MOOSE ON TRACK

PALMER — When Palmer track and field coach Francine Lombard woke up Thursday morning and saw a fresh layer of snow on the ground, she actually did not feel that bad.

“(I thought) snow is not a problem. Tomorrow we get to run in The Dome,” Lombard joked after practice her team’s practice Thursday afternoon.

Palmer will hit The Dome — the mammoth indoor sports facility in South Anchorage — for the fourth time today, and that’s one reason why Lombard and fellow Moose coaches Tim Popowksi and Tyler Cunningham are feeling so good about the potential of the Palmer track and field squad.

“It’s huge,” Lombard said of her team’s ability to compete in The Dome early in the season. “We wouldn’t have competed until probably this week if we hadn’t gotten to go to a Dome meet.”

The Moose hit The Dome for a pair of mini meets in early April and competed in the 36-team Big C Relays last weekend. Lombard said the Palmer coaching staff has been able to see the team’s progress with each trip into Anchorage.

“The first time we really noticed a difference with the Anchorage school kids. They’d been practicing for two or three weeks in The Dome. We’d just been running in the hallways,” Lombard said. “The second time we really noticed a change. The third time at the Big C, it was awesome. The kids really shined. It was fun to see how we stack up with the rest of the state.”

With four meets in The Dome before its first scheduled outdoor meet of the year, a two-day event in Fairbanks next week, Palmer has a jump on the 2010 season. The Moose are also experiencing their best turnout in years. Lombard said there are 72 athletes on the roster, the most Palmer has had on a track and field team in a decade.

“They’re all looking really strong,” Lombard said.

Lombard said that number has been helped by a very strong crop of freshmen. There are also more multi-sport athletes on the team.

Overall, Lombard said there is more depth on the boys’ side, but there’s quality on the girls’ team as well.

Leading the Palmer boys is a group of sprinters that has already reached the top of the podium this season. Chris Forkner, David Clement, Jim McCall and John Scoresby combined to win the 400-meter relay at the Big C meet. Their time of 45.09 seconds is also the best in the state in the event this season. McCall also owns the state’s top mark in the long jump, a leap of 20 feet, 6 inches.

“We definitely are deeper in the sprinters, but overall we have a really balanced team in all events,” Lombard said.

Forkner and Scoresby are among eight members of the boys team who qualified for the state meet last year. Senior Coleman Ahrens, another state qualifier, is also back helping anchor that solid sprint group.

Leading the distance runners is senior Wylie Mangelsdorf, who competed in the state meet in the 1,600 last year. Davis Dunlap is among the top runners in the mid-distance events, Lombard said.

Junior Shane Gardner and sophomore Joe Day have been the top hurdlers so far. Juniors Kyle Schiebe and David Sorenson are leading the Moose throwers.

Lombard said a pair of freshman, Brian Semler and Levi Turner, are showing promise.

Junior Erin LaMere leads a strong group of throwers on the girls’ side. LaMere was Palmer’s lone state qualifier on the girls’ side last year, and finished fourth in the shot put. Seniors Monica Nuernberg and Miranda Psenak have also been solid in the shot and discus.

Lombard said the coaches have also been pleased with the mid-distance runners, a group that includes senior Morgan Whitfield, junior Gretchen Winter, and sophomores Tress Whitfield and Kalene Smith.

Smith has also been solid in the high jump, Lombard said.

Freshmen Taylor Blake, Jamie VanHoomissen and Shanara Acker could be the top sprinters on the Palmer squad.

Palmer will travel to Fairbanks next week to compete in a meet with the Interior schools at Lathrop High School, the site of the 2010 ASAA state championships.

“For the last couple of years we’ve liked to try to get up there,” Lombard said. “It’s nice to compete up there before we get to state. It’s the only other chance to see (the Fairbanks schools). It’s great competition up there.”

The Moose will host the Palmer Invitational on April 30 and Palmer Relays on May 1.

** Editor’s note: This is part of a four-part series previewing the Mat-Su 4A track and field squads.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.