Wasilla sophomore shatters 800 record

FAIRBANKS — After the first day of the state track and field championships, Wasilla head coach Gary Howell faced a bit of dilemma.

One of his standout athletes, sophomore Morgan Dampier, was fighting illness while preparing to run in four different events during the final day of the meet. Dampier was slated to compete in the 100-, 400- and 800-meter races, and the 800-meter relay. She was projected to place in every event and earn valuable points for a Wasilla team that was fighting for a top-two position in the team standings. But in the 800, Dampier had the potential to do something truly special.

Howell decided to scratch Howell in the 400 to help her make that extra push in the 800. The move may have cost Wasilla points in the team standings, but helped Dampier put her name into the record books.

Dampier shattered the state record in the 800 to win an individual state title and help lead Wasilla to a fourth-place finish in the team standings during the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Track and Field Championships at Lathrop High School in Fairbanks.

“I knew it would be one of those decisions,” Howell said Saturday evening by phone as his team left Fairbanks. “It was a risk, but I think Morgan’s worth it. She’s been working on this 800 since October.”

Howell said he knew Dampier had a record time in her. He didn’t want the need to run four events, while fighting an illness to get in the way of that.

“It’s not fair to the kid to make her double up like that when she’s sick,” Howell said.

Dampier won the event with a record-setting time of 2 minutes, 13.95 seconds. She was more than a half-second faster than former West Anchorage standout Kris Smith, who set her mark in 2003.

“I knew she had the speed to break the state record,” Howell said.

Dampier said breaking the record in the 800 has been a longtime goal. She’s had it posted on her wall since she was in the seventh grade.

“This year I was hoping to get a 2:17,” Dampier said by phone Saturday after the meet. “I never would have thought of these times this year.”

That 2:17 could have still earned her the state title. Skyview senior Ivy O’Guinn was second at 2:17.44. But the sophomore ran in a class of her won with a 2:13.95.

“She closed that last 100 meters in under 16 seconds,” Howell said. “She was still just flying.”

Dampier, who was also sixth in the 100 and helped the Warriors finish fourth in the 800 relay, said it wasn’t hard to fight off the sickness when it came time to race.

“Once you step on that line with your spikes on you forget about everything and go for it,” Dampier said.

Freshman Dajanae Harris also won a title for the Warriors, finishing first in the 100. Harris finished with a time of 12.73, just ahead of Service’s Shaai Ferguson and Bartlett’s Jessica Tillmon.

Howell said Harris was the slowest out of the blocks, but blew past the competition. Harris was also sixth in the 200.

Freshman Jenna Ford also had a solid meet, placing in three events. Ford was second in the 3,200, fourth in the 1,600 and helped WHS finish third in the 3,200 relay.

Alice Oksoktaruk also placed sixth in the triple jump for Wasilla.

John Knowles won a pair of state titles for the Wasilla boys. The senior swept the throwing event. For more on Knowles, see “Throw Down” on Page B1.

Taylor Owens finished sixth in the 400, and the Warriors’ 3,200 relay squad finished fourth.

Colony girls finish sixth

Junior Shellina Irwin led the Colony Knights to a sixth-place finish in girls standings. Irwin became the third Colony thrower in school history to win a state title, finishing first in the shot put. She was also second in the discus.

For more on Irwin, see “Throw Down” on Page B1 of the Frontiersman.

Senior Gaynor Johansen also placed in the discus, finishing fourth.

Senior Siobhan Johansen (triple jump) and freshman Audrey Michaelson (800) both recorded third-place finishes. Taylor Stewart was fifth in the triple jump and Laura Maresh finished sixth in the long jump.

Senior Anthony Bricker placed in a pair of events to lead the Colony boys. Bricker was fifth in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles.

Senior Matt Jaronik finished fifth in the long jump.

Relay teams lead Moose

Chris Forkner, David Clement, Levi Turner and John Scoresby ran to a second-place finish for the Moose during the boys’ 800-meter relay. Palmer was also fourth in the boys’ 400 relay. Palmer placed three of its girls relay squads in the top-six of the standings. The Moose girls were third in the 1,600 relay, and sixth in both the 400 and 800 relays.

Erin LaMere finished third in the shot put for Palmer and Sarah Houchen was fourth in the long jump for the Moose girls.

Wylie Mangelsdorf finished third in the 1,600 for the Palmer boys. Jim McCall was fifth in the 200 and sixth in the 100. Scoresby finished sixth in the 200.

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