Preps win state titles

JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiersman sports editor

FAIRBANKS - In each of the last two years, Colony senior Justin Schwartzbauer ended his track and field season by standing before a crowd with his first-place medal.

But the two-time state champion in the 300-meter hurdles had one thing left to do - sweep the boys' hurdles events.

Saturday, Schwartzbauer did that.

Schwartzbauer won titles in both the 110 and 300 hurdles at the Alaska Schools Activities Association First National Bank State Track and Field Championships at West Valley High School in Fairbanks.

During an awards ceremony following the meet, Schwartzbauer was named the most outstanding male athlete of the meet. Last week, he was named the most valuable athlete of the region championships.

Schwartzbauer also helped lead the Knights to a fourth-place finish in the boys' team standings. Juneau-Douglas easily won the boys team title, and the next three teams finished within two points. Lathrop was second with 52.75 points. Bartlett finished third with 52 points. Colony was fourth with 51 total points.

Throughout the season Schwartzbauer held the top times in the state in both events, and his primary goal was to capture the title in each race.

"That was my thought the whole time," Schwartzbauer said. "It pushed me even harder."

Schwartzbauer said the hardest part about going into the state meet, was the fact he was the athlete with the top times. Everyone else was gunning for him. But the Colony senior fought off the charge of his opponents and completed the sweep.

"It's real close up here. It's the state meet, so everyone is coming out, running so fast," Schwartzbauer said.

Fellow Knight David Registe also earned a state title. The Colony junior won the long jump with an impressive distance of 21-feet, 9-inches. Registe, who had the top jump in the state going into the meet, surpassed his own season best and set a personal record. He said the success he had during the season, allowed him to have a great deal of confidence going into the meet.

"I had a really good feeling," Registe said.

Registe landed a jump of 21-feet, 2-inches on his first chance of the event. Josh Slepecki, of Anchorage Christian School, was the only other athlete in the event to clear 20 feet.

Colony senior Peter Doner notched high finishes in arguably the most competitive events in the boys' class.

Saturday afternoon, Doner recorded a fourth-place finish in the 1,600.

"I spent a lot of time in sixth and actually didn't separate until the last lap," Doner said.

Doner finished behind a trio of Juneau runners - Tyler Dinnan, Wesley Dinnan and Tristan Knutson-Lombardo - in the race.

"I won the non-Juneau class," Doner said.

Friday, Doner finished fourth in the 3,200 and set a personal record.

"Once again, that was really a fast field," Doner said. "I stayed with the front of the pack and they pulled me to a personal record."

Doner also helped his 3,200 relay team grab a second-place medal.

"I wasn't sure what to expect. At regions, it was our first time running together as a team, and we were racing for place, not time. This was our first time really going all out," Doner said.

Doner, Joe Cook, Doug Gray and Roy Erhart made up the Knight relay squad.

In the girls' events, Hallie Huggins led Colony with four top-five finishes. In her primary event, Huggins finished second in the 100. In the rainy Fairbanks conditions, Huggins suffered a leg injury early Saturday in the 100, and that led to her fifth-place finish in the 200, she said. Entering the race, Huggins was one of the top three runners in the state in the 200.

Huggins also scored a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles. She recorded the high finish at the state meet after only a few weeks of experience in the sport. Huggins said her dad convinced her to try the hurdles.

"He said a lot of girls don't have much speed, but have a lot of technique. I could combine speed and technique," Huggins said.

Huggins also finished fifth in the triple jump. Another Knight, Adrienna Everett, finished second in that event. Everett's jump of 35-feet, 1-inch, was just two inches short of first-place Marjorie Rima of Monroe Catholic.

Wasilla sophomore Hillarie Putnam placed fourth in the triple jump.

Also on Friday, Palmer's David Abbott recorded a third-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 6-feet, 2-inches.