Reflecting on one season, preparing for another

To think back to the 2007 season, it will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of the school, and hopefully will be seen as a turning point in the program where Kentwood Track and Field went from a school with a few good athletes to a school with a great track program. Many other teams here at Kentwood have enjoyed a long history of success and I believe we're building that same thing with the track program. This school undoubtedly has the potential to be one of the great programs in the state, as our Football, Basketball, Volleyball and other teams have risen to the level of.

Looking back at the state meet from last May, I saw some incredible performances, and some great reasons to be very excited for this upcoming season. A couple of our seniors gave their last performance on the high school stage and are already off to great things in college. The greatest distance runner in Kentwood history, Michael Chinchar, finished his high school career by medaling in both the 1600 and 3200 races. Michael did not have his best races, but he leaves the program as the school record holder in both of those events and has set a standard so high that it will take an extremely special athlete to even come close to his level. Michael did have some very successful summer meets too; highlighted by his placing 2nd in the 1500m at the USA Junior Nationals meet in a time of 3:51. Michael is now running for the prestigious University of Arkansas Track and Cross Country teams. He will be missed and very well rememberd.

Another senior left us with many memories and a gutsy performance in his last high school race. Eric Brill qualified for the 3200m race, and race the best race of his high school career, running a 9:26.44 and barely missing a state medal in his only state appearance in the sport. Eric was one of the hardest working distance runners Kentwood has ever seen; his jovial attitude and fun-loving spirit will be missed. Eric continues his Track and Cross Country Career at Western Washington University, where he will only continue to improve as a runner.

Of the 25 points the boys team scored at last May's state meet, 22 of them are returning to the team this coming year. Of the most surprising was the performance by Junior Chris Selvar. Chris entered the season with a state appearance under his belt from his Sophomore season in the 800, but had failed to qualify for the finals. Throughout the 2007 season, Chris saw steady improvement, but after early season losses to teammate Michael Chinchar and at the Tacoma Invite, Chris turned a corner and from the Bellevue Invite on, Chris ran under 1:56 in the 800 6 times. At the state meet, Chris won his preliminary heat easily which set up a showdown with the athlete Chris had to out-kick the week before, Charlie Williams from Gig Harbor. Altough Chris beat him at the District meet, Charlie had the fastest time in state for 4A in the 800 and was considered by many to be the favorite in the event. Despite this, Chris was determined that he could and would beat Williams. After one lap. Chris was in great shape, sitting on the hip pockets of the race leaders. With 200 meters to go Williams pushed to the head of the group and Chris went with him. Down the homestretch it was neck and neck, but Chris took the inside track and out-kicked Williams one more time... this time to become a state champion in a time of 1:54.36. It wil undoubtedly be one of the most memorable races in Kentwood Track and Field history.

There were many other shining performers during the meet too, notably Sophomore Steven Warner. This was Steven's first state track meet, but he did not waste any time in taking care of business. Although he placed 5th in his heat of the 100 High Hurdles, he still qualified because of his time (14.84, #2 all-time at Kentwood), and then made good on his finals apearance with a surprising 4th place finish and a time of 15.00. He was not satisfied with just one state medal though. After qualifying in the prelims of the 300m Hurdles with a time of 39.68, Steven also took home an 8th place medal in that event. Just when you think he'd be satisfied, he was also on the boys 4x4 relay that placed. That gave Steven 3 state medals and a total of 6 races in rougly 30 hours in the hot Pasco sun. Not a bad way to end your Sophomore year!

Another bright spot for the boys team was the performances of both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Both groups came in with hopes of medaling, especially the 4x4 , who had visions of winning the whole thing. Although neither team came away state champions, both did realize their goals of medaling and set the stage for what could be their greatest accomplishment year. The 4x1 would have been thought of by many to be potentially a dark horse for a medal since we did not qualify any athletes in the 100, 200 or 400 open events, but to the surprise of some they not only qualified for the finals, but took 7th in a time of 43.45. On that team, every single member is returning for the 2008 season. The boys 4x4 came into the meet with high aspirations, and rightly so. The team was undefeated all throughout the postseason to that point, and had defeated some very high calibur teams along the way. The team had already set the school record and they were hoping for that again and then some when they arrived in Pasco. The prelim race went very well considering that the team was 2nd in their heat and re-smashed their own record with a time of 3:21.93, but the bad news was that four teams from the other heat had run a faster time, setting the stage for a great finals race. The finals ultimately went well, but not as well as hoped and the team finished in a time of 3:23.40 and 5th place. Considering the circumstances of the meet, it was still a very admirable accomplishment and one will continually be proud of. At that point the collective members of the team had run 12 races in hot weather, and the guys were running on all they had left. Like the boys 4x1, each member of the team (Demitrius Bronson, Devin St. Clair, Steven Warner and Chris Selvar) are returning for the 2008 season and they have served notice that they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

Other athletes to compete at the state meet this past may were Sophomore Cody Fishel, who cleared 6'0" in his first state appearance in the High Jump; Sophomore Lindsey Moore who jumped 5'2" in her return to state and threw the Javelin 111'1", just barely missing out on finals. Our last state competitor was Freshman Dana Wareham, who ran well in her time of 60.34, but missed out on the finals in the 400 meters.

The upcoming season holds unlimited promise, not just because of the returning state athletes, but the many others waiting in the wings. There are many Freshmen coming in that will be able to contribute to the program right away and other athletes that have spent many hours lifting and running in preparation for the 2008 season. 2007 was a great season, but 2008 has the potential to be every bit as good if not better. To my athletes out there, remember this: you begin building your success this spring right now! Lets keep building what we began! Go Conks!

Coach Roche

On to state! Boys are district champions!

For a program that has never had a league champion, we were thrilled to achieve that for the first time. We had taked as a team about how cool it would be to put up a banner in the gym under, Track and Field, League Champs, and it was very cool to achieve that. Lost somewhere in the mix was the thought that the boys team could add another banner under the district championship banner. Well, that thought definitely isn't lost anymore.

West Central District is the largest and perhaps the most competitive district track meet in the state. To advance to state from this district usually puts you in the top teir at the state meet, so it's an incredible honor for any athlete to get to state. That being said...we have a lot of people going to the state meet.

I guess it would make sense to begin with the obvious candidate to qualify for the state meet, Michael Chinchar. Michael came into the meet with the fastest time in the district in the 1600 and the 3200, and Friday night he won the 3200 easily with his season best time of 9:14.13. Saturday though, saw a competitor with a time much closer to his own and a stiff headwind coming into the homestretch. Michael went out fast in the first 800, but that stiff wind caught up with him and with 200m to go, Charlie Williams of Gig Harbor had caught and passed Michael. Michael refused to quit though, and kicked past Williams to win with a time of 4:18.33. It was not Michael's best time by far but he had perservered through an excruciating final lap to beat a worthy opponent. Williams doubled his misery when he was also outkicked in the 800 by our Chris Selvar, giving Kentwood district champions in all three running events.

Joining Michael at state next weekend will be his partner in crime, Eric Bril. Eric set a huge PR in the 3200 (9:27.61) to take fourth and qualify for his first state track meet. Another big win came from Chris Selvar in the 800, where he also out-kicked Charlie Williams to win in the time of 1:55.67. These three guys scored half of our 70 team points in just these three events. I guess this goes to show how important a cross country team is to a track program. (These guys placed 7th at state cross country last fall).

Others that will be making the trip trip to Pasco are first time state competitors (and Sophomores) Steven Warner in the 110 and 300 Hurdles and Cody Fishel in the High Jump. It is an extraordinary feat for a Sophomore to advance to the state meet, so to have two achieve that is a sign that bodes very well for the future of this program. Both Steven and Cody are capable of standing on the awards podium this year. Also going are both of our boys relays (4x100: Nikiel Taylor, Devin St. Clar, Chris Selvar and Demetrius Bronson; 4x400: Demetrius Bronson, Steven Warner, Devin St. Clair and Chris Selvar), who, according to the times coming in, both have a great shot to come home as medalists. This promises to be a great meet for this program.

Also qualifying for the state meet and winning at districts were Lindsey Moore... no, not in the High Jump, but in the Javelin. Lindsey threw an 18 foot PR and won the district meet! Not bad considering it's only the fourth meet she's ever thrown in! Lindsey did qualify in the High Jump too, jumping 5'4" and placed 2nd. Also qualifying for the state meet was Dana Wareham in the 400. Dana pulled off a very impressive feat of qualifying for the state meet as a Freshman with her finals time of 59.91.

The amazing season coninues! On to state!

Coach Roche

Boys are SPSL Champs!

Kentwood High School has had numerous league, district and even state championships in its 26 year history, but never has there been any of those in Boys or Girls Track and Field. Until now. For the first time in team history, a Kentwood Track and Field team will put up a banner on the gymnasium wall under Boys Track and Field: League Champions. This has been something that has been a great source of pride and motivation for our kids this season, and now they will have something they can always hang their hat (not worn at school, of course :), that they put up that banner, that they were the first ones. For the Girls team it may seem that this season was not a good one, but that would be a very inaccurate assessment considering the team's lack of depth and youth. As I told the team last week, the boys team was at the same place the girls team was four years ago, and I truly do believe that the Girls team will be outstanding in the seasons to come.

The clinching meet for the boys came in the last dual meet of the season at home against Kentridge. The Boys team finished the meet with 11 first place finishes, along with several season-best marks. First places were brought home by Devin St. Clair in the 200m (22.96) and the Long Jump (21'8"), Michael Chinchar in the 800m (1:55.89), Chris Selvar in the 1600m (4:29.05 in his first time ever running it), Eric Brill in the 3200 (10:09.21), Steven Warner in the 110 Hurdles (15.17, a season best) and 300 Hurdles (40.38), Adam Smith in the Shot Put (42'2"), Cody Fishel in the High Jump (5'10") and Junior Gauldin in the Triple Jump (42'3"). The Boys 4x100 relay of Nikiel Taylor (pictured to the right), Devin St. Clair, Damion Ricks an Demetrius Bronson also took home a first place finish (44.33). Perhaps the highlight of the meet was the dual between Chris Selvar and Eric Brill in the 1600. Chris had never run the race before, although his 800 time is one of the best in the state and Eric's best event this season has been the 3200 and had yet to have a "break out" time in the race. Eric pushed the pace the whole race and as they came down the homestretch, Chris' kick was better than Eric's and Chris ran his time of 4:29.05, and put him in the #4 spot all-time at Kentwood. In the process, Eric ran a season best time 4:30.29, his fastest time since the district meet last year. The boys won the meet by a score of 95-41 and finished the season with an amazing 7-0 record.

The girls team, although losing 42-92 to Kentridge, had several season-best marks also. Event winners for this meet were Dana Wareham in the 400m where she continued her amazing run of success with her time of 60.85, Erin Bradfield in the Discus (95'4"- a season best mark), Lindsey Moore in the High Jump (5'6"- the 5th time this season she has reached that mark), and Jillian Jainga in the Pole Vault (6'6"). One of the bigger performances in this meet that did not win was by Fresman Sarah Belter (pictured to the right) in the 800m. Sarah turned out her best time of the season and re-broke her own Freshman Record with her time of 2:35.81. As I mentioned before, this season could be looked at negatively based upon the 1-6 record, but on a team with only four senior girls, there is much to look forward to in the coming years with many more performances by Lindsey Moore, Dana Wareham, Ashley Luther, Kyra Gaines and so many other talented young athletes.

This past week was the first of two qualifying meets for the state meet in Pasco. The SPSL meet always has an abundance of quality marks, and this year was no exception. This year's meet was not scored, so there are no team places to write about but there were many memorable performances by Kentwood Track and Field Athletes.

The Girls tam qualified several athletes through to the district meet this coming week at Mt. Tahoma High School. Leading the way, as she has many times this year, was Freshman Dana Wareham. Dana has had a very impressive streak of PR's in the 400m, and this week she took it up to a new level. Dana not only won her heat, but ran an amazing time of 59.78, putting her into a great position to move on to the state meet in two weeks. Dana also qualified for the district meet in the Long Jump with a new PR of 16'2". Other individuals qualifying for districts are Lindsey Moore in the High Jump (5'4") and Javelin (99'6"), Erin Bradfield in the High Jump (4'10") and Ashley Luther in the Long Jump (15' 11.5"). Another exciting thing for the girls team was the fact that all three relays qualified for the district meet. The Girls 4x100 relay of Ashley Luther, Kyra Gaines (pictured to the left), Kristen Olenick and Rachel Gilstad qualified with their time of 51.93; the 4x200 team of Ashley Luther, Kyra Gaines, Abby Brauer and Dana Wareham qualified with a season-best time of 1:46.99; the 4x400 team of Ashley Luther, Abby Brauer, Vanessa Parker and Dana Wareham also qualified a huge PR of 4:07.85. I have mentioned this before, but I truly believe the 4x4 is the backbone of every track team (and, I believe, the most exciting race), and it gives me a great sense of pride to see that relay along with all the others do so well and move on to the next level.

As they have all year long, the boys team had some amazing performances and a very large number of athletes will be moving on to the district track meet this upcoming week. Michael Chichar turned in his second fastest 1600 time of the season, and narrowly missed breaking the SPSL meet record in the event with his time of 4:10.98 with the second place finisher running over ten seconds behind him. Michael is also moving on in the 3200m with his time of 9.28.45. Other athletes moving on are Eric Brill in the 1600m (4:27.90) and 3200m (9:39.66), Danny Smith in the 3200m (10:01.31), Chris Selvar in the 800 (1:55.64), Devin St. Clair in the Long Jump (20' 11.75") and 200m (22.60), Demetrius Bronson in the 200m (22.98), Andrew Fung in the 110 Hurdles (15.10-pictured to the left), Steven Warner in the 110 Hurdles (15.33) and 300 Hurdles (39.78), Ricardo Tucker in the 300 Hurdles (41.07) and Cody Fishel in the High Jump (6'0"). Just like the girls team, both boys relay teams advanced to the district meet. The 4x100 relay of Nikiel Taylor, Devin St. Clair, Chris Selvar and Demetrius Bronson won their heat with a time of 43.45. Th 4x400 team of Steven Warner, Devin St. Clair, Michael Chinchar and Chris Selvar not only won their heat, but re-broke their own school record (with two different members) and re-established themselves as the fastest 4x4 in the state. You could say they had a good day. :)

This week upcoming brings the district track meet at Mount Tahoma High School. As I have written before, I believe this is the premier high school Track and Field facility in the state. The top 6 competitors from this meet will advance to the state meet May 25th and 26th in Pasco. Information on the meet can be found here.

There are many good time left in the season, so please stay tuned! Go Conks!

Coach Roche

Conks cruising into postseason

Well, it's been two weeks since the last update... a lot of things can happen in two weeks! It would be an understatement to say that we have had a successful two weeks, it may have been two of the most successful weeks in our program's history. It's so fun to be a Conk right now!

The best place to start would probably be two weeks ago at the Bellevue Invite. Bellevue is a lot of fun for us because we get to take a very large team to the meet, so many of our younger athletes get a chance to compete on the "big stage" of an Invite. Last year our Boys team placed fourth, and we anticipated that we should place at least that or higher.

To put it lightly, we far exceeded all of our own expectations. Our boys team won the Bellevue Invite by over 30 points with 125.75 points over second place Todd Beamer. Six first place finishes and three seconds made the Bellevue Invite one of the most successful in team history. As the day was historic, so was our Boys 4x400 relay. Up to that point in the year, the 4x4 had won many meets, but hadn't had a "breakout" performance like last year. Junior Demetrius Bronson led off for the first time this year with a solid 51.7 split. Sophomore Junior Gauldin followed with a 51.7 split, despite a very awkward handoff that undoubtedly cost them some time. Sophomore Devin St. Clair then got the baton with a 15 meter deficit on the leader and closed the gap dramatically with a 49.8 split and handed it off to Junior Chris Selvar who outkicked the anchor for Eastlake (see picture) to bring home the victory in a school record time of 3:23.63. This was, until the past week's meets, the fastest time in the state. I firmly believe the 4x4 is the backbone of any track and field team, so it brings me and the rest of the program great pride in seeing it have so much success. Of the other event winners, Chris Selvar won the 800m in a personal best 1:55.31 time (tying Michael Chinchar for the team lead and #2 all-time). Michael Chinchar overcame illness and a poor 1600m race to win the 3200m in a season-best time of 9:18.0. Sophomore Cody Fishel tied his PR and won the High Jump with his jump of 6'3". Devin St. Clair won the Long Jump for the second straight year with his jump of 21'6 3/4". Also, Junior Gauldin won the Triple Jump with his jump of 42' 7 1/2". All of this led to an overwhelming victory for the boys team, and a really heavy trophy to present to the team. Way to go boys!

The girls team also had some good performances on the "big stage". Like the Boys, the highlight of the meet was the very last event, the 4x400 relay. The team of Sophomore Ashley Luther, Junior Abby Brauer, Junior Vanessa Parker and Freshman Dana Wareham set a season best time of 4:16.0 solidifying themselves as #4 on the top ten list. This is also significant because it is the first time since 1993 that the Girls 4x4 has run under 4:20.0. Dana Wareham also had a great run in her 400m dash, running 61.0 and placing 7th overall. Other strong performances for the girls came from Sophomore Kyra Gaines, who ran a personal record 27.40 in the 200m dash. Freshman Aiesha Goodlow turned in her fastest time of the year with her time of 18.38 in the 100 Hurdles and was joined in the PR club by Junior Erin Bradfield who jumped 31'10" in the Triple Jump. These performances earned the Girls a 24th place finish. Overall meet results can be found here.

Last week saw one of our team's toughest dual meets of the season. Our Girl's squad put up a good fight, but lost 57-84 to the KM Girls. Our Girls won 6 events, and were competitive in many others. Event winners included Kyra Gaines in the 100m (13.2), Dana Wareham in the 200m, (26.9, a season PR and #3 all time) and Long Jump (16' 1 1/4", #7 all time), Lindsey Moore in the High Jump (5'6"), and both relays (4x100: Ashley Luther, Kristen Olenick, Kyra Gaines and Dana Wareham, 51.7; 4x400: Luther, Abby Brauer, Vanessa Parker and Wareham, 4:16.2).

The Boys team churned out perhaps the toughest dual meet of the season, winning over KM by a score of 80-56. Up to that point, KM had only lost once, and was in contention for a share of the league title. Many athletes stepped up and had great performances to assure the win. Michael Chinchar stepped out of his usual events and won the 400 in a team best time of 51.4. Another highlight for the Boys team was Junior Gauldin's PR Triple Jump of 43'2 1/2" This win moved the boys team to a 6-0 record (not including 2 Invitational wins) and further established themselves as a powerhouse team in the state.

The KM meet also provided the girls team with a couple of PR's and strong performances. Event winners were Kyra Gaines in the 100m (13.2, moving into the top 10 list), Dana Wareham in the 200m (26.9, moving up the top 10 list) and the Long Jump where she set a season PR (16'1 1/2"), Lindsey Moore in the High Jump (5'6", tying her PR), and both relay teams took home first place finishes. Meet results for the KM dual can be found here.

Last saturday saw our boys and girls team split up for the prestigious Shoreline and Lake Washington Invitational meets. Shoreline is an all-boys meet and Lake Washington is an all-girls meet and both attract some of the top athletes in the state. Our girls team only sent 12 athletes to Lake Washington, but they competed hard and represented Kentwood well on the big stage. The girls squad was led by Lindsey Moore who placed 2nd in the High Jump (the 4th time this year she's jumped that height). Lindsey also set a PR in the Javelin with her throw of 99'9". Dana Wareham also had a big day, winning her heat in the 400m with a time of 60.85, and running the anchor legs on both the 4x2 and 4x4 relays. All three relays ran at Lake Washington and although they didn't run their fastest times of the season, all three were competitive within their hear in what perhaps is the best meet competition they will see all year (including state because the entries are based on marks, not classifications).

The boys squad went into their toughest invite of the season with the Shoreline Invite. Shoreline traditionally brings a very talented field from all across the state to compete against. Our boys stepped up to the challenge and established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the state. There were several highlights of the meet, led by event winners Michael Chinchar in the 1600m, and Devin St. Clair in the Long Jump. Michael ran away with the 1600m title, winning in a time of 4:12.18, missing the meet record by little over a second. Devin leaped to a big victory with his jump of 22'6", showing the state that he is capable of winning a big meet. Another thrilling event was the boys 4x4 relay which saw another showdown with Eastlake High School (the team our boys beat to win the Bellevue Invite the week before). This time though, there wasn't enough room to outkick them and our boys took 2nd place with their time of 3:24.82. In the end, the boys team took home second place to Evergreen of Vancouver, a team that we will definitely see at the state meet. Meet results can be found here and news story here.

These meet were a good taste of what our competition will be like as we cruise into the postseason, hopefully preparing us for the great competition to come.

Boys are Tacoma Invite Champs!

Invite season is always so fun because there are so many great chances for big performances due to the good competition; to see our kids perform so well is very exciting to see. This past week we went to our first full-team invite, the Tacoma Invitational. There were 32 teams there from Western Washington (and one from Oregon), and it brought out the best in many of our kids. Many of the schools at this meet have had a lot of success, including Wilson High School, which was the Boys 4A 2006 State Champion.

One of the tough things about this meet is that it does not allow for either boys or girls squad to showcase our depth, so we have to rely heavily on our top athletes to get us points. Our boys came through though, and brought home the 1st place trophy on Saturday. There were many outstanding performances, but one performance in particular stood out above all of the rest. Sophomore Devin St. Clair came into this season with high expectations based upon his great Freshman season where he Long Jumped 21'11" and Triple Jumped 42'5". So far this year though, he hadn't been able to pop a "big one" in the Long Jump, with his best being 20'9" at the Arcadia Invite (off of the wrong foot). Devin finally put that to rest with his school record breaking jump of 23'4" to win the Tacoma Invite. His jump is the longest recorded so far this year for the 4A division. The Tacoma Invite was also highlighted by several other athletes beginning with event winners in the 1600m by Senior Michael Chinchar(4:29.11), and the High Jump by Sophomore Cody Fishel (6'2"). Other big marks were produced by Junior Demetrius Bronson who took 2nd in the 200m (23.23), Sophomore Steven Warner who took 4th in the 300 Hurdles (PR time of 41.27, moving him to #8 on the Top 10 List), Senior Eric Brill who took 5th in the 3200m (10:02.30) and Senior Andrew Fung who took 6th in the 110 High Hurdles (16.04). Both Boys relays performed well also, posting their second fastest times of the season to this point. The 4x100m relay (Nikiel Taylor, St. Clair, Damion Ricks and Bronson) took second with their time of 43.56, and the 4x400 relay (Gauldin, Ricardo Tucker, St. Clair and Chris Selvar) took 7th with their time of 3:32.02. The Distance Medley Relay (Jake Logar, Mark Hoffman, Kramer Wahlberg and Danny Smith) also placed 7th with their time of 11:41.15.

There were several highlights for the Girls team at the Tacoma Invite as well. The 4x200 Relay team of Kyra Gaines, Ashley Luther, Rachel Gilstad and Dana Wareham ran a season-best time of 1:51.63 putting them way ahead of where the same relay team was at this point last season. Freshman Dana Wareham came up big with a 7th place finish in the 200m (28.31) and a 6th place finish in the 400m (62.32) along with being the anchor leg on the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Senior Jillian Jainga also scored points with a 5th place finish in the Pole Vault. Season best times also were had by the 4x100 relay (Gaines, Kristin Olenick, Gilstad and Karyn Hauch with a time of 54.08), Junior Arielle Amoranto in the 100 Hurdles (18.79) and Junior Erin Bradfield in the Discus (83'1"). The Girls team ended in a tie for 16th place out of 32 schools.

This week coming up holds two meets for the team, the first being a dual meet versus Tahoma. Tahoma has been a powerhouse team on both the boys and girls side, as they have a very strong distance running contingent for both boys and girls. Their boys are led by Junior distance runner Jonothan Lafler and Seniors Matt Voss and Chad Ford for their sprints and hurdles. The Tahoma girls squad is led by Senior senior Megan Zukowski, who is leading the SPSL North in both the 100m and 200m.

This Saturday holds our second team invite, the Bellevue Invite. Many more of our athletes will be competing at Bellevue than did at Tacoma, so that should make for more outstanding marks! Hopefully the weather there will be as nice this year as it was last year. Maybe our team can pull out another win! Go Conks!

Coach Roche

Wow, what a week!

There are so many ways that this past week was incredible, so it's really difficult to know where to begin. It's so gratifying as a coach to see my athletes have great success, especially knowing how much time and effort they have all put into that success. We've been blessed with some better weather in this past week, giving us some of our best individual and team performances we've seen so far this year. One of the most intriguing parts of seeing our success at this point in the season is knowing that we are only 1/2 way through the season, and the best is yet to come.

Although it doesn't make sense to begin chronologically with what happened second, the enormity of the accomplishments deserve to take the top billing for the past week's accomplishments. Considering the number of athletes that enter, the number of schools and states that attend from all over the country, and the standards needed to even get into the Arcadia Invitational, just being there is an accomplishment and a honor. Our four boys who went not only represented Kentwood and the state of Washington very well, but helped to put themselves "on the map" for Track and Field in the West Coast and throughout the USA. All four boys that went to the meet set season bests in the events they were entered in. Sophomore Devin St. Clair flew 20' 9 3/4" in the Long Jump on his only legal jump of the competition. Junior Chris Selvar ran his season's best time in the 800 with his time of 1:58.84. Senior Eric Brill also ran his best time of the year in the 2 mile, with a 9:42.90 time Friday night. Senior Michael Chinchar wrote his name into the permanent record book though with a historic performance Saturday night in the Mile. Michael took the lead from the pack from the very beginning and kept that pace throughout the race. With one lap to go, Michael had a lead somewhere near 30 meters when Charles White from Cherry Creek burst off of the final corner with a furious kick, but as Michael sensed his competition gaining on him, he turned on his own kick, and crossed the finish line first, in 4:09.67, the fastest mile time in the country to this point. You can watch the race for yourself and see Michael's post-race interview here. This meet, needless to say, will go down as one of the greatest in Kentwood history. (Photo credit above to John Dye from dyestat.com)

Earlier in the week, the rest of the Kentwood squad had an impressive meet of their own against powerful Federal Way high school. Although the Girls team lost to Federal Way 55-86, many Girls saw personal best and season best marks. One athlete that stepped up this week was Sophomore Ashley Luther. Ashley had one of her best days for her young career with a season best time in the 100m (13.71, placing 2nd), running a season best split in the 4x4 (64.1) and setting a lifetime PR in the Long Jump (15'11 1/2", placing 2nd). Ashley's Long Jump moved her into the Top Ten list in 8th place. Event winners for the Girl's team on Thursday were Freshman Dana Wareham in the 200m (27.86), and the 400m (61.75, moving her to #3 all time for Kentwood), Sophomore Lauren Scully in the 800 (2:39.25, a season best), Sophomore Lindsey Moore in the High Jump(5'4") and Senior Jillian Jainga in the Pole Vault (7'0", moving her to #7 all time for Kentwood). There was one Freshman record set in this meet by Clarisa Hammer in the 100 Hurdles with her time of 18.4. Hammer took the record at the beginning of the season, but then had it taken a week ago by fellow Freshman Aiesha Goodlow, and now has taken it back. The Girls' dual meet record is now 1-3.

The Boys squad faced one of their toughest dual meet challenges of the season in their dual meet with Federal Way. Federal Way came int the meet undefeated and had many positive matchups with our Boys. The Kentwood Boys stepped up to the challenge though, defeating the Eagles by a score of 80-54. Because of the Arcadia Invite on Friday and Saturday, the four boys going to the meet were limited (by their coaches) to only a few events, thereby limiting the depth that has served the Boys team so well this year. Several Boys stepped up in their absence, picking up the slack and delivering big. Senior Danny Smith stepped in for the missing Chinchar and Brill by winning both the 1600m (4:46.61) and 3200m (10:35.10). Seniors Kramer Wahlberg, Jake Logar and Freshman Thomas Zavada also stepped in and took 2nds and 3rds, allowing for a Kentwood sweep of those distance events. Other event winners for the Boys team were Junior Demetius Bronson in the 100m (11.20), Sophomore Devin St. Clair in the 200m (23.21) and tied Sophomore Junior Gauldin in the Triple Jump (42' 1 1/2", moving Gauldin to #7 all time for Kentwood) , Senior Mark Hoffman in the 800m (2:05.09), Sophomore Steven Warner in the 300 Hurdles (41.57, moving him to #9 all time for Kentwood), and Sophomore Cody Fishel in the High Jump (6'2"). A Freshman Record was set this week by TJ Markus, with his Shot Put of 40'10". The Boys team now has a league dual meet record of 4-0. Total team results for the Federal Way meet can be found here.

This Saturday brings us our first Invite for the whole team, the Tacoma Invite at Mt. Tahoma High School. This Invite is exciting for several reasons; for one the facility in which it is held at one of the premiere High School Track and Field facilities in the state, and secondly it gives our athletes a good taste of what their district track meet will be like, since our district meet is there. There are 32 schools coming to this Invite, and each team is allowed one entry per event, so there will be many quality athletes and many quality competitions to be had.

I have posted several reminders for athletes competing or attending the Tacoma Invite under our message board link on the website, so please see that for more details for the meet. Lets hope for sunshine and a great meet!

Coach Roche

Rolling into Meet Week 4

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” – Bobby Unser

I think our season thus far has been great in preparing us for what is to come the rest of this season. One of our themes for this year has been preparation, and I wholeheartedly agree that our preparation thus far is setting the stage for success in the upcoming weeks. Our athletes have spent over five weeks now running intervals, sprinting up hills, jumping up bleachers, lifting weights and doing abs, all in preparation for the success to come. One of the greatest things about this sport is that every individual gets out of it what they put into it.

Both our Boys team and Girls team had a banner week last week, winning in impressive fashion over Decatur. With the 106-30 victory, our Boys are 3-0 on the dual meet season, winning each dual meet by over 70 points. That, I believe, is a testament to both our talent and our depth that we have been able to compete at that level for three straight weeks. Our Girls team also pulled off an impressive victory with their 107-24 win over Decatur this week. Our girls team now stands with a record of 1-2 and things are looking better every week as new athletes are becoming eligible and healthy.

There were several stong individual performances in our meet last week. Junior Chris Selvar set a season PR in winning the 800m with his time of 1:59.71. Chris is one of four athletes going to represent Kentwood at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California this Saturday. Another of four going to Arcadia is Senior Eric Brill, who also ran a season PR in the 3200m with his time of 9:59.03. The other two going to Arcadia are Senior Michael Chinchar in the 1600m and Sophomore Devin St. Clair in the Long Jump. The link to the meet can be found here. Again, as we have had in the previous two dual meets, the boys team had five "sweeps" in our meet versus Decatur. The 110 High Hurdles, 300 Hurdles, Shot Put, Discus, and Pole Vault saw Kentwood take all three placing spots this past thursday. Individual winners this week were Sophomore Junior Gauldin (55.15 in the 400m and 40'7.5" in the Triple Jump), Chris Selvar in the 800m, Michael Chinchar (4:25.69 in the 1600m), Eric Brill in the 3200, Sophomore Steven Warner (15.46 in the 110HH and 41.89 in the 300H), Junior Evan Porter (41'11" in the Shot Put, 113'6" in the Discus), Sophormore Cody Fishel (6'1" in the High Jump), Senior Tony Som (9'0" in the Pole Vault), and Junior Nikiel Taylor (17'10" in the Long Jump). Both of the Boys relays also took first place, (4x100 Relay: Taylor, Freshman Tristan Askew, Senior Damion Ricks and Sophomore Darrius Coleman, 45.73; and 4x400 Relay: Selvar, Warner, Askew and Gaulding, 3:37.65) Nikiel Taylor joined the Top Ten list with his 23.3 time in the 200m (tie for 9th) and a Freshman Record was broken in the 3200 by Freshman Thomas Zavada with his time of 11:22.3.





The Girls team saw by far their most successful meet of the season, with six "sweeps" of their own in the 400m, 800m, 1600m, 3200m, 100 Hurdles, and the Long Jump. The Girls were led again with three victories from Freshman Dana Wareham in the 200m (27.69), 400m (62.60) and Long Jump (15'2"). Dana's 200m time moved her up to 7th place on the Top Ten list. Another big performance came from Freshman Aiesha Goodlow, who not only won the 100 Hurdles (18.96), but set a Freshman Record in the process. Other event winners from the Decatur meet were Sophomore Lauren Scully (800m, 2:40.54), Freshman Meghan Hoffman (1600m, 6:08.1), Junior Tessa Rawie (3200m 14:10.0), Freshman Jennifer Weston (Shot Put, 24'1.5"), Junior Erin Bradfield (Discus, 81'1"), Sophomore Lindsey Moore (High Jump, 5'4"), and Freshman Karyn Hauch (Pole Vault, 6'6"). All three Girls relays won also (4x100: Junior Rachel Gilstad, Freshman Clarisa Hammer, Sophomore Kristen Olenick, Hauch, 54.46; 4x200: Sophomore Kyra Gaines, Sophomore Ashley Luther, Junior Abby Brauer and Wareham, 1:54.35; 4x400: Hoffman, Rawie, Gaines and Junior Vanessa Parker, 4:53.91).


This week we go up against a team that matches up with us very well, the Federal Way Eagles. Their Boys squad is undefeated and has a couple of strong jumpers in Jay Davis and Andre Barrington, and perhaps the best throwing squad in the league with Andrew Pulu and Jeremiah Olivarez. They should provide a great challenge for our Boys squad. Federal Way's Girl's squad is led by Hurdler/Jumper Jacqie Evenson and Thrower Samantha Willis.

Hopefully, the good times will keep on rollin', and we will have another great report next week! Go Conks!

Coach Roche

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I know that weather tends to feed our collective short-term memory loss and that the current weather pattern we are in feels like "the worst it's been for a while" but this is ridiculous! With our intermittent semi-sunny days scattered throughout (not on a meet day mind you), it seems that heaven's floodgates have been open frequently this spring, and this was especially evident at last Thursday's meet at Kentlake.

I also feel that the meet fit into our theme for the week, mental toughness, because just to get to the end of that meet without a mutiny displayed the mental state of our team. In despite of all that, I was astonished at our performances. By my semi-accurate count, there were 42 PR's this meet from our boys team and 27 for our girls team... which I just think is amazing! It all amounted to a 104-31 victory for the boys team and a 59-83 loss by the girls.

Our girls were highlighted by several impressive performances, including a newcomer who stole the show. Freshman Dana Wareham began her Kentwood Track and Field Career with an amazing 3 first place finishes in individual events (Long Jump 15'1", 200m 27.9, 400m 62.3) and ran a leg on the winning 4x400 relay. With those performances Dana captured the Freshman records for each of those events, and also moved into the All-Time Top 10 List for the 200m and the 400m. There were several other impressive performances by the girls team, highlighted by event winners Sophomore Kyra Gaines (100m, 13.9), Freshman Clarisa Hammer (300m Hurdles, 54.3), and Sophomore Lindsey Moore (High Jump, 5'6") along with the 4x200 Relay (Rachel Gilstad, Kristen Olenick, Hammer, and Karyn Hauch) in 2:00.5, and the 4x400 relay (Abby Brauer, Gaines, Wareham, Meghan Hoffman) in 4:41.0. Freshmen Karyn Hauch (Pole Vault, 6'6") and Meghan Hoffman (1600m, 5:57.0) jumped into the Top Ten lists with their performances last week against Kentlake. Juniors Erin Bradfield and Teddi McGuire both moved up on the Top Ten list with both clearing 5'0" in the High Jump.

The boys also were able to overcome the rainy conditions and put up some amazing marks. Perhaps the most intriguing race of the day was between two of our own, Senior Michael Chinchar and Junior Chris Selvar in the 800m. In what turned out to be a great race for the both of them, Michael won in a time of 1:55.1 (a time that would have placed 3rd at last year's state meet), and Chris set a season PR with a 2:01.4. We had many event winners including three double-winners, led by Junior Demetrius Bronson who won the 100m (11.2) and the 200 (23.2), Senior Eric Brill who won the 1600m (4:40.0) and the 3200 (10:24.0), and Sophomore Steven Warner who won the 110HH (15.2) and the 300H (41.7), both of these times move Steven onto the Top Ten List). Other event winners were Sophomore Junior Gauldin in the 400m (53.6), Junior Adam Smith in the Discus (114'6"), Sophomore Cody Fishel in the High Jump (6'3", which moved him up to 3rd on the Top Ten List), and Senior Chris Jenks in the Pole Vault (8'0").

This week we go up against the Decatur Gators at home. Decatur has several very talented athletes, led by Ezra John Griffey in the sprints. Decatur also has a solid distance running core, so they should provide a good challenge for our boys squad. Their girls team is highlighted by a tandem of very talented jumpers and throwers, Amanda Stewart and Geena Woodke. Stewart is the only other athlete in the state thus far to match Lindsey Moore's 5'6" in the High Jump.

So, we're hoping for some warm, dry weather for Thursday, but at this point we'd settle for just dry. Hope to see a huge crowd on Thursday to cheer on your Conks!

Coach Roche

Kentlake this week

Our competitive season is finally under way! Outside of the weather, which turned cold on us, our first meet was successful in many ways. Our kids competed like they've been anxious to go out and show people what they can do, which is always good to see. For a first meet of the season, there were some very impressive marks and some improvements already over last year.


One of the most impressive marks turned in last week was by our current school record holder, Sophomore Lindsey Moore in the High Jump. Lindsey bettered her 2006 PR and school record of 5'5" by jumping 5'6" (which was the height that won the state meet last year). On our stats website it shows that Lindsey is tied for the highest mark entered in the nation. Quite impressive for a first meet!


Lindsey's jump into the record books was joined by Senior Jillian Jainga who cleared 6'6" in the Pole Vault (tied for 8th best all time), and Freshmen Jennifer Weston (set the Freshman Record for shot put with a throw of 28'0") and Clarisa Hammer (set the Freshman record in the 300 hurdles at54.6 and tied another in the 100 hurdles at 19.8). Very impressive for a first meet!


These impressive performances though were not enough to beat a tough TJ team, led by state Cross Country champion Kenna Patrick, who showed us all why she won the past fall. The TJ girls won by a score of 95-45.


The boys team set the bar for success with a solid 105-31 victory over TJ. The boys squad won every event but two, and had solid depth throughout the events to establish our team as one to be reckoned with in the SPSL. One of the most remarkable things about this meet for the boys were the number of "sweeps" Kentwood was able to pull off in the victory. In the 200m, the 3200m, 300 hurdles, and Shot Put, the boys won "swept" or took first, second and third in those events. This is a notable testament to our strength and our depth.


Some of the notable marks from the boys meet were turned in by Demetrius Bronson, who won both the 100m (11.4) and the 200m (23.3). Other event winners were Junior Gauldin in the 400m (53.7), Chris Selvar in the 800m (2:04.1), Eric Brill in the 1600m (4:42.3), Michael Chinchar in the 3200m (9:37.5), Andrew Fung in the 110HH (15.7), Steven Warner in the 300H (42.0), Evan Porter in the Shot Put (39'2"), Adam Smith in the Discus (107'4"), Cody Fishel in the High Jump (6'0"), and Nikiel Taylor in the Triple Jump (38'9"). The boys 4x100m Relay (Taylor, Bryan Carlson, Damion Ricks & Bronson) won (44.8) along with the boys 4x400m Relay (Selvar, Chinchar, Warner & Gauldin) in 3:39.2. (meet results can be found here, and all times have been converted from FAT to hand times)

Senior Danny Smith also had a great meet, setting a PR in the 3200 and jumping into the Top 10 list with his time of 10:29.4.



From a coaches perspective, one of the most exciting things about this meet was how well our athletes were supporting each other. If you were able to go to the meet, it was especially evident in the 4x4 races, with perhaps the loudest applause being for our "throwers 4x4" and was thrilling to watch. As a coach it gives me a great amount of pride to see all of our kids support each other like that.



This week our opponents are the Kentlake Falcons. Kentlake's boys have several solid athletes, especially in their distance and jumps. Their girls return a number of solid marks in almost every event, so as is the case in every SPSL meet, there should be a number of fun competitions to watch.



Hopefully, the rain will give us a break on Thursday and we will have another great meet to report on next week!


Coach Roche

First meet this week

Well, tomorrow is the day we've all been waiting for since the season began, it's meet time! There always comes a point where everyone is tired of all the preparation and they are ready to see some results, and I think many of us are at that point. Meets are always exciting for athletes and coaches because we all finally get a chance to really see what people can do in a competition setting.

One of the great things about this sport is that is so diverse and there are so many things going on at once that there's always something to watch. If you ever get a chance to go to an elite level meet, you know that the audience truly appreciates great performances in every event. Track meets at our level aren't quite as "viewer friendly" as a meet at say, Hayward Field, but they still have a lot to offer.

This week, we go up against Thomas Jefferson, which is well known for its girls team, especially their girls distance runners. They are led by the reigning state cross country champion Kenna Patrick, so that should be fun to watch on Thursday. TJ also returns a solid boy's throwing squad, so they definitely are a worthy opponent.

As usual, the mixed weather provided some good and bad practices for us in the past week and a half, but there were some stong efforts as there were run-offs, jump-offs and throw-offs to determine varsity spots. It will be exciting to see how the first week of performances show who we are!

We're under way!

Week one of Kentwood Track and Field 2007 is in the books! Good weather, bad weather, it doesn't matter... we don't stop! As usual, there was quite a bit of getting to know eachother that took place in our first week. I feel though that most of us are glad to be starting and excited for the season. It takes a large amount of hard work and dedication to succeed in this sport and so far I have liked what I've seen.

Our Pentathlon, which is always an early season highlight, provided a first chance at competition for many athletes, and a first test of the sport for others. Once again, it did not dissapoint. The Boy's competition was won by Sophomore Steven Warner by only 5 points over last year's winner, Junior Demetrius Bronson (295 to 290). Warner and Bronson were followed in a third place tie by Senior Andrew Fung and Junior Nikiel Taylor(281). Several boys turned in impressive performances, and the fact that the top 6 boys were only separated by 19 points says a lot about the level of athletes we have on this squad this year. Warner was the top Sophomore, Bronson the top Junior, Fung the top Senior, and Zach Schneider(208) was the top performing Freshman. The Girl's competition was won, for the second year in a row by Sophomore Ashley Luther (135). Second was Junior Captain Erin Bradfield who followed behind Ashley with 125 points and Freshman Aiesha Goodlow came in third with 117 points. Top senior honors went to Hailey Baesler with 62 points.

As we look forward to our second week of practice, we're hoping for some better weather and continued hard work. The themse of week two is encouragement... a trait I hope we can all improve at!

Coach Roche