State returners will spark teams

Joe Everson Correspondent Correspondent Mike Boyle contributed to

Some good ones are gone when it comes to high school track and field on the North Side this season, but coaches and fans won't have to look too far to see where points - and perhaps state meet competitors - will come from.

Mt. Spokane's girls, for example, finished sixth in the state 4A meet, only three points out of fourth, and the Wildcats return a bundle of state points, including those from sophomore Megan O'Reilly, state 3,200-meter champion and third in the 1,600.

Rogers returns junior 400-meter champion Becca Noble, and on the boys side, Mead has senior Evan Garber, first in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600, and junior Laef Barnes, third in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600.

In the 2A ranks, Deer Park junior Katie Campbell was third in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state meet.

Shadle Park boys

"We've got plenty of weapons," said boys and girls coach Ivan Corley. "We've just got to spread them out, and keep 'em healthy. By midyear, we hope that lots of our 2-3-4 finishers really improve. One thing for sure, if you compete for Shadle Park, you'll be busy."

Indeed, almost all Corley's athletes will compete in multiple events, including returning all-GSL competitor Jared Bjerkestrand, a senior who'll enter the jumps and hurdles, junior Bryan Braman in the jumps, sprints, throws and relays, and sophomore Mitch Kamstra in the throws, jumps, sprints and relays.

Distance runners include senior Curtis Kincaid, juniors Mark Moeller and Kenny Nuehs and freshman Peter Miller. Juniors Drew Donovan, Greg Purvine and Chaz Faggiano and sophomore Josh Landsverk will throw, and seniors Keegan Millican and Malik Martin, junior Sean Andersen and sophomore Corey Millican give the Highlanders depth in the jumps.

Martin and Andersen will join juniors Jon Townsend and Dan Hearron in the sprints and relays, Millican will also hurdle and juniors John Pariseau and Matt Zacher are SP's top pole vaulters.

Mt. Spokane boys

At Mt. Spokane, numbers are up, but many of coach Craig Deitz's newcomers are raw, he said, without much competitive experience. "We have a lot of guys looking to find their niche," he said, "but we finished second at the Clarkston Invitational and should be very competitive in the GSL."

Deitz has three returning regional competitors, two of them in the hurdles. Junior Adam Barkley recorded a personal record 41.24 in the 300 meter event, while junior Tim Burton ran a 15.3 in the 110 highs. Senior Travis Hartanov is back in the distances, where he had a 4:21 1,600 meter time and ran 9:33.6 in the 3,200.

Other competitors include senior Mike Bartle, juniors Jesse Todd and Dane Ziegler and sophomores Skylar Powell and Tim Naylor in the throws. Distancemen are Deitz's son Jacob, a senior, in the distances along with senior Ryan Platz, junior Joe Miller and sophomore Justin Farris.

Sprinters are seniors Eric Miller, Anonie Nsigiyende and Brandon Salibio. Senior Stewart Ramsey and sophomore Tyler Sutherland will pole vault and senior Kurt Salquist is the Wildcats' top jumper.

Mead boys

The Panthers squad is huge, and coach John Mires gives varsity exposure to as many athletes as possible, limiting field event competitors, for example, to only one event in most cases. Besides Barnes and Garber, Mead has early season state leaders in sophomore Sklyar Jessen (10.9 100 meters) and senior pole vaulter Ryan Spinelli (15 feet).

Distance runners include Mario Abata, Andrew Blumel, Kelvin Daratha, Steven Gimpel, Steve Michels, Taylor Nepon, Brian and David Palmer, John Proen, Josh Seely and Andy Seymore. Sprinters are Travis Aerts, Nick Proen, David Richards and Andrew Rollinger. Hurdlers are Kevin Baker, Jeremy Hall, Joel Kosoff, Scott McKenney, Brock Sherwood and Grant Silver.

Throwers include Drew Bufaro, Rees Boyer, Peter Clark, Cody Dvorak, Ryan Loncosty, Bryan Lynch, Jay Manley, Tony Moser, Brent Reser, John Phelps, Paul Senescail, Steve Wallin and Jesse Wilhelm.

Jumpers are Zach Brandt, Jeremy Brett, Trevor Butters, Brandon Daubhel, Kenny Gagnon, Nick Harter, Scott Pfursich, Devin Johnson, Shawn Lembcke, Zack Nichols and Evan Tewel. Pole vaulters are Andrew Alton, Luke Hattrup and Bron Shelton.

North Central boys

The Indians are strong in the distances, sprints, relays and pole vault and will have depth in most events with numbers that may be the largest in NC history, according to coach Kelly Walters. "We have a pretty solid team, but with a few holes to fill. If we stay healthy, we could be very competitive," he said.

In the vault, NC has two competitors over 13 feet, including senior all-GSL second-teamer Mike Uhlenkott, who has gone 15 and was third at state last spring, and junior Mark Simpson.

The distance events will include 2003 district qualifier Luke Graesser, state cross-country qualifier Nick Siebert (with a 4:31 1,600 already this season), junior Chad Florian, fifth in the 800 regionals last spring, junior varsity 3,200 champion Caleb Jahay and freshman phenom Andrew Scott. Top throwers are Zach Achziger, Caleb Thurman and Matt Gallagher, sprinters include district qualifiers Kevin Todd and Uhlenkott, and high jumper Shane Thomas was a districtqualifying high jumper last season. Simpson and Andrew Campbell will lead the way in the hurdles.

Rogers boys

The Pirates are young, but their numbers are up and coach Steve Manfred is encouraged about the future. "We have some good athletes among our freshmen, and we'll have more depth than we had last year."

Manfred will need production from a large and versatile group of sprinters, which includes seniors Eric Anderson, Khan Tran, Mike Oglesbee and John Proctor; junior Nick Calvert; sophomores Steven Amo, Dorian Vaughn and Vinh Tran; and freshmen D.J. Gaines and Sean Adebayo. Several of those will compete in other events, including hurdles and jumps.

Senior Andrew Griffin will hurdle.

Senior Mike Smith, junior Ryan Gustafson, sophomore Tom Van Haverbeke and freshman Steve McConnell are the distance crew. Throwers include senior Matt Meyers and Kevin Duvall, juniors Cory York (regionals in the javelin last spring) and Andy Fox and freshman Mike Smith.

Vaulters are junior Cody Driver and brothers A.J. Weilliver, a sophomore, and Bud Weilliver, a freshman.

Gonzaga Prep boys

Gonzaga Prep finished fourth in the GSL last season, taking the last berth in the end of the season championship meet, and is hoping to do so again behind senior jumper and sprinter Marcus Miller. Miller, who went to state last year in both the long and high jumps, also scored the best time in the 100 meters during the regular season last year at 10.8 seconds. He will be counted on to lead the Bullpups in all three events again this year, as well as the 4x100 relay.

"He's an amazing leader," said head coach Paul Manfred. "It doesn't just happen with his results. It happens in the workouts and his work ethic is unmatched."

Junior Michael Skansgaard, who went to state last year in the 800, will also be counted on in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters this season. Senior Tim Struss will lead the Bullpups in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, while junior Eric Sherman in the javelin and senior Chris Kuhar-Pitters in the shot put and discus will be counted on in those throwing events. Junior Brandon Kennedy will look to pick up where his brother Gerald left off in the triple jump.

Lakeside boys

"Our boys are young," said coach Jim Pettet, "but our numbers are great, and we hope to send several of the guys to the state meet."

Sophomore sprinter Mark Farmer made it to the state 2A meet last spring. Pettet thinks the top candidates to join him in a return trip are junior pole vaulter Justin Dibble, sophomore hurdler Britten Ferguson and sophomore thrower Kahel Smith.

His distance group includes senior leader Josh Brown, senior Andrew Myers, junior Mitch Ellithorpe, sophomores Tristan Anderson and Andrew Moe and freshman David Scott. A big group of throwers includes junior Bret Gervais, sophomore Logan Maggio and freshman Duanne Carr.

Freshman Deron Duncan will sprint and senior Michael Gilbert, singled out by Pettet for his hard work, will high jump and sprint.

Deer Park boys

The Stags' roster includes six juniors, all of whom will compete in multiple events. Anthony Raftis and Matt Perry placed third and fourth in district last year in the intermediate hurdles and will also sprint. Tony Buynak will compete in all three throwing events.

Chris Herrington will sprint, jump and throw the javelin, Alex Roberts will jump and sprint and Andy Mendez will run distances and throw the javelin. Sophomore Thomas Ferry and freshman Mitch Duncan will sprint and jump.

"We sent seven athletes to state (boys and girls) off a small roster last year," said coach April Meissner, "and we expect to do the same, if not better, this year."

Riverside boys

The Rams have two district champion state veterans back this year, both seniors. Saul Hansen finished fourth in both the 1,600 and 3,200 last spring, while John Nave, also outstanding in the discus, competed in the shot. Coach Brad Nave said that both are off to a strong start this season.

"We're a little short on numbers this season," said Nave, "but I think we'll make up for it with quality athletes in almost all areas. Depth will be our biggest problem."

He hopes to get points in the distance events from seniors Adam Brg and James Cummins, junior Aaron Glaesemann and sophomore Jesse Yarber.

Seniors Kristian Jellison and Kyle Krahn and junior Mike Stitt should contribute in the throws, junior Jeff Deuchler in the jumps and sophomore Josh Crites and Jellison in the sprints.

Northwest Christian boys

The Crusaders, who finished second to Freeman in the Northeast A last year and then finished ninth at state, will be challenged by the losses of two key contributors from that team. Northwest Christian will have senior Steve Vandenberg back, though. Vandenberg finished second at state last year in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and will hope to take home both crowns this season.

"Steve's one of those athletes that transcends any class," said head coach John Dotson. "He can compete at any level. He will be one of the top five 1,600 runners on this side of the state."

Junior newcomer Eric Schmitz will lead the Crusaders in the sprints, running the 100 and 200 meters, as well as the 110 and 300 hurdles. Juniors Jake Williams and Nick Winters will head up the discus and shot put, while sophomores Warren Carter and Garrett Brown will lead the long and triple jumps.

Mt. Spokane girls

The Wildcats are loaded, with depth in almost every event, experience, and a number of quality newcomers as well. "I feel pretty good about this group," said Annette Pedersen, last year's GSL 4A coach of the year. "We have great potential, with a lot of kids who can do some really good things."

O'Reilly, of course, leads the way, but Mt. Spokane has other state veterans: senior sprinter Maria Johnson, who's been there three times; sophomore high jumper Janie Rasmussen; and senior Ashley Williamson, sixth in the state javelin a year ago. The Wildcats certainly have numbers. Sophomores Staci Hryniewicz and Mallory Barnes and freshman Katie Pascal are sprinters. In the hurdles, senior Heather Strong is joined by sophomore Leah Pomante and freshman Samantha Patrick. Jumpers besides Rasmussen are seniors Kristen Schneidmiller (regionals last year) and Whitney Patrick, sophomores Bri Woodworth and Chelsi Rife and freshman Katelan Redmon.

Juniors Shiloh Deitz and Jenny Smith, sophomore Gillian Keller and freshmen Jessica Klier and Alyssa VanNoy join O'Reilly in the distances. Sophomores Erica Ziegler (regionals) and Anna Lahde and freshmen Jordan Roskelley and Mariah Caldwell will vault. A strong group of throwers includes senior Emily Ryser (regionals), juniors Jenna Sicilia, Charlee Jackson and Denali Tusto and freshmen Samantha Damiano, Amanda Mollison and Monica Whitehead.

Rogers girls

Besides Noble, coach Chris Caviness has two other state meet veterans. Senior Cassidy Caldwell was sixth in the pole vault and senior Emily Dahl finished tenth in the high hurdles. Noble, stronger and more experienced, will also run the 800 this season after a ninth- place finish at the state cross country meet. Dahl will hurdle and high jump, and Caldwell will long jump as well as vault.

Junior Danielle Lewis will be the Pirates' top sprinter, with freshman Lindsey Anderson and junior Krystal Crawford in the 400. Junior Sarah Best and sophomore Sarah Peterson will double up in the distance events. Junior Alyssa Anderson will high jump and pole vault.

Senior Rhonda Hill will long and triple jump, sophomore Hailie Bodman will jump and pole vault, joined by freshman Karolyn Graham in the latter event. Rogers' top thrower, in all three events, is Mandy Martin, with freshmen Cara Meyers and Rebecca McCord providing depth there.

"We have a small team," said Caviness, "but with some extremely good athletes."

Shadle Park girls

Corley also likes the depth of his girls' squad: "We have great league- meet depth, a number of real quality kids. I think that the girls team will be very competitive in the GSL."

Senior Holly Ridings may be most versatile Highlander, competing in the throws, jumps, sprints and relays.

Junior Catie Schuetzle is another multievent athlete, in the jumps, sprints and relays. Senior Brie Knuttgen will be in the hurdles and jumps, junior Reannan Ortman will throw and jump, and freshman Lexi Bishop will jump, sprint and run the relays.

Senior Rachelle Boquist is SP's top distance runner, followed by sophomores Cami Nelson, Danielle Slaughter, Joelle Mockel and Katie Sides. Juniors Raney Kulp, Ali Bjerkestrand, Anna Stevens and Kendra Gardner and sophomore McKenzie Kulp will throw.

Senior Brandi Stevenson is another jumper and will also sprint. Seniors Crystal Pointek and Amanda Chortier and sophomores Renee Before and Rachel Matthews are additional sprinters. Bjerkestrand will also run the hurdles, and juniors Alis Tortorelli, Roxy White and Amanda Jacobs and sophomore Shay Suits will pole vault.

Mead girls

The Panthers have great senior leadership, says coach Dori Robertson, and several returning regional and state 4A competitors. "I think we'll be a good team this year," she said, but so will everyone else in the GSL."

Junior Corissa Hutchinson was sixth at state in the shot put last season and was also all-GSL in the discus. Senior Cassie Moore went to regionals in both hurdles events and competed at state in the highs. Other regional returners include junior sprinter Emily McCarty, senior triple jumper Amanda Merrell, senior distance runner Janelle Probst, sophomore Mara Ryan in the 400, junior Becca Taylor in the pole vault and sophomore hurdler Megan Thigpen.

There's depth behind those standouts. In the sprints are seniors Chandra Wallace and Gill Kokot and sophomores Jenny Donovan and Jessica Stebbins. Sophomore Tiffany Brown and freshman Nikki Codd will run the 400. Distance runners include juniors Michelle Hegg, Katie Compogno, Allie Hatcher and Tami Fayant, sophomores Ryan Torpie and Brittany Garrett and freshman Lexi and Alli Price.

Frosh Jordan Isitt and Samina Quidwai will hurdle. Additional jumpers are juniors Stacy Blodnick and Dana Giffen, Thigpen, and freshman Jenae Brett. Pole vaulters are junior Taylor and freshman Dana Giffen, while throwers include freshmen Ashley Hutchinson, Lindsay Breshears and Jessica Mires and junior Sarah Thomas.

North Central girls

The Indians are particularly strong in the throwing events, where they have four returning district qualifiers, including juniors Lucy Carlson, Jessica Susemiehl and Shantel Haugen and sophomore Ashlee Michelson.

Juniors Stephanie Whittaker and Whitney Ramsey both competed in the 4A regionals last spring, and they will join freshman Mary Graesser in the distances. Sophomore Anna Walters, another regionals competitor, is NC's top sprinter along with senior Jenna Tamura. A young crew of jumpers - only Richele Root is a senior - includes sophomores Alie Hansen, Mallorie Frieske and Brianna Graybeal and freshman Amanda Eyrich. Pole vaulters are junior Bobbi Hickman and sophomores Lindsay Giampetri and Kendall Mays.

"I'm really optimistic about our possibilities this year," said coach Darren Nelson. "We're thankful to have such a good combination of talent and personality. As always, our goal is to compete for a spot in the GSL championship meet."

Riverside girls

The Rams have seven returning state 2A veterans. Junior Tracy Bowen placed fourth in the 3,200 and seventh in the 1,600 and ran on the 4X400 relay team. Junior Angela Hartill placed sixth in the shot put in her first year of competition.

Senior Amanda Boblick competed in the 200 and 1,600 relay, sophomore Felicia Clark ran on the same relay team, senior Jennifer Nagy was in the long and triple jumps, senior Tirzah Spackman competed in the pole vault and senior Natalie Wilson in the 1,600 relay.

Coach Brad Nave is also expecting production this season from senior Tracy Pederson, junior Meagan Christian, sophomores Jalessa Bond, Julie Kemp and Amber Scott, and freshmen Sara Sweeney and Mariah Hansen.

"We are better balanced than we've been in several years," said Nave, "and we have quality athletes in a variety of events. We lack depth in some events, but overall our numbers are good."

Lakeside girls

The Eagles also have a number of state veterans. Senior Erika Cummings placed third in the discus, while other state returners are sophomore Charlie Brinkman, senior Katrina Novak and juniors Tiffany Thain and Crystal Novak. Sophs Erin Dunn and Amy Durrance ran the relay at state.

"We're very young," said coach Jim Pettet, "but we're very competitive. We're especially strong in the throws, hurdles and sprints, but our other events are improving daily."

Brinkman, Dunn, Novak, Thain, sophomore Kellie Cummings and freshmen Magen Warlick and Richelle Collins give the Eagles a deep corps of sprinters. Erika Cummings leads the way in the throws, joined by sophomores Kelsey Stillar and Sarah Sylvester.

Durrance, seniors Katie Salisbury and Ashley Mondrick and sophomore Haley Russell run the distances. Senior Katrina Walker is an outstanding pole valuter.

Deer Park girls

Sophomores Mackenzie Johnson, in the high jump and high hurdles, and Melanie Goulette, in the triple jump, were also state competitors and along with Campbell will need to post big numbers for Meissner's smallish squad.

The Stags' roster also includes junior thrower Shauneen Palmer, sophomore distance runner and hurdler Carolyn Gray and freshmen Ashley Verzal and Chelsea Howerton.

"Each individual is going to be doing three or four events per meet," said Meissner.

Gonzaga Prep girls

The Bullpups are hopeful to improve on last season's ninth-place finish in the GSL and will rely on a young team to do so this year.

"They want to do better than they did last year," said head coach Joe Feryn. "They are excited about competing and are mentally tough."

Junior sprinter Alex Butler, who took seventh at state in the 100 meters last season, is back. She will run the 100, 200, 400, and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, as well as high jump. Sophomore Corrina O'Brien, who took fourth in the state in the 800 as a freshman, will also run the 200, 400, 1,600 and both relays this season. Junior Jenna Migliuri will run the 100 and 300 hurdles, as well as pole vault. Freshmen Katie Mackin and Justine Parry will join Migliuri in the hurdles, and run relays. Seniors Chelsy Skaw and Seanna Mullen add depth in the sprints and relays, while sophomore Danielle Byrne and freshman Marissa Syhlman will also run the 100, 200, 400 and both relays.

Junior Maddie Duvanich leads the Bullpups in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. Sophomore Erica Chaney will throw the shot put, discus and javelin, and junior Ashley Magee will also throw the shot and discus.

Northwest Christian girls

The Crusaders finished second to Freeman in the Northeast A League last season and will look to push the Scotties again behind senior Kaliegha Ramey. Ramey will run the 200 and 400 meter runs this season as well as long jump for Northwest Christian. Junior Jessica McFall will run the 100, 200 and 400 and 100 and 300 hurdles, while freshman Tealah Sampson will help out in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.

Juniors Sarah Huffman and Elizabeth Beaulieu will pace the Crusaders in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. Junior Sarah Fairburn leads Northwest Christian's field events in the discus and shot put, and senior Samantha Miller will pace the long and triple jumps.

"The thing about our top girls is that they're getting stronger," said coach John Dotson. "I think we can be a good strong second in the league. We're going to have to work hard for that. We don't the depth that a Freeman has. We have some good runners, but we don't have, like Steve (Vandenberg), one that we can build a team around."

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