Bethany Gingerich and Noah Dinsfriend were named Most Valuable Players for the track and field team Friday night, June 1, at the team’s awards dinner.
Coach Dakotah Keys told a crowd of about 200 people at the event that the Huskies experienced “quite a lot of success” this season.
He noted that the team increased by about 30 athletes over 2017 and “there’s strength in numbers. You can’t win district or state titles without numbers.
One proof of the success this year was the fact that, for the first time since 1983 that all four Sweet Home relay teams have qualified for state, a fact confirmed by Assistant Coach Ramiro Santana, who was on the team that year.
“(The relays) had really been struggling,” Keys said. “We did not have the number of kids out to have a solid relay program.
“I think the program can continue to grow. I’m glad to be part of it.”
Keys said he and the coaching staff of Santana (sprints and relays) Kambria Schumacher (distances), Randy and Nathan Whitfield (throws), Jake Johnson (throws) and Chris Carpenter (jumps) emphasized communication and he said there was good “feedback” between them and athletes, which contributed to a family atmosphere.
Their main “philosophy,” he said, was developing confidence in athletes that would transfer over to work and home in the future.
“Our goal is to give confidence in themselves, to try college or a career that they might not think they could.”
Keys said the Huskies, who qualified five individuals and all four relays for state, with a number of near-misses by freshmen and sophomores, met expectations.
Leading that group were Gingerich, who ran on both girls relays and won the 300 hurdles in a near-school record time after placing second in the 100 hurdles. The MVP award was her fourth.
Dinsfriend, a junior, ran the lead-off leg on the 4×400 state relay team and placed third in the 300 hurdles.
Relay team members Gingerich, freshman Jessy Hart, sophomore Zoe James and junior Kate Hawken were named Outstanding Sprinters for the girls, while Dinsfriend, seniors Noah Taraski and Rawlins Lupoli, juniors Austin Stevens, Lance Hanson and Hayden Nichol, and sophomore Casey Tow were the boys award winners.
Santana, introducing the girls award winners, said coaches thought they had what they needed for state-qualifying relay teams, but the athletes made it happen.
Keys, who was a multiple state winner in individual events in high school before going on to become a two-time All-American in the decathlon at the University of Oregon, introduced the boys.
He said he likes relays because “it’s a team (event). They put aside their personal goals can come together. That’s what I love.”
He said the boys and girls, who placed sixth in the 4×400 after taking eighth in the 4×100, gave “100 percent effort” at the end of a long meet at state in running the mile relay.
“These kids are all leaders on the team,” Keys said. “These are the kids the JV kids need to look at to see the attributes of success as a team.”
Outstanding Throwers were sophomore Megan Hager, who won the district title in both the discus and shot, and Jake Swanson, who placed third in the district championships but threw a PR of 172-4 earlier in the season, which Randy Whitfield noted, in presenting the award, would have been the third-place throw at state.
“He just didn’t do it at district,” Whitfield said, adding that he expects a different outcome next year.
Outstanding Jumpers were freshman Shelby Nichol and senior Connor Russell.
Carpenter introduced Nichol, saying that she blossomed toward the end of the season to the point that it was difficult to decide which events to put her in. In the end, Nichol posted a seven-inch PR in the triple jump in the district finals.
Russell posted a PR of more than a foot to place fourth in the long jump at districts and then added a 30-inch PR in the high jump at 5-7.
Outstanding Distance Runners were freshmen Tristan Saultz, and Brenna Boyd.
Saultz dropped his times in nearly every distance race he ran this year, according to Schumacher – by 11 seconds over the course of the season in the 800, to 2:12. 17, and by 20 seconds in the 1500, to 4:38.
Boyd was a bright spot for the Huskies in the middle distances, placing near the front in nearly every race this season. She finished with a best time of 2:44.35 in the 800 – 14 seconds off her first race, and a PR of 5:24.08 at districts, where she finished sixth, 19 seconds better than her first run at that distance in high school.
Most Improved awards went to freshman Kailey James, sophomores Makayla Griffin and Annie Kennedy, and senior exchange student Nadia Chumsri.
Keys said Kennedy, who is home-schooled, was a newcomer to track as well as to the Huskies, arriving midway through the season.
“It was truly inspiring to see her growth during the season,” he said.
The Hustle Award, which goes to the “person who gets after it in practice as much as they would for a meet, always going 100 percent and doing what a coach or workout asks,” went to junior Madelyn Neuschwander.
The Mad Dog Award is a new category this year but based on a more informal award given out by now-retired Coach Billy Snow, who would throw painted rocks in team meetings to deserving recipients for their achievements.
Keys said those rocks were among his favorite awards of his high school career.
The three recipients were sophomores Saultz and Zoe James, and freshman Sicily Neuschwander.
Schumacher said Saultz has “grown so much from last year” and was willing to do anything he was asked.
He said James shows tenacity and drive, “sassiness” and willingness to do whatever it takes to get better.
Neuschwander, he said, “unfortunately got injured mid-season, but will be “amazing.”
The Newcomer Award, Keys said, “is sometimes exciting and sometimes sad” because recipients can be promising freshmen or seniors who decided to come out for track at the last minute.
Rawlins Lupoli was one of the latter, he said, whose contributions were “invaluable.”
Hart “came in as a freshman” but performed like a senior – “she had no fear,” Santana said.
Sophomore Katen Edwards showed what she was made of under pressure, Whitfield said, placing fourth at the district meet in the javelin with a 4-foot PR at 105-6.
The Will to Win Award went to Hawken, who ran track as a freshman, switched to softball as a sophomore and then decided to give track another shot midway through this season, and barely missed state in the 200 while helping both relay teams to state medals, the first time on the podium for the Huskies since 2013.
“She came out mid-season, knowing she was behind,” Keys said, adding that Hawken realized what was at stake for the relays and dedicated herself to make it happen.
Tow, a sophomore who competed in eight different events for the Huskies, was honored for being a “Jack of All Trades,” said Carpenter, who introduced him.
“He was good at all of them,” Carpenter said, noting that Tow missed state by a hair on his final triple jump – after placing third with an epic home-stretch effort in the 800.
Coaches Awards, which unlike other awards, are strictly decided by coaches’ votes, went to junior hurdler Madelyn Neuschwander, junior thrower Noah Moore and Gingerich.
Fourth-year letter recipients were Bethany Gingerich and Ricky Yunke.
Third-year letters went to Noach Dinsfriend, Lance Hanson, Madelyn Neuschwander, Noah Moore, Hayden Nichol, Cameron Taber, Noah Taraski and Jake Swanson.
Second-year letter winners were Eric Blanchard, Shelby Goodwin, Megan Hager, Austin Griffin, Kate Hawken, Zoe James, Connor Russell, Tristan Saultz, Austin Stevens, Jessi Thomas and Casey Tow.
First-year letters went to Kirsten Watkins, Tristan Calkins, Brenna Boyd, Hannah Powell, Robbie Yunke, Katen Edwards, Jessy Hart, Rawlins Lupoli, Sicily Neuschwander, Shelby Nichols, Natalie Rodgers and Hailey Green.