Sports - High Schools

POSTED: Saturday, May. 16, 2009

PREP TRACK: Meridian dominates 1A meet

LYNDEN - Meridian's Nathan Oliphant is especially grateful he finally gave track and field a try as a senior.

Nooksack Valley sophomore Allison Johnson is shocked at her success after competing in her first individual sport.

Meridian's Alicia Wolf is gratified by knowing she has emerged as a three-event sprinter as a sophomore.

There was no lack of storylines as Meridian's boys and girls swept to the titles of the four-team Class 1A Northwest Sub-District Meet on Friday, May 15, at Lynden Christian High School.

"I was always so tired after football and wrestling," said Oliphant, who won the 200-meter dash in 23.34 seconds and took the 400 in 52.92, both personal bests. "Now I wish I'd competed in track all four years. If I go to a community college for wrestling, I'm going to look into track, too.

"Now I'd tell any kid to listen to the coaches and go out for track," said Oliphant, who like all athletes in the top two finishers will advance to the Tri-District Meet on Thursday, May 21, and Saturday, May 23, at King's in Shoreline. Others may go on an at-large basis.

Johnson, who showed promise in varsity volleyball and basketball this school year, said she shocked herself by winning the discus in 121 feet, 7 inches, an improvement of a whopping 13 feet, 5 inches.

"I think that will rank her second on the state 1A list," said Nooksack girls' coach Justin Bronn. "I'm not surprised. Allison is one of those kids who will just keep getting better. Eventually, she's going to set her own limits."

"Oh, I remember my first meet when I threw only 81 feet in March," said Johnson. "So I'm very shocked I've reached 121-7. It's amazing I've come this far, but I love it. I'm not a very confident person, so I feel I owe our coaches a lot. I'm glad I tried track."

Wolf is dubbed Bambi by her teammates because "she runs like a deer," as some of them put it. She lived up to her nickname while claiming all three sprints in impressive personal bests - the 100 in 12.93 seconds, the 200 in 26.59 and the 400 in 60.23.

"I've run the 100 only four or five times this year and I did it only once last year," said Wolf, who is one of the league's fastest soccer players and started as a sophomore. "I've always thought of myself as a 400 runner, not a real sprinter.

"But if I'm not in more than one relay, I'd love to run all three at state," Wolf said. "But I like the relays a lot, and whatever the team needs is fine with me. I like it better in the 400 when I have someone to chase."

Wolf wasn't the only triple winner. Nooksack Valley junior Bailey De Bruin took the 800 in a personal best 2:36.65, the 1,600 in 5:37.3 and the 3,200 two days earlier in 12:04.92.

"I was disappointed I didn't run a PR in the 1,600 meters," DeBruin said. "I really wanted to break 5:30, but I was alone out in front. I'm working toward running both cross country and track in college."

Meridian's Max Crook, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound football player who competed at a half-dozen spots on offense and defense as a senior after playing quarterback as a junior, now feels his athletic future in is track and field, too.

Crook won the shot put in a personal-best 50-8 and took the javelin in a season-best 165-11.

"I've gotten several college letters about track and I realize that's my sport now," said Crook. "I've never placed in the state meet, so I'm really shooting for that. I'd love to go in three events (he also was second in the discus and third in the 100)."

In the 15 individual boys' events, 10 non-seniors won, including double victories by Nooksack Valley junior Anthony Reese in the hurdles, Lynden Christian sophomore Jacob Hollander in the 800 (a best of 2:01.10) and the 1,600, and LC sophomore Simon Vlas in the long jump and triple jump. LC junior Chris Johnson ran a personal best 11.68 to win the 100 and Nooksack sophomore Oliver Bear Don't Walk claimed the 3,200.

Vlas logged three consecutive personal bests in the long jump, all over 19 feet, and won at 19-6.

LC senior Zach Blok tied his school record while winning the high jump at 6-23/4. But other than Crook and Blok, it was all youth in the field with LC sophomore Joey Spoelstra taking the discus at a personal best 147-2 and junior teammate Chris VandenBos matching his best with a 12-0 pole vault to go with Vlas' double.

In addition to Wolf, De Bruin and Johnson, the other non-senior girls' champions were Meridian sophomore Naomi Eissinger in the 300 hurdles and LC freshman Katie VandenBos in the pole vault. Meridian senior Anna Fast doubled in the long and triple jumps and Nooksack Valley seniors Melissa Burke and Noelani Bumatay claimed the discus and shot, respectively.

Nooksack's girls claimed seven of the top nine spots in the three throws.

Vlas said he'd like to take a shot at all three jumps after Blok graduates.

"I'd like to do the high jump next year," said Vlas, who dreams of someday qualifying for state in all three jumps. "I really like having competition."

Reese came close to his best in both hurdles. "I've been working hard and I feel there's a lot left in me," he said. "I really feel my best times this season are still to come."

Meridian's boys scored 97 points to beat LC by 19 points. Meridian's girls amassed 102 points for a 23-point edge over Nooksack Valley.

BOYS

CLASS 1A SUB-DISTRICT MEET

At Lynden Christian

Team scores: Meridian 97, Lynden Christian 78, Nooksack Valley 69, Friday Harbor 17

100: Chris Johnson (LC) 11.68; Skyler Ferry (M) 11.78; 200: Nathan Oliphant (M) 23.34; Chris Johnson (LC) 24.00; 400: Oliphant (M) 52.92, Cody Heeringa (LC) 54.32; 800: Jacob Hollander (LC) 2:01.10, Otto Schmidt (FH) 2:04.17; 1,600: Hollander (LC) 4:35.97; Oliver Bear Don't Walk (NV) 4:36.66; 3,200: Bear Don't Walk (NV) 10:10.39, 2. Schmidt (F) 10:35.59; 100 hurdles: Anthony Reese (NV) 16.30, Travis Ableman (M) 18.30; 300 hurdles: Reese (NV) 42.58, Tyler Perry (NV) 44.44; 4x100 relay: Meridian (Mike Ryan, Oliphant, Ferrry, fourth runner unlisted) 45.27, LC (Zach Blok, Derek DeMann, David Griess, Chris Johnson) 45.52; 4x400 relay: LC (Blok, Griess, Hollander, Heeringa) 3:39.08, Nooksack (Jared Birkett, Reese, Jordan Van Dyken, Bear Don't Walk 3:46.67; High jump: Blok (LC) 6-2 3/4, Ableman (M) 5-2; Long jump: Simon Vlas (LC) 19-6, Oliphant (M) 19-1; Triple jump: Vlas (LC) 38-8, Marcus Crandall 37-3 1/4; Shot put: Crook (M) 50-8, Jessie Salmonson (V) 45-6 1/2; Discus: Joey Spoelstra (LC) 147-2, Crook (M) 136-2; Javelin: Crook (M) 165-11, Salmonson (NV) 160-6; Pole vault: Chris VandenBos (LC) 12-0, Tyler Perry (NV) 11-0.

GIRLS

CLASS 1A SUB-DISTRICT MEET

At Lynden Christian

Team scores: Meridian 102, Nooksack Valley 79, Lynden Christian 59, Friday Harbor 22

100: Alicia Wolf (M) 12.93, Emily Byrum (M) 13.61; 200: Wolf (M) 26.59, Alexa Vander Meulen (LC) 28.26; 400: Wolf (M) 60.23, Aimee Hofbauer (M) 67.64; Bailey DeBruin (NV) 2:36.65, Carla Widman (M) 2:38.48; 1,600: DeBruin (NV) 5:37.00, Widman (M) 5:44.35; 3,200: DeBruin (NV) 12:04.92, Widman (M) 12:23.26; 100 hurdles: Alex Hull (M) 17.18, Kia Johns (FH) 18.05; 300 hurdles: Naomi Eissinger (M) 50.16, Haley Hull (M) 52.34; 4x100 relay: LC (Tessa De Boer, Ashlee Garcia, Rachel Griess, Alexa Vander Meulen 53.19, Meridian (Randi Donahue, Eissinger, Alex Hull ,Diana Horgen) 53.33; 4x200 relay: Meridian (Heather Rexroat, Anna Fast, Wolf, Eissinger) 1:50.54; LC (Kaitlyn Brown, Emily Buist, Chelsea Whitener, Demi De Boer) 2:01.74; 4x400 relay: Meridian (Donahue, Haley Hull, Eissinger, Hofbauer) 4:28.40; LC (Whitener, Griess, Garcia, Vander Meulen) 4:29.44; High jump: Christine Grosjacques (FH) 4-8, Tesse DeBoer (LC) 4-8; Long jump: Fast (M) 15-91/2, Kayla Short (FH) 15-71/2 ; Triple jump: Fast (M) 33-91/2, Byrum (M) 30-3; Shot put: Noelani Bumatay (NV) 37-1, Danelle Himango (NV) 36-9 1/2;; Discus: Allison Johnson (NV) 121-7, Himango (NV) 114-5; Javelin: Melissa Burke (NV) 108-0, Short (FH) 107-1; Pole vault: Katie VandenBos (LC) 8-0, no second.