T-Falls track team visits Corvallis
The Thompson Falls track team opened their 2011 season in style last weekend at the Gene Hughes Invite at Corvallis.
The Blue Hawks collected 55 points, good enough for fifth, while the Lady Hawks earned 46, tying them with Seeley-Swan for sixth-place in a field of 12 teams.
Thompson Falls head coach Randy Symon, said his team performed even better than the standings indicated, citing the high level of competitin and noting the number of Blue Hawks who placed in JV events which did not contribute to the overall team score.
Three Blue Hawks placed in multiple events on Saturday. Preston Schubert earned points for Thompson falls by winning the 110 hurdles, 17.28, finishing second in the 300 hurdles, 44.95, and fifth in the pole vault, 10-6. Dominique Holt earned second in the high jump, 6-0, and sixth in the pole vault, 10-6, while Cody Phillips wound up second in the pole vault, 11-0, and third in the javelin, 157-8.
Chalis Wilson’s fourth high jump of 5-10 earned him fourth place, while Hawk Fratzke, 100, and Collin Lester, 400, each finished sixth.
The boys 400 relay also finished third, 47.3.
Hope Reid placed twice on the girls’ side. Reid finished second in the 100 hurdles, 17.71, and fifth in the high jump, 4-8. Evalina Wilander ran a 2:43 800 and Mariah Naegeli a 13:48 two mile, each good enough for third place.
The Lady Hawks place twice in relay events, finishing second in the 400, 55.69, and third in the mile, 4:36.1.
“We had a lot of young freshman that hadn’t been in track before, who will be running varsity for the next meet,” Symon said. “Some were stronger performers than I had thought so we’ll bump them up a notch and we should get a little more out of them.”
As the season progresses Symon will have to find a balance between earning varsity points and allowing his youngsters to gain confidence by competing at the JV level.
When the Blue Hawks take the field next Saturday in Frenchtown, they will be looking forward to 12 additional athletes who could not participate in Corvallis because they were lacking the 10 mandatory practices to be eligible for competition.
Symon expects the field in Frenchtown to be as tough, if not tougher than the one his athletes competed against in Corvallis.