Vikings set to pillage the track in the post-season

Published 11:37 am Wednesday, May 7, 2008

POULSBO — North Kitsap hosted its final home meet on Friday, which resulted in multiple highlights on and off the track and field.

Lincoln, Central Kitsap and Foss high schools made the trip to the North Kitsap Stadium for some quality competition and relationship building.

“The first highlight was the team bonding,” said head girl’s coach Lee Hodin. “At the end we had a barbecue with Central Kitsap and that was pretty special.”

Competition-wise, the Vikes’ performances were on the mark.

Four athletes: Alexander Cook, Jared Wartman, Nathaniel Reeves and Todd Pedersen, completed the quad-stacker, which consisted of running the 800-meter, 1600, 3200 and a leg of the 4×400-relay.

“That’s almost four miles of running on the track,” Hodin said. “Alexander (a freshman) was an animal out there.”

Among the other boy’s highlights are the performances of the Reedy brothers, sophomore Tabor and senior Ray.

Ray broke the 10-minute mark in the 3200, which Hodin said is pretty impressive. Ray ran the 3200 in 9 minutes, 59.8 seconds.

But more than that Ray kept his time within one second of standout CK runner Shane Moskowitz.

“Ray ran pretty well with Shane, it was pretty impressive,” Hodin said.

Hodin said Moskowitz is a runner to beat, which usually doesn’t happen. But it did on Friday — after the competition.

“My kids took him (Moskowitz) down in handball after the meet. We got Shane in something,” he said.

Heading into the Narrows League Championship meet, Ray holds the second fastest 800 time, 1:59.9, and the sixth fastest 3200 time, 9:59.8.

Tabor, not to be outperformed by his older sibling, ran a five-second personal best in the 1600, with a time of 4:45.7. Tabor finished the race in second place.

“He’s having just a fantastic year for a sophomore,” Hodin said. “He’s just so mature these days.”

Hodin also said Tabor’s performance in the 3200 the week before motivated Ray to run a faster 3200 on Friday. Tabor’s top 3200 time is 10:10, which was faster than Ray’s heading into Friday’s competition.

“It’s a good little sibling rivalry there,” Hodin said.

The NK lady tracksters also had performances to be proud of, namely Taylor Ottomano in the high jump. Ottomano had a huge jump of 4 feet, 10 inches, which is a half-foot higher than her previous jumps.

“She just popped one,” Hodin said. “She did great.”

The Narrows League Championship meet is today and Friday at South Kitsap. North has a handful of athletes who are among the top in the league.

But the Vikes need to be at their best, as only the top six advance to districts.

Sophomore distance star Hilary Leonard is currently No. 7 in the 1600, 5:15.56, and 3200, 11:43.84, and she has a good chance at advancing if she has the stamina, Hodin said.

“When her energy is high she runs extremely well,” he said. “We just need to make sure she’s energized.”

Sophomore sprinter Siara Byers is another Viking hopeful. Byers claims the fifth fastest 100 time, 12.83, and the sixth fastest 200 time, 26.20. Sophomore pole vaulter Glenn Runnels is in a Narrows League four-way tie for third, with a height of 12 feet, and junior Michelle Lloyd, who made the trip to state last year is No. 3 in the javelin with a throw of 109 feet.

“We look pretty good on paper,” Hodin said.