Palmer Junior, Teeland Middle grab track titles

PALMER -- The Palmer Middle School girls and the Teeland Middle School boys won team titles at the annual middle school varsity championships track meet at Palmer High School on May 23.

PJMS tallied 191 to win the girls title handily. Wasilla Middle School placed a distant second place with 76 points.

Teeland edged Palmer Junior Middle by just two points to win the boys team title. Teeland garnered 146 points, while Palmer finished with 144.

Palmer's Jake Parisen tied a seven-year-old meet record and nearly broke another. Parisen finished the 800-meter run in 2 minutes and 14 seconds to tie the mark set by former Colony Middle School and current Alaska Anchorage running standout Eric Strabel in 1996.

Parisen was two seconds shy of Strabel's record in the 1,600. The Palmer seventh grader finished with a 4:48. The record is 4:46.

"There has not been anyone that close in a long time," Palmer Middle School distance coach Tim Lundt said.

According to Lundt Teeland's Roy Erhart jumped out in front early and set the pace. The pace that Erhart set could have placed a part in Parisen not getting the record.

"His back half was faster than his first half," Lundt said of Parisen's times.

Parisen ran a 2:27 during the first 800 meters and a 2:21 on the second 800

meters.

"It's a learning experience for him," Lundt said. "He has the speed and strength, but he does not have the experience."

Shawnda McGowen helped lead the Palmer girls' to the team title with a pair of individual wins. The seventh grader won the 800 in a time of 2:50.42 and the 1,600 with a time of 6:05.84.

"Shawnda is kind of like Parisen," Lundt said. "They both out do their best everyday in practice. And they are both seventh graders."

The Palmer girls ran away with the 800 relay title. The team of Rian Fletcher, Tess Anderson, Sarah Svedin and Kayla Oosting finished with a time of 2:02.47, two seconds ahead of the Colony squad.

Other winners for Palmer included Ashley Swetzof in the high jump, Geneva Ratcliff in the shot put and Oosting in the hurdles.

Adrianna Everett led the Teeland girls with three wins. Everett won 100, 200 and long jump.

The Teeland boys won the 1,600 relay. David Gray, Jeff Champion, Carl Brent and Track Palin finished with a time of 4:11.

Other Teeland winners were Champion in the triple jump, Erhart in the 400 and Keenan Ahern in the discus.

The Palmer boys won both the 400 and 800 relay in the event.

In addition to Parisen, Dallas Hendrickson also won two events for Palmer. Hendrickson won the 200 and the high jump.

The Mini-Moose also had wins in the hurdles (Tom Eller) amd high jump (Matt McCain).

The Wasilla girls were led by first place finishes from the 400 and 1,600 relays teams.

Natalya Miller won the 400 for the Wasilla girls.

James Savage led the Colony boys with a win in the shot put.