Warriors hope to show new depth in meet

MAT-SU — Last season’s good news for the Wasilla girls track and field team was that the Warriors had the meet’s Most Outstanding Athlete in senior Hillarie Putnam, who won twice and scored points in four individual jumping and hurdles events.

The bad news?

Putnam was flying solo.

WHS coach Gary Howell said this year’s team may lack Putnam’s star power, but is far deeper than the team Wasilla fielded last year.

“It’s more of a team aspect this year,” Howell said.

The Warriors plan to bring approximately 18 girls to the Region meet, and a number of them are likely to challenge for top spots on the podium.

Leading the was for the Warriors this season is junior Rachel Hoffman, who’s ranked in the top-six in both hurdles events and will also run on Wasilla’s relay teams. At last week’s Mat-Su Borough meet, Hoffman swept the hurdles and won both relay races she ran in.

Another leader for the Warriors is Kahla Oosting, a jumper ranked in the top-10 in the long, triple and high jumps. Oosting also has the added benefit of being the only current Wasilla girl to have reached the state meet a year ago.

Many of Wasilla’s athletes are new to the program, and Howell said he believes this year’s borough championship shows the young Warriors have a more well-rounded team this year.

“I had a much better feeling after boroughs,” Howell said.

Colony Knights

Colony will be looking to ride a wave of sophomores for all they’re worth this weekend.

“We’ve got a pretty good group of young girls,” coach Jeff Nelles said.

Sophomore Sierra Hodgson is the best long and triple jumper in the region, while fellow 10th-grader Megan Wilson is ranked second in the triple and fourth in the long. Yet another sophomore jumper, Siobhan Johansen, will enter the region meet as the third-ranked high jumper.

It’s the same story in the running events, with sophomore Heidi Doner ranked seventh in the 1,600 and eighth in the 800 and Megan Bowker sixth in the 400.

Another young Knight — this time, a freshman — could also have a big weekend at Palmer.

Nelles said former team manager Shelina Irwin has been a big bright spot for the team this season since the team’s coaches noticed her tossing a football around at practice.

“We said, ‘you’ve gotta come out for track,’” Nelles said.

Since Irwin decided to join the squad, she’s been one of the top shot-putters in the region, posting the fourth-best toss heading into the meet.

Palmer Moose

While the Palmer boys are likely to challenge for a Region III title, the girls will simply be looking to get a couple athletes through to state.

“Our girls’ side is not as deep as our boys’,” coach Dale Ewart said.

Senior thrower Geneva Ratcliff is Palmer’s best hope at regions, having posted the third-best shot put and discus throws this season.

“She’ll do well,” Ewart said.

Also likely to do well is long jumper Tabitha Corbin, who as just a freshman is one of just 10 Alaska girls to go past 15 feet this season in the event. Corbin is currently ranked second in Region III behind Colony’s Sierra Hodgson, with Hodgson holding just a seven-inch advantage in jumps this season. Ewart said Corbin also has a shot at placing in the sprints.

Senior high jumper Rashayne Zimmer could also score well, as she’ll enter the meet as part of a pack of six Region III girls within six inches of one another in the event.

Palmer’s distance hopes ride largely on the shoulders of senior Jacqueline Lutz, whose best time this season in the 1,600 is the tenth-fastest in the region.

Houston Hawks

Jessica Larrabee’s win in the 300 hurdles at last week’s Susitna Valley Invitational was actually a second.

“She’s only run it twice in her life,” Houston coach Pat Egelus said.

A do-it-all athlete who has competed in sprints, distance races and field events this season, Larrabee may have finally found her calling with the low hurdles. Her time of 52.02 seconds in Talkeetna was good enough to put her among the three best hurdlers in the region, and Egelus said he believes Larrabee has a good shot at going to Fairbanks.

“I’m pretty sure she’ll be in the mix to go to state,” he said.

Larrabee was the Houston girls’ lone qualifier for the region meet.

Contact Frontiersman sports reporter Matt Tunseth at matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com.

LEADING MARKS

Region III track and field leaders

(Top Mat-Su athletes in parenthesis)

Boys

100 — 1. Michael Odell, Kodiak, Sr., 11.42 seconds (4. Devin Konkler, Palmer, Sr., 11.78)

200 — 1. Michael Odell, Kodiak, Sr., 23.35; (3. Devin Konkler, Palmer, Sr., 23.62)

400 — 1. Kevin Smith, Palmer, Sr., 51.51

800 — 1. Trevor Dunbar, Kodiak, Jr., 1:56.26 (2. Kevin Smith, Palmer, Sr., 1:56.72)

1600 — 1. Trevor Dunbar, Kodiak, Jr., 4 minutes, 17.92 seconds (2. Jake Parisien, Palmer, Sr., 4:22.6)

3200 — 1. Trevor Dunbar, Kodiak, Jr., 9:11.90 (2. Jake Parisien, Palmer, Sr., 9:17.72)

110 hurdles — 1. Bill Chimphalee, Kenai Central, Sr., 15.75 (2. Tony Guzman, Palmer, 16.24)

300 hurdles — 1. Michael Odell, Kodiak, Sr., 40.48 (2. Dave Gray, Colony, 41.69)

400 relay — 1. Palmer (C. Forkner, T. Guzman, De. Konkler, J. Scoresby), 45.56

1600 relay — 1. Colony (M. Swan, J. Murphy, Do. Gray, M. Jaronik), 3:33.96

Shot put — 1. Ryan Shelton, Soldotna, Sr., 53 feet, 1 1/4 inches (3. John Knowles, Wasilla, Soph., 46-3 1/4)

Discus — 1. Ryan Shelton, Soldotna, Sr., 148-3 (2. Beebo Russel, Wasilla, Sr., 138-4)

High jump — 1. Antone Zagars, Colony, 6-0

Long jump — 1. Bill Chimphalee, Kenai Central, Sr., 20-1 1/2 (2. Jesse Thornock, Colony, Sr., 19-11 3/4

Triple jump — 1. Tony Guzman, Palmer, Sr., 41-2 1/2

Girls

100 — 1. Lierin Flanagan, Kenai Central, Soph., 12.87 (6. Tabitha Corbin, Palmer, Fr., 13.56)

200 — 1. Lierin Flanaga, Kenai Central, Soph., 26.80 (14. Shelby Fulton, Wasilla, Sr., 29.24

400 — 1. Kaylla Williamson, Homer, Fr., 61.34 (4. Megan Bowker, Colony, Soph., 64.52)

800 — 1. Ivy O’Guinn, Skyview, Sr., 2:25.12 (4. Keri Clump, Wasilla, Soph., 2:31.10)

1600 — 1. Abby Reed, Kodiak, Sr., 5:23.96 (4. Heidi Doner, Colony, Soph., 5:38.01)

3200 — 1. Ivy O’Guinn, Skyview, Sr., 11:52.04 (6. Katie Bialka, Wasilla, Soph., 12:15.00)

100 hurdles — 1. Shaynee DeVito, Kenai Central, 17.30 (3. Rachel Hoffman, Wasilla, Jr., 18.20)

300 hurdles — 1. Alysa Horn, Kodiak, Sr., 50.11 (2. Rachel Hoffman, Wasilla, Jr., 51.03)

400 relay — 1. Kodiak (Block, Parker, Burcham, Daoust), 52.78 (2. Wasilla, 54.93)

1600 relay — 1. Kodiak (Block, Young, Horn, Burcham), 4:24.9 (2. Wasilla, 4:32.85)

Shot put — 1. Paige Blackburn, Soldotna, Sr., 42-7 (2. Shellina Irwin, Colony, Fr., 33-5 1/4)

Discus — 1. Paige Blackburn, Soldotna, Sr., 132-6 (2. Geneva Ratcliff, Palmer, Sr., 108-6

High Jump — 1. Linzee Burcham, Kodiak, Jr., 5-0 (*Caitlin Hunt, Su Valley, Jr., 5-0)

Long jump — 1. Sierra Hodgson, Colony, Soph., 15-11 1/4

Triple jump — 1. Sierra Hodgson, Colony, Soph., 33-5

*Region II