Thanks everyone, and like they say in John Green's hometown, don't forget to be awesome!
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This week in Western track & field:
Notes...
Western's men's track & field team qualifies for Team State Championship After finishing the regular season ranked No. 10 in the State Power Rankings, Western's men's team has been invited to compete in the Team State Championship to be held on Saturday, May 26, at Kenowa Hills High School, near Grand Rapids. The Team State Championship meet uses a "true team" scoring format, which means each team gets three entries in each event, and every athlete scores. For instance, if there are ten teams competing, first place in the 100m dash is worth 30 points and 30th place is worth one point. This format rewards teams that have both top-end performers and depth. This will be the third time in Western's history that we've attended the Team State Championship, and it offers an excellent opportunity for our athletes to compete against the best teams in the state (a couple of which are in our league in region). It is difficult to match the kind of experience and motivation that can come from this meet. The bus will leave from Western early Saturday morning, and will return in the early evening. As soon as we have a meet information sheet it will be sent out to this email list. Coldwater to host Interstate-8 Finals this Tuesday, May 22 While we would prefer an extra day to process the successes and challenges of last Friday's Regional Finals and prepare for the league meet, Western Panthers pride themselves in being Stay-Ready All-Stars, so on Tuesday we'll get on the bus and take this party down I-69 to Coldwater. We get three entries per event, plus additional qualifiers. Athletes will be dismissed from class at 12:45 p.m. and the bus will leave at 1 p.m. As soon as we have a meet information sheet it will be sent out to this email list. Panthers finish in fourth place at Regional Finals; Inosencio and Starr qualify for MHSAA State Finals Western's men's track & field team finished in fourth place behind Coldwater, Mason and Olivet, and just one point ahead of fifth place Harper Creek at the Regional Finals, which were hosted at Mason High School Friday night. For many of our athletes, third place was the story of the day, in most cases thanks to highly improved performances. Painfully, though, to qualifying for the MHSAA State Finals requires a second place Regional finish in an individual event, or meeting the MHSAA's Additional Qualifying Standard. Perhaps due to an unusually cold April, additional qualifiers were rare across the state this year. In open events, senior Alex Inosencio finished 3rd in the 110m high hurdles, sophomore Ian Devin finished third in the 300m intermediate hurdles, and junior Nathan Burk finished third in the 400m dash. The 4x100m relay team of freshman Ben Lum, sophomore James Bloomfield, señor Luke French and Devine cut more than a second off our previous season best to finish in third place in the event. Finishing in better than third place, though, Inosencio, who cleared 15 feet and became Regional Champion in the event, and junior Gezahegn Starr, who ran a huge PR of 4:25.66 in the 1600m run and was runner up in both this and the 3200m run. Thank you, Panthers, for working and growing to become the best versions of ourselves. Now let's remember as we work to put an exclamation point on the end of our season, the best growth is never comfortable. Western defeats Northwest
Despite going home with wet feet thanks to the buckets of water that fell in the morning's rainstorm, it was a beautiful day for our final home meet of the year. We defeated our traditional rivals, the Northwest Mounties, in solid fashion. Click HERE to see the full results. JV Invitational at Jackson Tomorrow, May 16, the bus leaves Western at 3 p.m. to go to compete at Jackson's historic Withington Stadium. Field events begin at 4:15 p.m. and we expect running events to start at 5 p.m. Unless prearranged, everyone competing will ride the bus to and from the meet. Regional Finals at Mason this Friday. Friday's bus to Mason leaves at 1:15 p.m. After checking with teachers before class, athletes will dismiss themselves from class at 1 p.m. Additional meet information is attached. Team T-Shirts We call these the "Panthers Got Your Back" shirts. They cost just $5 each, thanks to help from the Western Runners Club. They'll be made available to the general public after each member of the team has had the opportunity to buy one. The front was designed by Zack Cole, and the back is a reference to the straight-ahead, attacking nature of the Panther. Who's got your back? Panthers got your back. Despite falling short of winning these past two meets, Western's boys track and field team has enjoyed some impressive performances, especially in the field events.
Last night in a dual meet at Battle Creek Harper Creek senior Alex Inosencio literally vaulted his way into the top spot in his event in the state, across all divisions, when he cleared a school-record height of 15'-8". "They had set the crossbar at 15'-7" because clearing that height would qualify Alex for the Championship Division at nationals in June," coach Lucas Sponsler said. "But when we ran the tape measure from the bar it read 15 feet, eight inches." Western lost the dual meet, 100.5-62.5. "This year's team has a great attitude and a lot of ability," Sponsler said, "but we're young, and we're nursing some minor injuries. Had we been a full strength it would have been a different meet." Choosing to hold athletes back and let them heal also led to Western's second-place finish in last Friday's Ralph Rice Invitational. The Panthers finished just 13 points behind the meet champions from Corunna, which means one or two key entries could have made the difference. "It's frustrating but that's the beauty of this sport," Sponsler said. "No matter what, there are guys who are working hard and competing to the best of their ability." Tyler Oxley demonstrated that sentiment Friday when he broke fifty feet in the shot put. His winning throw of 50'-8" puts him in Western's top four or five throwers ever. "We have guys who are still figuring out how to really exert themselves and let the toughness mix with the technique and training," Sponsler said. "But this group has a great attitude and work ethic, and that's key to success in anything. It's easy to see Ino and TheOx, but those guys are quick to point to and celebrate the progress of their teammates." To get a detailed picture of Western's results and progress go to www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/EventRecords.aspx?SchoolID=12834 For archived updates and reports go to 270tnf.weebly.com. -33- WHS has nearly 150 track & field athletes this year who are working hard and making great progress, despite the delayed onset of spring. We have three home meets in the coming days, and we'd like to invite you all to consider volunteering at theses meets. Most jobs are low intensity responsibilities, and they offer a front-row-seat to the action. Click HERE to go to an online sign up form.
Western's chapter of NHS is holding a blood drive this Friday. Track & field athletes should not give blood, however, the community is invited to donate. Just one pint can help save three lives. Next week is sprINgSANITY. This springtime version of homecoming and snowfest begins with a dodgeball tournament on Monday and culminates with Friday's running of the Ralph Rice Invitational, as well as several other home sports events. Click HERE for more information, and to order a sprINgSANITY tee-shirt. This year's throwback theme is pretty sweet! Western's track & field teams gathered on the infield for a group photo after both teams won first place at the Marshall Sports Fest on Friday, April 13, 2018. Western's girls varsity assistant coach was excited to point something out.
"Depth wins track meets," she said. "We did well really well in a couple events, but this meet was close and we won it because we scored points in some unexpected places." The Marshall Sports Fest scored to six places, and Western's women won the meet as a team by scoring just four more points than runners-up Lansing Sexton. Western had 86, Sexton scored 82, and third place Milan scored 79.5. On the men's side, Western racked up 105 points, compared to Olivet's 81 and Niles' 82. Adrian finished in a close fourth place, with 81 points. The most notable and historic performance on the guys score sheet came in the pole vault when Alex Inosencio broke the a 23-year-old school record when he cleared 15'-1" and won the event. Stand out performances for the women came from Maddie Humphries, who won the 400m dash and was joined by Maisey Nichols, Eryn Lewis, and Ashley Oliver to win the 4x400m relay. Oliver finished second in the 800m run, and Nichols finished third in the 300m hurdles. Another first place finish came in the 4x100m relay, by the team of Tylissa Doss, Meg Kuhl, Hannah Pariseau and Kiersten Stoddard. Corrie West tied for second in the high jump, while Emalee deLaGrange placed second in the pole vault. Pariseau and Nichols finished third and fourth, respectively, in the long jump. Other standout results for the guys include Tyler Oxley's win in the shot put (47'-2.5"), Ian Devine's win in the 300m hurdles (40.94), and Gezahegn Starr's win in the 1600m (4:41.9). Starr finished second in the 800m, as did Inosencio in the 110m high hurdles. Third place finishers included Devine in the 100m, Nate Burk in the 400m, James Bloomfield, who placed out of the slow heat in the 200m, Elijah Ebong in the high jump, and Aaron Miller, who ran a smart and gutsy 3200m. "Part of what makes track and field unique is the fact that there are times when it's just you in your lane, until the finish line, or you on the runway or the apron, or just you in the circle," boys head coach Lucas Sponsler said. "But what makes Western Track & Field different, we hope, is our emphasis on the team, the community. It can make it so athletes know they aren't alone, that they're an important part of something greater." Blazers 2018: Annual Meeting
4 p.m. April 15, 2018 225 Watson St., Albion (in the former Albion High School) The Blazers Track Club provides an excellent summer program of training and competition for athletes from second grade through high school. Marshall Sportsfest Track Invitational
Friday, April 13, 2018 Teams Attending: Adrian, Lansing Sexton, Marshall, Milan, Niles, Portland, Olivet and Western. The meet will be FAT timed. SCORING Individual events will be scored 10-8-6-4-2-1 Relays: 10-8-6-4-2-1 FIELD EVENTSBegin at 3:00 PM GIRLS First then followed by boys (Discus, Pole Vault, and Long Jump ) BOYS First then followed by girls (Shot Put and High Jump) Pole VaultBOYS --- 6’, 6’6”, 7’, 7’6”, 8’ then raise by 3” GIRLS --- 8’, 8’6”, 9’, 9’6”, 10’, 10’6”, 11’, 11’6”, 12’ then raise by 3” Long Jump (no finals) GIRLS --- Open Pit from 3:00 – 4:00 pm (four jumps) BOYS --- Open Pit from 4:00 – 5:00pm (four jumps) High JumpGIRLS --- 4’, 4’3”, 4’6”, 4’8”, 4’10”, then raise by 1” BOYS --- 5’, 5’3”, 5’6”, 5”8”, 5’10” then raise by 1” Shot Put and Discus (no finals)Four throws (2 + 2) 3200 Meter Relay will begin at 3:30 pm (Boys run first) Remaining running events begin at 4:00 pmThere will be one heat of the 800m, 1600m, 3200m runs and all relays. There will be three heats of all the other events when necessary, with finishing places determined by times. Awards1st place and runner up trophies to the top two teams of the meet, boys and girls. Medals for top three finishers in all relays and individual events. The Panthers traveled to Marshall on April 11 for their second league dual meet and came away with a 92-71 win.
"It's exciting to see how much grit and determination this team has," coach Lucas Sponsler said. "Tonight we also showed our youth and inexperience in a few areas, but that gives us something to focus on as we grow and improve." Western performed well in most event areas, but was dominant in the throws, sweeping the Redhawks in the both the shot put and the discus. Winning first place for Western in the field events were Tyler Oxley in the shot put (47'-1"), and Brady Yokom in the discus (126'-3"). Alex Inosencio won both the pole vault (14'-0") and the 110m high hurdles (16.32). Ian Devine won the 100m (11.53) and the 300m intermediate hurdles (42.78). Gezahegn Starr won the 1600m (4:49.5) and the 800m (2:04.42). Nathan Burk won the 400m (53.95). Landon French won the 200m (24.81). Western's boys team is 2-0 in the Interstate-8. This Friday they will return to Marshall for an eight-team invitational, the Marshall Sports Festival. Their league schedule resumes next Tuesday, when they will host I-8 rival Coldwater. |
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May 2018
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