent of sprinters.

"Jessika is probably our top returner," Millard said. "Taylor's (2008) season was cut short by a stress fracture, but she'll be right in there this year."

Boys

The Wildcat boys lost their only state competitor — Carter Nell, the third-place state finisher in the pole vault — to graduation, but the team has seven athletes who advanced to last year's regional meet back this season.

That group includes sprinters Brett Bendtsen (100 meters, 200) and Zac Street (200, 400), hurdlers Will Treacy and Erik Toften, shot putter Joe Jacobus, pole vaulter Toby Moore and utility man Justin Corter.

"Justin competed in the long jump and sprints, and picked up the javelin right at the end of the season," Millard said.

Others expected to make big contributions this season are jumpers Devon Sanders and Shae Lipp, sprinter/jumper Shane Delaney and Josh Ulrich in the 800 and 4x400 relay.

A couple of cross country runners, Ross Lindell and Christian Eifert, came up just shy of regionals last year.

"Last year we were kind of in the middle of the pack or a little below," Millard said. "We're hoping to move up that ladder a little bit."

http://heraldnet.com/article/20090319/S ... 99870/1007

Murphy's Schireman to run track at UW

David Krueger
Herald Writer

EVERETT -- Archbishop Murphy track star Sarah Schireman signed a national letter of intent with the University of Washington Wednesday.

Schireman, who has been the 2A state long jump champion two years in a row, will be the first Wildcat to compete for a Pac-10 team in any sport.

"I've always wanted to be able to compete at a high level," Schireman said. "Some of the best track and field is on the West Coast. It's a great opportunity."

Schireman, who also runs hurdles and looks to compete in the heptathlon in college, was looking at Pac-10 schools Washington State and Oregon, as well as Santa Clara, Seattle University, Nebraska and New Mexico. She chose UW's scholarship offer because of the coaching staff and her future teammates.

"I felt like I really fit in with the team," Schireman said. "The coaches and teammates were really welcoming."

Murphy track coach Robert Gonzales Jr., who took over at the program last season, thinks Schireman will continue her success at the next level.

"Washington has one of the top women's programs in the country and I think they're doing that by recruiting the top women in the state," Gonzales said. "I think it's a perfect fit for her."

Schireman, who is looking at a career in physical therapy, also liked UW because of its strong academic program.

"I'm very honored for this opportunity," Schireman said, "and I'm very thankful for everything that everyone has done for me."