Jacob Smith and Mckenzie Meyer are back to chase new track records. (Deb Smith photo)
Randy King and fleet-footed (l to r) Lauren Bayne, Lauren Grove and Abby Parker will help debut a new CHS track facility this season. (John Fisken photo)
Practice is packed.
The lure of a brand-new track facility has attracted a whopping 52 Coupeville High School athletes to the early days of practice.
With 27 girls and 25 boys, it’s the largest team longtime Wolf track coach Randy King has had, so it’s also great his support crew is as deep as it’s ever been.
“We’ve brought aboard an excellent coaching staff that is knowledgeable,” King said. “Our event coaching coverage has the potential to be vastly improved.”
After working as a lone Wolf in some years, this time around King can call on Chad Felgar (sprinters/hurdlers), Bob Martin (shot put/discus), Lincoln Kelley (javelin), Jordan Ford (pole vault) and the duo of Neil Rixe and Brad Sherman (distance runners/jumps).
The coaching staff will be working with a team deep in returning veterans with state meet experience.
Eight athletes who competed at Cheney last spring will help debut the new track facility, led by sophomore sensation Lindsey Roberts and senior standout Lauren Grove.
The duo were part of award-winning, school-record-setting relay units with the graduated Sylvia Hurlburt and Makana Stone, while also excelling in solo events.
Roberts was the first female in the 116-year history of CHS to win three medals at the same state track meet, edging out Stone by a half hour for that honor.
She finished fourth in the 100 hurdles, while joining her teammates to capture 6th in the 4 x 100 and 3rd in the 4 x 200.
Grove, who also ran in the 200 at state as a junior, has four state meet medals all-time, having picked up a 2nd and 3rd as a relay runner during her sophomore campaign.
They are joined by junior Jacob Smith, the school record holder in the 200 (he was 4th at state), who advanced to Cheney in three (100, 4 x 400) events.
Add in sophomores Danny Conlisk (800, 4 x 400) and Chris Battaglia (high jump), junior Henry Wynn (4 x 400) and seniors Skyler Lawrence (shot put) and Mitchell Carroll (triple jump), and it’s a deep squad.
Beyond the state vets, the Wolves boast a bevy of talent.
Returning standouts like Lauren Bayne, Alexxis Otto, Grey Rische, Allison Wenzel, Jacob Martin, Abby Parker, Mckenzie Meyer and Connor Thompson will mesh with fleet-footed freshmen such as Maya and Sean Toomey-Stout, Cassidy Moody, Ja’Tarya Hoskins and Mallory Kortuem.
Two newcomers, senior Charlotte Langille and junior Cameron Toomey-Stout, are expected to make a big splash as well.
Langille claimed 5th in the shot put at the Vermont Indoor State Championships during her junior season.
The elder Toomey-Stout, who caught King’s eye “jumping out of the gym in basketball this winter” transfers over from baseball and will compete in jumps and sprints.
While he’s just begun to work with this year’s squad, King already likes what he sees.
“We have a large group of competitors who made great strides last year and with another year of experience are primed to be major contributors,” he said. “In addition to all this we have a deep and talented frosh contingent who are going to be instant contributors of points in our meets.”
When they’re not working (“it has been a joy to get to train on such a modern classy facility”), the Wolves are staying busy fundraising to pay for new equipment.
Having led Coupeville through numerous seasons, guiding his athletes to a mix of PRs, school records and state titles, King remains wedded to his low-key, effective coaching style.
“On the track and in the field we are working together to learn the technical aspects of our events, be safe, stay healthy, have fun, and make our best performances during championship season in May.”
