Summit High squad sets sight on titles

Published 4:00 am Sunday, March 19, 2006

They saw firsthand how much fun their male counterparts had in winning last season’s Class 4A state track and field team championship.

Now the Summit High girls want a title to call their own.

The chase is on to dethrone two-time Intermountain Conference champion Hermiston. Summit, which has finished second at the district meet the past two seasons, appears primed to make 2006 the year of the Storm.

With about 80 girls competing, Summit coach Dave Turnbull has a blend of talented returnees and promising newcomers that could form the making of not only a league champion, but a state contender.

”Expectations are about as high as we had for the boys last year – a state championship,” said Turnbull. ”If we stay healthy, we have a strong possibility.”

While teams at Bend, Crook County, Mountain View and Redmond all have quality athletes who should contend for individual berths to the state meet, none appear to have the overall talent and numbers to match Summit.

The Dalles-Wahtonka and Hermiston should have strong teams this season, but whether those squads have the depth to stop the Storm remains to be seen.

”Our girls team is the strongest it has ever been and has great depth,” added Turnbull.

Senior Lindsay Zimmerman, the IMC champion in the 100-meter hurdles and a state placer in two events, and junior Kourtney Parks, also a state placer in two events, anchor the Storm squad. Zimmerman is versatile enough to compete in the hurdles and jumps, and she could run on the Storm’s 1,600 relay. Parks is one of the state’s top returning 400-meter runners and a key member of the long relay team.

Marissa Berg (middle distances and relays), Montserrat Caccamo (triple jump), Sara Wrightman (distance), Tina Patel (distance), Heidi Price (high jump), Rachelle Wilson (sprints and jumps) and Kelsey Testerman (jumps and relays) all return. And exchange student Sunita Kumar already has surpassed the school record in the triple jump during practices.

A number of freshmen could make an immediate impact for the Storm, including Alyssa O’Connor in the distance races, Taylor Audia in the pole vault, Gabrielle Rivera in a variety of events, and Emily Villano in the 400 and high jump.

The one area Turnbull said the team may need to shore up for a state title run is the throwing events, particularly the discus and shot put. Junior Alena Martin appears to be among the leaders of the throwers, but Kumar could be a major factor in the shot put, discus or javelin as well.

”I don’t think we’d settle for anything less (than the IMC championship), and a state championship is something these girls want,” said Turnbull. ”They saw what the boys accomplished last year and they’re hungry to get it.”

Matt Craven, a 1993 graduate of Bend High, takes over a Lava Bears program that has a mix of experience and youth entering the season.

Bend’s early strength appears to be in the sprints and hurdles, where the team has good depth. Junior Becky Scholz returns after qualifying for state in the 100 and 200 meters, and senior Cally Burks qualified for state in the 100 hurdles. Those two, plus junior Megan Keele, will make up three-fourths of a formidable 400-meter relay that went to state in 2005.

”The girls are pretty talented in the sprints and hurdles,” said Craven. ”That area will carry the team. They should compete at a high level.”

Vanessa Fiedler and Jamaica Pinnick are among the leading distance runners for Bend, and Craven and his staff are still determining the best combination for the 1,600 relay.

Bend is young and inexperienced in many of the field events. Craven likes the development of Alyssa Zysett in the discus and shot put and Taylor Torkelson in the javelin. Freshman Ciarra Jones has shown promise in the long jump and triple jump.

”Because we are young in so many areas, we don’t know how things will come along,” said Craven. ”One of our points of emphasis was getting as many girls out for these events. I think we’re on the right track. We have good potential.”

Another team with promise is up-and-coming Crook County. Despite not having the turnout that many of the other IMC schools get, the Cowgirls are slowly developing a higher caliber of athlete.

”We’re still thin in the girls ranks, but we have some decent talent in that pool,” said Crook County coach Ernie Brooks. ”Every year we get a little better and better.”

Sophomore Jessica Lea, a district placer last year in the 300 hurdles and high jump, is one of the Cowgirls’ top all-around athletes. Senior Halley Hehn, also a district placer last season in the 400, returns.

The Crook County sprint corps includes Sara Wise, Ashley Bondurant, Jessie McMillan and Jordan McMillan. Michelly Foley is a talented distance runner. Seniors Grace Deboodt and Jill Evans will contribute on the track and in the field. And Brooks believes the Cowgirls could have one of the IMC’s better 1,600 relay teams.

In the field events, Elizabeth Viles, Kristen Caraway, Shelby Forrester, Dez France and freshman Kady Stafford will all compete in the throws. Amber Binam is the team’s lone pole vaulter, and Cassey Hehn will be a factor in the high jump and on the 1,600 relay.

”Depth can be an issue for us, and that could hurt us come districts when you can have your top three entered,” said Brooks. ”As long as we’re doing our best and improving, we’ll be happy. We’re real big on PRs (personal records) and we want to see as many PRs as possible, and hopefully we’ll send a couple to state.”

Mountain View also lacks the depth to be a major threat come the district meet, but the Cougars have their share of talented athletes.

”We’re pretty decent in everything except the distances, where we don’t have very much depth,” said Mountain View coach Chrisi Kuka. ”We’re pretty well-rounded in everything else.”

The Cougars are solid in the sprints, where Kaitlin St. John, Janelle Urioste and Amanda Baker return. Kristen Cowart and Kieran McKinnell lead a group of middle-distance runners.

Cally Young also should help in the sprints and relays as well as the long jump and javelin. Holly Davis is back after placing at district last season in the 100 hurdles and pole vault, and Angie Hellar is a returning district placer in the high jump.

Mountain View has three competitive throwers in Lindsay Renstrom, Sara Olson and Danielle Link. Among the freshman to make a strong early impression is Sarah Steria, a versatile athlete who Kuka said could compete in the 100, relays and the jumping events.

”They are the hardest working group of girls I’ve ever had,” noted Kuka. ”We want to do as well as we can at districts and have fun. Success for us will be more on an individual basis because of our lack of team depth.”

Redmond’s new head coach, Jeff Larson, has a young squad that is shy on numbers, but he is optimistic about the prospects.

”The girls are real young – we have a large group of freshmen – but eager and wanting to do well,” said Larson. ”Our strengths are the distance events, considering how our girls did in cross country, and we’re capable in the throws.”

Among the returning district placers for the Panthers are Rita Aulie (800) and Mackenzie Allen (1,500), two members of Redmond’s IMC-champion cross country team, Nikki Lytle (discus and javelin) and Laura Gilbert (discus). Gilbert currently is recovering from a broken arm.

One athlete not competing this season for Redmond is Kris Thomasberg. The sophomore, the 2005 IMC champion in the 1,500 and 3,000 and a state placer in both events, is spending the spring with her family in Europe.

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