ALTOONA-MIDWAY MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK
EUREKA – The Altoona-Midway Middle School track team battled both opponents and the wind Tuesday, but still had strong finishes in several events when they competed here in the Eureka Invitational.
While the Jets did not come away with any gold medals, they did earn runner-up honors in three individual events and two relays. AMMS tracksters also earned two bronze finishes, as well as eight other performances which placed in the top six, thus earning team points.
“It was crazy windy at Eureka, so the kids fought the wind all afternoon and into the evening,” said AMMS coach Chary Weilert. “Even so, we had some good results, both individually and as a team.”
Taj O’Connor, Chance Mustain and Hadlee Pupanek earned silver medals for Altoona-Midway. O’Connor was second in the eighth-grade boys’ shot put (33-10), Mustain was runner-up in the seventh-grade 1600-meter run (6:36.11), and Pupanek was second in the seventh-grade girls’ shot put (25-2).
A pair of Jet relay squads also picked up runner-up finishes. The eighth-grade girls’ 4x200 squad (Jasa Pankanskie, Brooklynn Collins, Peyton Drake, and Harmony McFarland) finished in 2:28.59; and the newly-formed seventh-grade girls’ 4x100 unit (Sandra Morales, Ashlynn Sicka, Bella Douglas, and Hadlee Pupanek) crossed in 1:13.42.
“We have not had a 4x100 relay team for many seasons, but we gave it a try at Eureka with the seventh-grade girls, and they ended up with a silver medal,” Weilert said. “Hats off to my assistant, Coach (David) Batzer, for helping these girls establish some good handoffs in a very limited amount of time. Coach Batzer has also been a tremendous help for the jumpers. He wasn't able to help at practice for the past week, so having him back on board with us will definitely help our kids improve.”
Chance Carter gave AMMS a third-place finish in the seventh-grade shot put (27-2), and combined with Caleb Kuhn, Damien Green, and Mustain for the bronze in the 7th grade boys’ 4x200 meter relay (2:24.97).
Additional performances which earned team points for the Jets were:
Eighth Grade
Peyton Drake, 4th in the high jump.
Brooklynn Collins, 6th in the 75-meter hurdles.
Seventh Grade
Sandra Morales, 5th in the high jump; 5th in the discus; 6th in the long jump.
Bella Douglas, 6th in the 100-meter dash.
Chance Mustain, 6th in the long jump.
Chance Carter, 6th in the discus.
The Cedar Vale-Dexter Middle School swept the team titles in all four divisions. Rosalia-Flinthills finished second in both boys’ brackets, while Sedan was runner-up in eighth-grade girls and Madison High School placed second in seventh-grade girls.
Altoona-Midway finished sixth in three brackets, taking seventh in eighth-grade girls.
Altoona-Midway Middle School will host its own invitational on Monday, April 10.
“We still have lots of conditioning and lots of technique work to focus on this month, but I am extremely pleased with the early results so far,” Weilert said. “These kids can barely contain their excitement every time they show up at a meet, so between their excitement and energy, we are sure to continue to improve and impress.”
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ALTOONA-MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL TRACK
OSWEGO – The Altoona-Midway High School track team sent three of its squad members to compete in the Oswego Invitational held here Tuesday.
And while the Jets were shut out from earning any team points at the meet, all three athletes recorded a personal best in at least one event in which they competed.
“We took three kids over to Oswego and all three recorded a personal best,” said AMHS track coach Randy Almond. “That’s what it’s all about – trying to improve each time you go out.
“Jyl Davis and Braxton Wittlake both improved their personal best in the shot put, and Ava Tindle set a personal best in the long jump.”
Altoona-Midway only has a track squad of five athletes this spring. Emmalynn Pupanek and Eryn Tiger are also out for track, but did not participate Tuesday.
Wittlake heaved the shot 28 feet, 4.5 inches for his personal best, and also competed in the discus, with a toss of 60 feet, 2 inches.
Davis competed in the same events in the girls’ division. Her personal best toss of 25-8 landed her 10th in the shot put, and just a little over a foot from medaling. She also had a throw of 50-1 in the discus.
Tindle’s PB came in the long jump, where she leaped 11-7. She also participated in three running events, the 200 (first in her heat at 37.81), the 400 (8th place, 1:24.54) and the 800 (8th place, 3:44.41).
Marmaton Valley won the boys’ division, topping the 13-school invitational with 73 points. Northeast was second (66), just ahead of Oswego (62), Southeast (59), and Pleasanton (57).
On the girls’ side, Commerce (Okla.) captured the team title with 87.5 points, well ahead of Northeast (64). Rounding out the top five were Columbus (56), Quapaw (54.5) and Oswego (51).