TRACK AND FIELD SPORTS SHORTS 2011–
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For the Eagles’ schedule, check out their homepage at Athletic.net.

TRACK AND FIELD 2011

SEASON END

VALLEY CHAMPIONSHIP–May 21
In the Valley Championship meet, senior Josiah Ford competed at Buchanan high school, May 21.

He placed fifth in the triple jump, 44’1.25″, and fifteenth in the long jump, 20’7.75″.

Head coach Michelle Warkentin says she is proud of Ford’s accomplishments during his high school track career, and the attitude he displays in every aspect of life.

“It was a privilege to coach Josiah this year,” Warkentin said. “He has been a great team leader and an inspiration to his teammates. Josiah is a very talented athlete and embodies the confidence that will take him very far. I know that if he decides to pursue his track career in college he will do great things.”

DIVISION II LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP–May 11
In the last meet of the track season, the Eagles journeyed to Exeter high school for the Division II League Championship meet, May 11.

Josiah Ford, ’11, walked away with the first place title in the triple jump, 44’6.75″, and second in the long jump, 20’9.75″. In the discus, Abel Carreron, ’11, took seventh, 123’7″, and sophomore Ashley Erickson beat her personal record in both event by a half second, taking 11th in the 100m,13.52, and 9th in the 200m, 27.80.

After falling in the 100m hurdles, Andrew Evans,’11, continued on to beat the school record in the 300m hurdles, 43.03, receiving 11th place. For Evans, this victory brought mixed feelings.

“Yesterday’s race was really tricky because the race before I crashed and blacked out so I wasn’t sure how the 300 hurdles were gonna go,” Evans said. “That is kinda the pending mark of my high school athletic career so that was a bittersweet moment. Sports have taught me that there’s gonna be things that you work hard for in life and the results may not always be what you expect but in the end you are still going to get results.”

Coach Ericlee Gilmore, is specifically proud of the efforts of the three senior boys who have diligently worked towards success.

“it was an amazing meet,” Gilmore said. “Our kids did seven events and we had six person records, two school records and one area champion which hasn’t happened sin ’06. These three senior boys have been working hard the last five years and if paid off. ”

As the winner of the triple jump, Ford will advance to the Valley Championship meet at Buchanan high school, May 21.

ALL SIERRA TRACK MEET–May 4
For a meet against all the small school competition, the Eagles met at Fowler for the All Sierra Track Meet, May 4.

The senior boys were rewarded with high marks in this meet. Josiah Ford took first in the 110m hurdles, 16.82, and triple jump, 43’4.25″, Andrew Evans placed second in the 110m hurdles, 17.26, and Abel Carreron received second in discus, 131’10”.

For all of the athletes, except the three boys who qualified to move on, this meet concluded the season. After three years of track and a lifetime of sports, including volleyball, soccer, and softball, Cassidy Hutchins, ’11, is bittersweet that her time as a competitive athlete has ended.

“I have mixed feelings about it being over,” Hutchins said. “It is good to be done because now I can have a lot of time to rest and recover properly from my injuries, but I know I will for sure miss the competition and the people I created friendships with. What sports have taught me this year is to be thankful that I am in a sport, that I’m running, jumping, even walking, instead of sitting on the side. I know the one thing I’ll remember more than my times, will be the people I competed with and the fun we had together.”

Ford, Evans and Carreron will next compete in the Division II Championship Meet, May 11.

DINUBA INVITATIONAL–April 29
The Eagles journeyed to Dinuba high school for their invitational meet, April 29. Competing against the largest group of competition yet, the Eagles still placed high.

Abel Carreon, ’11, the only varsity boy who ran in this meet, broke his personal record in the discus and placed fourth, 134’6.25″. Sophomore Ashley Erickson ran against varsity athletes and landed the fourth place position in the 200m, 29.22. Amongst JV competitors, Annalise Rosik, ’14, received first place in the long jump, 13’7.25″.

Though his placing rewarded him, Carreron felt like he failed to throw to the best of his ability, due to a mix up in the meet.

“I didn’t think I did good when I was throwing,” Carreron said. “I was so unprepared because of the change they did at the last minute. When I learned that I did PR [personal record] it helped a little bit, but I was still unhappy because I knew I could have done much better if I was given more time to prepare.”

The Eagles will compete in Fowler for the All Sierra meet, May 4.

REEDLY INVITATIONAL–April 29
Seniors Andrew Evans and Josiah Ford held high enough qualifying marks to compete in Reedly for their invitational meet, April 29.

In the triple jump, Ford placed second in a group of 18 other varsity athletes, 43’1″. And Evans in the 110m hurdles put out a time of 16.97, gaining the tenth place title.

Head Coach Michelle Warkentin enjoyed watching the boys excel in their events even in a larger meet.

“It has been so much fun working with Andrew and Josiah both their sophomore and senior years,” Warkentin said. “They are both very talented athletes and have accomplished a lot in their track seasons. The Reedley meet gave them the chance to go up against some good competition who they will see at these upcoming meets.”

Ford and Evans will run in the All Sierra Track Meet, May 4.

WEST SEQUOIA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP–April 27
In the final league meet of the season, the Eagles ran against five other schools, April 27.

The six ladies on the girls varsity squad took second in league to Fowler, and the boys team landed the fourth place position. Overall, the team had 27 personal records, and 22 top five placings.

In the 300m hurdle event, Andrew Evans, ’11, took first place, outdoing his competitors by a margin of five seconds, 43.41. Abel Carreon broke his personal record in discus and received the first place title, 133’08”. Also claiming the first place title was Ashley Erickson in the 100m, 14.08.

Josiah Ford, ’11, placed first in the triple jump, 42’2″, and also in the 110m Hurdles, 16.41. Ford believed the atmosphere contributed to the team’s accomplishments.

“I felt like everyone preformed at their best,” Ford said. “This was deffinatley one of the more fun meets because everyone was so excited. I think we had like 27 PR’s [personal record] which is crazy conidering our teams size. Overall I think league was a success.”

For some of the athletes this meet concluded the season. Head coach Michelle Warkentin felt the preformance level of team peaked at the right moment.

“Every athlete gave 100% effort and a season of hard work has definitely paid off,” Warkentin said. “It was so much fun to watch our team compete to their full potential and leave everything out on the track I am so proud of each one of these athletes and look forward to the qualifying meets in the weeks ahead.”

Qualify members of team will next compete in Dinuba or Reedley for an Invitational meet, April 29.

WSL AT FOWLER–April 13
The Eagles were matched against Parlier for the third league meet at Fowler high school, April 13.

Andrew Evans, ’11, began the meet strong, receiving first place in the 100m hurdles, 17.78, and first in the 300m hurdles, 45.41. Fellow senior Josiah Ford landed the first place titles in his designated events; the triple jump, 43’5″, and the long jump, 18’10”. In the 100m dash, Cassidy Hutchins, ’11, placed third, 14.88.

For Evans, one of the best aspects of track is the team diversity. The team dynamics have made his recovery from injury more enjoyable.

“This years track team has been by far the most memorable for me,” Evans said. “I have gotten to know several people that I would have never talked to if they had not done track. The relationships on the team are irreplaceable.”

The Eagles will next compete in the West Sequioa League Championship, April 27.

WSL AT CARUTHERS–April 6
In the second WSL meet, the team competed at Caruthers high school, April 6.

In the 100m dash, Ashley Erickson, ’13, placed first, with a time of 14.38, while senior Cassidy Hutchins placed second with a time of 14.82. For the 4x100m relay, they were joined by Hannah Palmer, ’11, and Annalise Rosik, ’14, where they received the 1st place title with a time of 1:00.85. Senior Abel Carreon decided to participate in the high jump without practice, in which he surprisingly took first place, 4’8″. In the boys 4x100m relay Josiah Ford, David Taylor, Lucas Lopez, and Carreon finished in first place, 49.65.

In the 3200m race Frank Daniel, ’11, ran just over six minute miles, 12:37.58, placing third. For Daniel, Caruther’s dirt track contributed to his performance.

“I don’t want to run on a dirt track ever again,” Daniel said. “It slowed me down and I could’ve done a lot. I think it probably slowed everyone else down to because dirt gives you a lot less traction.”

Unfortunately, Andrew Evans and Josiah Ford, both ’11, are recovering from injuries and therefore were only able to compete in one event each. Evans in the 400m, and Ford in the long jump.

When assessing the meet in relation to the whole season, head coach Michelle Warkentin believes limiting their events will pay off in the long run.

“I am pleased with our performance at the meet and I feel like it was good preparation for the track meet at Yosemite High School the Friday,” Warkentin said. “Several of our athletes are injured and were unable to compete in all of their events today. My hope is that they continue to recover and everyone is 100% for Fowler next week.”

The Eagles have their third WSL meet at TBA, April 13.

WSL AT RIVERDALE–March 31
For the first league meet of the season, the Eagles journeyed to Riverdale high school, March 31.

Senior Josiah Ford pulled for first place in the 110m Hurdles, 17.2, one slot ahead of fellow senior Andrew Evans, 17.7. In the discus throw, Abel Carreon, ’11, received the first place title, 124’11”. In the girls 4x100m relay the FC team of Cassidy Hutchins, ’11, Hannah Palmer, ’11, Annalise Rosik,’14, Ashley Erickson,’13, secured second place, 59.8.

According to Hutchins, the atmosphere of the meet allowed the team to grow closer together.

“I feel like our team kinda bonded at Riverdale because it was a smaller meet,” Hutchins said. “We could be out by the pit or the starting line to support everyone. With such a small team it’s fairly easy to feel like a family and we all support each other.”

When considering the athletes were running on a dirt track, head coach Michelle Warkentin found the team exceeded her expectations.

“This was the first of our league meets so it was a great chance to scope out some of our competition, ” Warkentin said. “The meet was much more relaxed than the ones we have been to so far and it was a great time to bond as a team and just have fun! It was a dirt track, making it more difficult to improve on times, hover some our athletes did which was a pleasant surprise!”

Seniors Josiah Ford and Andrew Evans will compete at Buchanan for the West Coast Relays, April 2.

EXETER INVITATIONAL–March 25
The varsity Eagle squad met at Exeter high school for their Invitational meet, March 25.

Against a large group of competition, Abel Carreon and Andrew Evans, both ’11, took fourth in their events. Carreron in the discus throw, 113’7″, and Evans in the 300m hurdles, 46.24. Chandler Vargas,’12, joined these boys for the 4×1 relay where they landed the fifth place spot, 47.09.

In the triple jump Josiah Ford, ’11, received first place with a new personal record (PR), 42’11” which also shattered the all-time school record.

“I feel I jumped well considering its early in the season,” Ford said. “I was satisfied because I got a PR and broke the school record. I hope to continue to improve as the year progresses.”

Head coach Michelle Warkentin felt the squad held their own amongst the large group of competition and believes the team holds promise for high marks in upcoming meets.

“I am very proud of all our athletes and the level they competed at this weekend,” Warkentin said. “I know several of the new athletes were nervous to compete against such big schools but they put those fears aside and demonstrated some great performances. We had several “personal records” which they will continue to improve on in weeks to come.”

The Eagles will compete next in the WSL meet against Riverdale and Parlier, March 31.

RAFER JOHNSON INVITATIONAL–March 19
The Eagles took on the competition at Kingsburg High School in the Rafer Johnson Invitational, March 19.

Unfortunately, because the meet was invitational, some members of the team were unable to compete in many of their events without the required marks.

In regard of the mix-up, Head Coach Michelle Warkentin arranged a different set-up for the next meet.

“Next week we are planning to send the freshmen and sophmores to a meet at Clovis West, and the varsity athletes to the Exeter Invitational,” Warkentin said. “By doing so all athletes will get to run, jump, and throw against more evenly matched competition. I am excited to see them excel when matched against athletes their own age and experience level.”

Despite the turn of events, Josiah Ford took first place in the triple jump, 42’5.5″, and second in the long jump, 19’10” for Division 2 athletes. Not far behind was Andrew Evans and Abel Carreon who both placed second amongst Division 2 competitors in their events. Evans in 110m hurdles race, 17.61, and Carreron in the discus throw, 121’11”.

For Carreon, receiving the second place title proved a surprise.

“I was pretty surprised that I got second place,” Carreon said. “When I was watching everyone else practice about three of them were throwing farther than me. I plan to work harder to be able to break my personal record.”

The varsity members will attend the Exeter Invitational meet and the JV will be sent to Clovis West, March 25.

CLOVIS EAST INVITATIONAL–March 12
After qualifying with previous marks, seniors Josiah Ford and Andrew Evans competed in the Clovis East Invitational, March 12.

Setting a new personal record, Ford placed first in the triple jump, 42’9.5″, and 16th in the long jump, 18’6.25″. Evans, competing in his first meet since returning from an ankle injury, ran the 110m hurdles race, placing seventh, 17.1.

Ford says he enjoyed the experience with Evans and was glad to see his efforts in practice pay off.

“This was my second meet this year and there was a lot if good competition there,” Ford said. “Andrew and I have been working really hard these last few weeks and we both did really well considering how early it is in the year. It was fun but we have a lot of improving to do.”

As the season is just beginning, head Coach Michelle Warkentin was pleased with the boy’s performance and anticipates further improvement.

“I am very proud of them both,” Warkentin said. ” We have been working them hard at practice so I know they both felt very heavy. Also this is Andrew’s first meet coming back from an injury. They had some tough competition but rose to the occasion and did very well. With these marks already at the beginning of the season, I can’t wait to see how far they will go this year!”

The Eagles squad will compete next in the Rafer Johnson Inviational, March 19.

FOWLER REDCAT RELAYS–March 6
The Eagles traveled to participate in the Fowler Redcat Relays as they took tenth overall in their first meet, March 6.

FC was led by senior Josiah Ford who took first in the triple jump, 42’2.5″, and third in the long jump, 18’10”, and Annalise Rosik, ’14, who placed ninth in the long jump, 13’4.5″.

Freshman Lucas Lopez says he was particularly pleased with his 100m time of 12.74 as it was his first varsity meet.

“I was hoping to get at least fourth in any event and I left real happy because I ran 12.74 in my heat for the 100m,” Lopez said. “Overall I just felt like I was out of practice and I just gotta keep working on my times so I can just improve on my performance.”

Head coach Michelle Warkentin says she was encouraged by the performance of her team and looks forward to the upcoming meets.

“Our athletes did a great job competing at this first track meet,” Warkentin said. “We have several athletes that are new to the sport of track and field so the main goal was to gain exposure to what a track meet is like. I am pleased to see the potential that our athletes possess and look forward to what they are going to accomplish this season!”

Seniors Josiah Ford and Andrew Evans will next travel to compete in the Clovis East Invitational, March 12.

For past coverage, check out the Track and field sport shorts, 2010.

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