Opportunities of a lifetime only come along so often.
The Kentwood High girls track team was able to experience another such opportunity June 25, when it travelled down to the University of Oregon in Eugene for the Nike Track Nationals. Seven select Conquerors were taking part in the event, which is by invitation only, for the second straight year. The Nike Track Nationals brings together the nation’s top 12 teams from both genders for a one-day competition at the legendary Hayward Field.
“It was just a great experience all the way around,” said Kentwood coach Steve Roche. “You really can’t go there and have a bad experience. They just treat you like royalty down there. You could literally go down there and spend no money. They take care of everything.”
The Conquerors won the Class 4A state title at Mount Tahoma High on May 29, racking up 66 total points, well ahead of second-place Inglemoor (43).
As good as the competition was at state, it was considerably tougher at the Nike Track Nationals. The Conquerors finished in 12th place with 6,919.99 points.
The seven Conquerors who made the trip included: Madelayne Varela, Holly DeHart, Kailey Ulland, Sarah Toeaina, Alyx Toeaina, Carly Horn, and Beth Parrish.
Of the group, Varela, who took third in the 100 (12.07) and fifth in the 200 (24.93) at state, proved to be Kentwood’s top finisher. Varela, a senior-to-be, took fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.27.
Despite missing out on the top-10 team finish, Kentwood’s DeHart, who won a pair of individual titles at state (100 and 200), brought home a personal best.
DeHart, who competed in the 100, 200 and a pair of relays at state, showed off her versatility at Hayward Field, grabbing a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.55. The time was the best of DeHart’s heat, and a personal record.
“We trained her for the (100 and 200) pretty much the whole year,” Roche said. “We ran her in the (400) because she is good at it. She had only raced in the event legitimately once all year.”
The Nike Track Nationals also marked a return of sorts for Kentwood’s Sarah Toeaina. Toeaina qualified for state in the 100 and 300 hurdles along with the triple jump, however, was unable to compete due to an ankle injury suffered during the district meet. Finally back on the track, Toeaina, who will be a sophomore next school year, took 10th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.75.
“I was so proud of her,” Roche said. “She was just heartbroken to not compete at state after earning a spot in three different events. At Nike, she told me she was at 85 percent, and I was just hoping she didn’t re-injure it.”
Other Kentwood results from the event include: Alyx Toeaina took fifth in the shotput (38-5.75) and 10th in the discus (83-7.5); Kailey Ulland took 10th in the mile (5:22.77); Carly Horn took eighth in the high jump (4-11.75); DeHart added a ninth-place finish in the long jump (16-5.5) and Beth Parrish grabbed a fifth-place finish in the pole vault (9-7.25).
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
