Well stacked-track uses quantity, quality

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, May 4, 2005

POULSBO — North Kitsap track coach Joan Starr was pleased with the number of high finishes by Viking athletes at North Kitsap’s first home meet April 28. But she’s equally as happy about the quality as she is about the quantity.

“There’s a lot of purple and gold running out there,” she said of the meet. “That to me is the most exciting.”

For example, North entered 15 athletes in the boys’ 1-mile event, and another 14 ran the 800. While the season winds down and individual accomplishments will become more showcased as state approaches, gaining team victories doesn’t hurt the squad’s confidence, she added.

Last Thursday was also the first time in a number of years North Kitsap High School had hosted a four-way meet, bringing in Foss, Bremerton and Mount Tahoma.

North beat all teams on both sides, winning in the boys’ events with 88 points, compared to Bremerton’s 48, MT’s 82 and Foss’ 45. The girls won easily as well, getting a 103 score, with MT coming in second with 91, Bremerton with 46 and Foss with 29.

The track team has two last regular season meets left, at home versus Gig Harbor and Central Kitsap Thursday and at Shelton Saturday, before the Narrows’ Bridge Division meet May 11.

There were many highlights on the day, including:

Javelin defending state champion Ryan Young threw his best of the year thus far, getting a 196-feet 1-inch toss and topping his previous personal 2005 record of 195 feet 11 inches, which he attained earlier at the Bremerton Relays.

Young’s prowess in the javelin also transfers to the other throwing events as well. He received a third place finish in the shot put, with a 44-foot 7-and-3/4-inch throw and got second in the discus, with a 145-foot 2-inch toss.

“The technique of javelin is fairly similar to the disc and shot,” said boys’ coach Kaelea Makaiwi-Barreith of how the senior placed top three in all throwing events. “Overall, he’s got those long levers and that makes for good throwers.”

Young wasn’t finished last Thursday, however. He also won the high jump, getting the 5-foot 10-inch mark, undoubtedly utilizing the hops he’s earned on the basketball court as the post player for the Vikings.

North athlete Evan Henry, a jump specialist, has been progressing nicely as well, Makaiwi-Barreith said. He earned an 18-foot 5-and-3/4-inch jump last Thursday.

“His speed has finally come along with his technique,” Makaiwi-Barreith said.

The winner of the long jump is a surprising first year track athlete in Dak Kongella. Kongella nailed an 18-foot 6-inch mark in the event to beat out all others for first place.

On the girls’ side of the throws, state competitor and senior Jennifer Buckner is working her way back to state in her senior year, despite a busy select-volleyball team schedule, Makaiwi-Barreith commented. Buckner had a 32-foot 3-inch mark on the shot put, getting second by only 1 1/2 inches.

About three feet behind was sophomore Jade Niemeyer, who has been helped by Buckner and whom Makaiwi-Barreith said is loaded with potential.

“She’s learning from working with Jen and watching her,” she said. “She has a lot of natural strength, too.”

Another up and comer is junior Chelsie Pruiett, who won the pole vault event Thursday with an 8-foot effort and also took second in the javelin with a 93-foot 3-inch throw.

Combined with Pruiett’s PV win, North swept the event, as North’s Garren Dukes hit 10-feet to get first as well.

Many of North’s runners Thursday were successful in getting in the top three, primarily on the girls’ side. Junior Kari Hoover took first in the 100 meter hurdles with a 17.8. Many track faithful will remember Hoover’s brother, Kolby, who went to state for NK two years ago. Kari Hoover also won the 300 meter hurdles with a 49.7.

North junior Greta Stickney, who went to state in cross country last year and was the only Viking to do so, is looking to make another run to Pasco, this time in spring’s track and field. She won the 1,600 meter run Thursday with a 5:45.6, Starr said, adding that earlier this year Stickney attained a 5:36. She’ll need a 5:35 to qualify for league, Starr added.

Stickney also won the 800 meter run with a 2:36.5.

North sophomore KC Fossum has wasted no time out of the gates in her first year in track, winning two events Thursday — the 400 meter dash (1:02.4) and the high jump (4 feet 8 inches).

For the boys, Kyle Hollenback took an 18.3 in the 110 meter hurdles to place second and Cody Bradwell banked a 4:42.8 time in the 1,600 meter run to also get second.

The key to the longer events is endurance, Starr said. And Bradwell, like many of the North Kitsap boys, brought that aspect into the season due to competing in other sports during the fall and winter.

“The cross country and swimming background had his endurance already there at the start of the season,” she said. “Now these guys can push each other to become stronger and faster.”