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Posts Tagged ‘track and field’

One school to rule them all

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , , on March 14, 2019| 1 Comment »

Coupeville’s Aurora Cernick set PR’s in the javelin and shot put Thursday at the Island Jamboree in Oak Harbor. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Wildcats and Falcons came to play, but the Wolves came to feast.

Making a huge statement right out of the gate, the smallest of Whidbey’s three high schools came out on top Thursday at the season-opening Island Jamboree track and field meet in Oak Harbor.

Coupeville, led by four double winners — Maya Toomey-Stout, Lindsey Roberts, Danny Conlisk, and Sean Toomey-Stout — won 11 of 26 events.

That gave one of the smallest 1A schools in the state more wins than both 3A Oak Harbor, which claimed 10 wins, and arch-rival South Whidbey, which snagged five.

Emma Smith, Mallory Kortuem, and Jean Lund-Olsen also won for the Wolves, while Coupeville added a pair of second-place finishes and seven third-place results to its haul.

Along with the wealth of top-three finishes, CHS also copped 20 PR’s.

The personal best throws and times were spread out across 14 athletes, with six different Wolves claiming a pair of PR’s in the first action of the season.

As he surveyed the scene, longtime Coupeville track coach Randy King was a content man.

“Not bad when you are going against Oak Harbor and South Whidbey!,” he said.

Drafting off of their strong opening day showing, the Wolves return home next Thursday, Mar. 21, when they host Granite Falls and South Whidbey.

The meet, set to kick-off at 4 PM, is the first of three regular-season home events for CHS track and field.

 

Complete Thursday results:

 

GIRLS:

100 — Maya Toomey-Stout (1st) 13.78; Mikaela Labrador (17th) 16.81 *PR*

200 — Lindsey Roberts (1st) 28.89; Ja’Kenya Hoskins (3rd) 29.80 *PR*; Ja’Tarya Hoskins (4th) 30.13 *PR*

400 — Mallory Kortuem (1st) 1:03.97

800 — Lucy Sandahl (3rd) 2:56.64; Catherine Lhamon (4th) 2:57.13

1600 — Lhamon (5th) 6:09.32; Sandahl (6th) 6:15.88

100 Hurdles — Roberts (1st) 16.37; Ja’Tarya Hoskins (2nd) 18.41

Shot Put — Emma Smith (1st) 30-10; Aurora Cernick (12th) 19-09.50 *PR*; Raven Vick (17th) 17-04 *PR*

Discus — Smith (7th) 72-03; Willow Vick (11th) 60-09; Megan Behan (16th) 55-02 *PR*

Javelin — R. Vick (3rd) 82-03; Cernick (6th) 57-11 *PR*; Behan (7th) 55-02 *PR*; W. Vick (14th) 43-00 *PR*; M. Labrador (17th) 38-03 *PR*

Pole Vault — Kortuem (2nd) 6-06

Long Jump — M. Toomey-Stout (1st) 15-05 *PR*; Ja’Kenya Hoskins (3rd) 15-02 *PR*

 

BOYS:

100 — Jean Lund-Olsen (1st) 11.55 *PR*; Chris Ruck (17th) 13.49 *PR*; Liem Solow (26th) 14.34 *PR*

200 — Danny Conlisk (1st) 23.78

400 — Conlisk (1st) 51.28

Shot Put — Ryan Labrador (3rd) 39-06; Keahi Sorrows (5th) 37-05; Logan Martin (8th) 34-10 *PR*

Discus — R. Labrador (6th) 93-11; Sorrows (8th) 90-04; Martin (10th) 80-04 *PR*

Javelin — Sean Toomey-Stout (1st) 140-09 *PR*

High Jump — Koa Davison (3rd) 5-04 *PR*

Pole Vault — Solow (3rd) 6-06 *PR*

Long Jump — S. Toomey-Stout (1st) 19-09.50; Ruck (9th) 14-01.50

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Back on Track: Boys Blaze

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on March 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville senior Tiger Johnson puts in work during the first week of track practice. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sean Toomey-Stout is ready to launch.

Now, it’s time for an encore.

Coming off a 5th place finish in the team standings at last year’s state championships, the Coupeville High School boys track and field squad is back for more.

But while last spring played out to perfection, as the Wolves also won league and district titles, the lineup will look a little different this time out.

The biggest loss is Jacob Smith, who became just the second athlete in school history to win four competitive medals at a single state meet.

His running mate, Danny Conlisk, is at the front of the pack when you look at returning runners.

He enters his senior track season having already claimed three state medals, including a 2nd place finish in the 400 last season.

Joining Conlisk are juniors Sean Toomey-Stout, who medaled in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays last season, and Jean Lund-Olsen, who medaled in the 4 x 100.

Senior throwers Ryan Labrador (shot put) and Chris Battaglia (discus) also competed at the state meet as juniors.

Other Wolves to keep an eye on include Keahi Sorrows, Kyle Burnett, Koa Davison, Jakobi Baumann, Thane Peterson, Chris Ruck, Jaschon Baumann, and Tiger Johnson.

Freshmen Brian Casey and Logan Martin could have an impact as well, with Martin already among the team leaders in the discus.

Coupeville coach Randy King, entering his 14th year with the track program, likes what he sees.

“This first week they have proven to be a fun group with good leadership and a great positive vibe,” he said.

Coupeville’s biggest strength could be its sprinters, led by Conlisk and Sean Toomey-Stout, with King hard at work trying to find the right mix with the relay teams after losing Smith and Cameron Toomey-Stout.

“Probably our most talented group is our sprint group,” King said. “It will be a challenge to find that fourth member for our relays, and we look forward to figuring out if we will have a team with a good chance of state-qualifying in the 4 x 1 or 4 x 4.”

Labrador leads the throwers, with Sorrows pushing him hard in the shot put, while Battaglia and Toomey-Stout both topped 130 feet in the javelin a season ago.

Battaglia, who went to state in the high jump as a freshman, leads a group trying to step up and replace two-time state meet participant Ariah Bepler in the event.

Logan Martin and Davison are both in the mix in the high jump, while Toomey-Stout and Lund-Olsen are at the forefront in the long jump and triple jump.

Jakobi Baumann, a sub-district champ in the 100 hurdles last season, will be clearing the obstacles again, with Peterson and Burnett sailing through the air in the pole vault.

Track opens its season Mar. 14 at the Oak Harbor Jamboree, and Coupeville hosts three meets this season, its most in years.

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Back on Track: Girls Glide

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on March 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Raven Vick fires the javelin during the sunny, but chilly, first days of Coupeville High School track and field practice. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mallory Kortuem (left) and Maya Toomey-Stout seek a third-straight trip to state.

They’re ready to rock.

Led by two school record holders, the Coupeville High School girls track squad is primed for success in the new season, individually and as a team.

The headliners are senior Lindsey Roberts, and juniors Maya Toomey-Stout and Mallory Kortuem, but the Wolves have exciting athletes up and down the roster.

Roberts and fellow senior Emma Smith top a list of nine returning letter winners, with juniors Ja’Tarya Hoskins, Raven Vick, Kortuem, Willow Vick, Toomey-Stout, and Lucy Sandahl and sophomore Catherine Lhamon rounding out that list.

Toss in promising freshmen like Alana Mihill and Ja’Kenya Hoskins, and life is good for CHS coach Randy King.

“We got off to an excellent start this week, and while it was a bit on the cold side, we are out and running!,” he said. “This first week they have proven to be a fun group with good leadership and a great positive vibe.”

Roberts, by virtue of her past body of work, including a school record in the 100 hurdles, earns the biggest spotlight.

A five-time state meet medalist, including a 2nd place finish in the hurdles as a junior, Lou has brought hardware home after every one of her three trips to the state championships.

As she enters her senior season, Roberts is hot on the heels of Makana Stone (seven medals) and Natasha Bamberger (six), the only Wolf girls to have claimed more state meet success.

Kortuem, who shattered the school record in the pole vault last season, and Toomey-Stout, have both been to state twice, winning 5th place medals as part of a relay team their freshmen seasons.

“On the running side for the girls, we return three girls who have been to state each year,” King said. “They have had a lot of success and are all capable between 100 and 400 and are anxious to compete.”

Ashlie Shank, who ran a leg on two relay teams (4 x 100 and 4 x 200) which went to state last season, is in a different state after a family move, so the hunt for a fourth relay runner is on King’s mind.

“It is hard to say at this time who a fourth participant on relays will be and what distance we will be best at!,” he said. “So far it looks like it will be one of the Hoskins girls.

“Ja’Tarya and Ja’Kenya have both shown good speed in practice so far, and so it looks like we will have five girls sprinters.”

The battlin’ Vick sisters will also be busy, with Willow the team’s top high jumper, and Raven out in front in the javelin, having hit almost 90 feet as a sophomore.

While the Wolf boys have no distance runners, the girls are upholding their school’s long and hallowed tradition in the events.

Lhamon, coming off a strong cross country season, and Sandahl are back for year two in the 1600 and 3200, while Mihill and Makaela Labrador join them.

While the sprinters and relay runners have the most state meet experience, senior thrower Emma Smith could soon join them in making the trip to Cheney.

A standout in volleyball, she has consistently improved her distances in each previous season, coming dangerously close to qualifying for state. This year could be her year, said her coach.

“We have a lot of potential in this area,” King said. “Emma has really worked on her strength and appears set to make significant improvements in shot and discus.”

Smith and her teammates open the season Mar. 14 at the Oak Harbor Jamboree, then host the first of three home meets Mar. 21.

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Seven days and counting

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Softball, Track, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2019| Leave a Comment »

“So, we meet again, my old friend!” (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The CHS varsity softball squad, ready to take aim at nabbing a second-straight league title.

Eryn Wood limbers up her tennis elbows.

If this prairie spring plays out like most of the ones before it, this is the final time the Wolf JV sluggers will see the sun.

You shoot, Wolf goalie Dewitt Cole denies you. The circle of life.

Wolf netters throw down an old-fashioned gun show.

Chelsea Prescott comes up firing.

Megan Behan gets ready to launch her javelin into the (surprisingly sunny) sky.

One week until the games count.

Next Saturday, Mar. 9, brings with it the first regular season spring sports clash for Coupeville High School.

Chimacum is the foe, boys soccer is the game, and it all goes down starting at 12:30 PM at Mickey Clark Field.

After that, softball, track and field, baseball, and girls tennis will get going, and, before you know it, spring sports will be in full swing.

In the week to come, we’ll be running preview stories for all five programs.

I can’t tell you what order those articles will run, because it all depends on which coaches answer their questions first.

So, a little suspense.

As we take bets to see which CHS spring boss is first to finish their survey, and which ones waits until the final moments, some more pics from recent practices.

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Support peace, love, and Maia Sparkman

Posted in Fundraisers, tagged , , , , , on February 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Maia Sparkman, seen during her high school track days, sets off for Zambia in April to join the Peace Corps. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Maia Sparkman is one of the great ones.

She was a phenomenal athlete, both at South Whidbey High School and then at Seattle University.

As a Falcon, she was a standout on the soccer pitch and a state meet medal-winning supernova in track and field, the sport she continued to pursue in college.

Now, during her prep days, I was much more combative with those who lived on the South end of the Island.

There was a moment, though, after finally listening to people wiser than myself, that I started reaching out to Falcon Nation with an olive branch, instead of swinging my computer keyboard wildly to and fro.

During that time, I wrote several feature stories on South Whidbey athletes, and Maia, showing her grace, agreed to be the first Falcon I wrote about.

In her answers to my questions, she showed herself to be highly-intelligent, very-focused, and a young woman with immense potential.

Maia didn’t have to talk to me, but she did, and I greatly appreciated it, both then and now.

Thursday night, one of my favorite former Coupeville athletes, Haley Sherman, posted a link to a GoFundMe for Maia, and, being curious, I popped over to check it out.

Once there, I discovered Ms. Sparkman has joined the Peace Corps and is off to Zambia in April to kick off a two-year adventure.

I also found that, after working two jobs after college to build up savings, she unfortunately fell prey to a scam which gutted those savings.

Her family and friends have come together to try and help Maia get back on her feet financially, and I hope the mission blossoms.

This young woman is one of the best and brightest Whidbey Island has produced during my time running Coupeville Sports, and how can you not want her to succeed when her goal in life is simply to help others?

So, take a moment, pop over to the link below to get more facts, and, if you can, hopefully help Maia, with financial aid, positive messages, or both.

 

https://www.gofundme.com/support-maia

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