OSWEGO – The Altoona-Midway Middle School track team finished the season on a strong note, placing in six events and setting several other personal bests at the Mineral Belt League track meet held here last week.
“We definitely finished the year on a high note,” said David Batzer, who co-coaches the AMMS track team along with Chary Weilert. “I was proud of the entire team and how they competed. There were some really fast and strong athletes at our league meet, and I thought we held our own with the small number of kiddos we had competing.”
“We only took eighth graders to the league meet (due to league minimums in distances and jumps) but we were able to place in several events while other kids turned in personal bests even though they didn’t place. We congratulate all of our fine athletes.”
Eliot Ard and Allison Lockhart turned in the best finishes for the Jets, as each claimed a bronze medal at the MLB meet.
Lockhart placed third in the high jump with a height of 4 feet, 2 inches. Ard’s third place medal came in the 1600 meters, where he turned in a personal record (PR) of 5:46.
Ard also placed in the 800 meters, as he finished with a PR of 2:47.59 and placed sixth.
Khiana Hicks earned a fifth-place finish with the discus with a PR of 60-2, while Caden Sicka gave AMMS another sixth-place medal in the turbo javelin with a PR of 85-9.
The Jets also turned in a fifth-place finish in the 4x200 relay. Members of that unit included Carl Anderson, Sicka, Ard, and Zach Good.
Although they finished out of the medal ceremony, several other AMMS thinclads turned in PR performances to close out the season. Those included Good and Anderson in the 100 meter dash, and Lockhart and Emily Burch in the 800 meters.
“I couldn't be happier for my throwers,” Weilert said. “Caden Sicka had been fighting a sore shoulder but was still able to get off some good throws in the turbo javelin. He has potential to be successful in running and throwing, so I will enjoy watching his accomplishments next year in high school.
“This is Khiana’s first season of track, and she got injured at the first meet of the season,” Weilert added. “She was not released from the doctor until last week, right before the Oswego Invitational, and then the throwing events were cancelled due to the wet conditions so she couldn't even throw. So, with league on Monday and barely any practices under her belt, I wasn't sure what to expect. You can imagine my surprise when she threw over 60 feet in discus, placing 5th. All I can do is imagine how far she would've thrown had she had a season's worth of practice.”
Batzer said, “Eliot had another PR in the mile and decided not to run the 2-mile so he could PR in the 800, which he did. Our boys' relay team got us points in a really fast 4x200, and Emily Burch set a new PR in the 800. Caden is looking really smooth in the 400 meters, and I believe he can break the 60 second barrier as a freshman.
“What excites me the most is how driven most of our kids are to continue improving at the next level,” Batzer continued. “I think there’s a 100 percent chance we’ll see some eventual state qualifiers in the future for Altoona-Midway Track and Field.”