Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Carey girls and Mushers pace Northside track

Breezy day in Gooding

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It was a little cold and windy for Thursday’s Northside Conference track and field meet on the ISDB oval in Gooding. Nothing really miserable by Idaho spring standards, but the weather did hold down times.

Nonetheless there were plenty of excellent efforts as 1A prep athletes from the Magic Valley continued to work on their conditioning, handoffs, starts and finishes in the early-season meet.

The Carey School girls (138) brought their well-balanced attack and claimed the team title by 52 points over Murtaugh. The Camas County boys from Fairfield (92), with only one gold medal, still captured the team crown by 19 points over Dietrich.

Carey girls’ coach Lane Kirkland said, "Timewise we ran into a pretty strong wind. But our handoffs are getting smoother in the relays and once again we scored in every event except the 100m. It was a fun day."

Panther senior Cheyanne Bingham won both hurdle events and sophomore Brenna Silva captured the 400-meter dash by one second as Carey’s girls brought home five gold medals including the 800m and medley relays.

For Bingham it was a 40-point afternoon since she was on the winning relays. So was Silva, who finished with a 38-point afternoon because she was second to Murtaugh’s 40-point senior Jillian Cutler in the 200m dash.

Those three were the outstanding girls in the 10-school meet. Red Devil Cutler, third in the State 1A 100m and 200m dashes last May, won the 100m by .3 seconds, the 200m by 2.4 seconds, the long jump by nearly two feet and triple jump by over three feet.

"Cheyanne is getting her steps and times down in 100m hurdles and we need to work on her endurance in the 300m," said coach Kirkland. "We’ve got to work on Brenna’s corner in the 200m. Right now she’s got a slower start and a high top end.

"Both our 4x2 and medley relays are undefeated so far this season."

On Carey’s defending state champion 800m relay (1:59.00) that won by four seconds over Dietrich were Kiri Adamson, Lacy Peterson, Cheyanne Bingham and Silva. The same foursome won the medley (2:04.2) by over three seconds over Richfield.

Carey sophomore Whitney Peck set a personal-best by six feet in placing second in the discus at 83-10. Adamson was second in triple jump (30-3) and the second-place Panther 400m relay of Cassie Weaver, Peck, Brooke McAfee and Amanda Hill was nipped at the finish by Camas County.

"Boy, we were close," said Kirkland about the 4x1 relay. "We had good handoffs and Camas just slipped by us at the tape." The winning Musher team featured Nicole Bennett, Kandace Boggs, Rose Schwarzbach and Beth McLam in 59.1 seconds.

Among Carey’s seven third-place finishes was a 23-second improvement by junior Melissa Peck in the 1600m—a race won by Shoshone’s Kyli Astle, also the 3200m gold winner Thursday.

Overall, Carey had 40 points in the field, 34 in relays, 33 in hurdles, 18 in sprints and 13 in distances.

 

Jumps propel Musher boys

The Camas County boys amassed 44 points in the field events including 37 in the jumps to outdistance Dietrich 92-73. Camas added 22 in relays, 16 hurdles and 10 in sprints.

Camas’ only gold medalist was the 400m relay with Tony Gonsales, Michael Blodgett, Josh Rast and Cody Henninga. For Dietrich, Shawn Divine won the 100m and 200m while Vance Dill swept both hurdles events.

The Carey boys finished sixth with 56 points (24 relays, 17 field, 12 distances, 2 hurdles, 1 sprints). Coach Blaine Tingey said, "Even though we were sixth, there were bright spots."

Senior K.C. Rivera won the triple jump (38-1) and sophomore Devin Simpson pulled away to capture the 3200m (11:21.26). "I was really pleased with Devin," said Tingey.

Tingey was encouraged by a pair of Panther second-place finishes in the 400m and 800m relays. Cody Baird, Cody Hennefer, Brad Hunt and Tadd Green were in the 400m, with Baird, Hennefer and Green returning and Rivera taking Hunt’s place in 800m.

Tingey, the dean of Magic Valley 1A track coaches, is realistic about Carey’s chances about making the State 1A meet—so he is rearranging the deck of cards he’s been dealt.

"We get to send five to state in the individual events from our district and only two teams in the relays," he said. "We’ll try to shuffle people around to get more points and also to get as many as possible to the state meet."

Many of Tingey’s changes will involve taking the speedy and competitve Rivera out of the relays and putting him in the open 400m and 200m dashes. The coach also plans to move sophomore Tadd Green from the open 400m and install Green in the medley and 1600m relays.

Carey stages its second Northside Conference meet of the 2004 season Thursday, April 22 at 2 p.m. at Derrick Parke Memorial Field. Joining the Northside schools will be Rockland, Mackay, Oakley and Jackpot (Nev.).

Here are Panther placings from Thursday’s meet in Gooding:

1—Cheyanne Bingham 100m high hurdles (18.29) and 300m hurdles (54.34); Brenna Silva 400m (1:06.8); girls’ 800m relay (Kiri Adamson, Cheyanne Bingham, Lacy Peterson, Brenna Silva) in 1:59.00; girls’ medley relay (Kiri Adamson, Lacy Peterson, Cheyanne Bingham, Brenna Silva) in 2:04.2; K.C. Rivera triple jump (38-1); and Devin Simpson 3200m (11:21.26).

2—Brenna Silva 200m (28.1); Whitney Peck discus (83-10); Kiri Adamson triple jump (30-3); girls’ 400m relay (Cassie Weaver, Whitney Peck, Brooke McAfee, Amanda Hill) in 59.2; boys’ 400m relay (Cody Baird, Cody Hennefer, Brad Hunt, Tadd Green) in 51.0; and boys’ 800m relay (Cody Baird, Cody Hennefer, K.C. Rivera, Tadd Green) in 1:42.3.

3—Sarah Lynn Shaffer 3200m (14:41) and high jump (4-4); Kiri Adamson long jump (12-11 ½); Brooke McAfee 300m hurdles (57.0); Tiffany Brooks shotput (27-11 ½); Melissa Peck 1600m (6:46.7); girls’ 1600m relay (Sarah Lynn Shaffer, Allison Shaffer, Serene Bingham, Amanda Hill) in 4:57; and K.C. Rivera long jump (18-7).

4—Serene Bingham 300m hurdles (58.90) and triple jump (28-0); boys’ medley relay (Cody Baird, K.C. Rivera, Devin Simpson, Allen Peck) in 4:11.2; and boys’ 1600m relay (Cody Hennefer, Luke Harmon, Allen Peck, Devin Simpson) in 4:11.8.

5—Brooke McAfee 100m high hurdles (19.66); Tiffany Brooks discus (67-2); Brad Hunt 300m intermediate hurdles (50.3); and Devin Simpson 800m (2:23.3).

6—Serene Bingham 100m high hurdles (19.7); Sarah Lynn Shaffer 800m (2:56.8); Amanda Hill long jump (12-5 ¾); Tadd Green 400m (1:01.1); and Cody Baird long jump (16-8).

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