Wolf 6th grader Tamsin Ward made a splash in her first middle school track season. (Photo courtesy Jandellyn Ward)
She’s off to an impressive start.
Coupeville Middle School 6th grader Tamsin Ward won 11 times, across four different events, in the just-concluded track and field season.
While middle school stats are notoriously hard to document (more on that in a second), her 2023 campaign ranks as the third-best put up by a Wolf athlete in the last 15 years.
Only Lindsey Roberts, with 18 wins, and state champ Alex Murdy, with 12, had more in a single spring, and both accomplished that feat as 8th graders.
Danny Conlisk (10), who went on to win two state titles as a high school runner, is fourth, while Nick Laska notched nine victories as a 7th grader this spring, tying him with Makana Stone at #5 on the CMS single-season list.
Now, here’s where we talk about why it’s nearly impossible to fully document what may have happened in the past.
While athletic.net makes modern life much easier, compiling track and field activity from across the country, it’s only been with us since 2004.
Originally released just in Oregon (not a state we live in), its Coupeville Middle School-related data doesn’t go back any further than 2008.
So, while I can document 87 Wolves who have earned a medal at the high school state track and field championships — dating back to 1963 — only 39 of those competitors have readily available middle school results.
But wait, CMS might have something in its own records … ha ha, just kidding. No one held on to anything.
So, while Tyler and Kyle King have 11 and 10 state meet medals, respectively, and Natasha Bamberger won five state titles, they and other “early” contenders such as Jeff Fielding and Joy Hack aren’t part of this project.
Unless someone has some handwritten notes stashed in a box out in a barn.
Until then, the best seasons by a CMS track and field athlete between 2008-2023 are listed below.
The list goes 12 deep, and not 10, because of a three-way tie at #10.
Seen here as a high school track athlete, Jared Helmstadter got off to a strong start in middle school. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Lindsey Roberts
18 wins
2015 – 8th grade
200 (6)
1600 (4)
100 Hurdles (6)
4 x 100 Relay (2)
Alex Murdy
12 wins
2019 – 8th grade
200 (2)
4 x 100 Relay (4)
High Jump (3)
Long Jump (3)
Tamsin Ward
11 wins
2023 – 6th grade
100 (4)
Shot Put (4)
High Jump (2)
Long Jump (1)
Danny Conlisk
10 wins
2015 – 8th grade
100 (1)
200 (3)
1600 (6)
Nick Laska
9 wins
2023 – 7th grade
4 x 100 Relay (2)
Shot Put (3)
Discus (4)
Makana Stone
9 wins
2012 – 8th grade
200 (2)
400 (4)
4 x 200 Relay (2)
Long Jump (1)
Chris Battaglia
8 wins
2014 – 7th grade
1600 (3)
4 x 200 Relay (3)
High Jump (2)
Chris Battaglia
8 wins
2015 – 8th grade
Discus (4)
High Jump (4)
Jared Helmstadter
7 wins
2012 – 8th grade
100 (3)
400 (2)
4 x 100 Relay (2)
Beckett Green
6 wins
2023 – 7th grade
100 (2)
200 (2)
4 x 100 Relay (2)
Lathom Kelley
6 wins
2012 – 8th grade
800 (2)
4 x 100 Relay (2)
Shot Put (2)
Lindsey Roberts
6 wins
2014 – 7th grade
200 (1)
1600 (2)
75 Hurdles (3)
