The fact that this year’s Sweet Home Junior High track and field program produced some of the top middle-distance runners in the league was testimony to the team’s character: The Tigers knew how to work hard, Coach Don Knight said.
“This was one of the hardest-working groups I’ve been around,” said Knight, who assisted Head Coach Diann Rasmussen.
Blake Keeney throws the shotput. He was the top discus thrower in the league this year.
“We did not have a lot of academic issues. Most of our top competitors were both good athletes and good kids.”
Michelle Knight, another assistant, said other coaches commented throughout the season on the Tigers’ work ethic.
“They took pride in doing it right,” she said of her team.
Some of this year’s notable performers (in no particular order) included:
– Eighth-grader Bethany Gingerich, who clocked the second-fastest 400 time in the district at 63.18 and also finished in the top 10 in the 800 (2:43.30) and the 200 (29.64).
– Seventh-grader Kate Hawken, who finished in the top 10 in the 100 (13.94) and the 200 (29.65).
– Sixth-grader Zoe James, who was a top-10 finisher in the 400 (66.89).
– Seventh-grader Megan Miller was top-10 in the 800 (2:41.00).
– Eighth-graders Noah Taraski and Justin Kurtz, who finished fourth (2:23.50) and fifth (2:23.80) respectively in the 800 in the top 10 in the 400 (58.40 and 61.24).
– Seventh-grader Noah Dinsfriend, who was third in the 100 hurdles (16.74) and eighth-grader Eric Seitz, who was also in the top 10.
– Eighth-grader Ally Tow, who was fourth in the girls rankings (17.27) in the 100 hurdles. Tow was the top high jumper in the district and seventh in the state at 5-0, with James not far behind in third at 4-6.
– Seventh-grader Blake Keeney, who was the top discus thrower in the district (104-4), just ahead of teammate Trevor Miner (103-9), an eighth-grader.
– Eighth-grader Kendyl Stutzman was a top-10 thrower for the girls in the discus (68-6).
– Eighth-grader Caylie Trewin (13-3½) and Gingerich (13-2½) were top-10 long jumpers.
– The girls 4×400 relay team of James, Tow, Hawken and Gingerich finished ranked third in the district and in the top 10 in the state at 4:29.83. The girls 4×100 team of Tow, Stutzman, Gingerich and Trewin were fifth in the district at 55.74.