The amplifier., April 01, 2009, Page 12, Image 12

Sports
12
April
Track Team looks to improve throughout season
_
S ean P ebler _____________
Staff Reporter
Getting better each day is
the main goal for the Track
Team this year according to
Head Coach Joe Cerny. The
Lions have high expectations
for some of their athletes who
go above and beyond to gain
an edge on the competition by
training during the off-season.
"it's exciting to work hard
and accomplish your goals/'
Cullen Wannarka, sophomore,
said. Wannarka runs the 800
and 1,500 meters, but one of
his ambitions is to run the
3,000 meters. He trains all
off-season, doing more volume
running than in-season and a
lot of core workouts. He also
just came off of a successful
cross country season.
One of the things that
most coaches stress is the
importance of staying busy
and playing another sport in
the off-season. Many of the
distance runners were also on
the Cross Country Team in the
fall.
"I can't really compare
the two; I like them equally
because they are different
types of running," Wannarka
said. He only started running
competitively in seventh grade,
and he already has aspirations
of going to State this year.
On March 11, they held a
practice meet in order to gain
experience and in order for
coaches to decide who would
compete on Varsity.
In their first meet against
Clackamas, the boys lost 92-
53 and the girls fell 105-39.
However, the Lions had strong
showings from many of the
athletes.
The Lions warm up before their inner-squad practice meet on March 11. They held this event in preparation
for their first meet against Clackamas on March 18, where both the boys and girls teams fell short.
Photo by Mark Popper!
Undersized Equestrian Team scores big
■ A shley S heron
Staff Reporter
Although the Equestrian
Team has only eight members,
they are ranked fourth in the
entire District. The team has
beat out five other schools
with twice as many riders.
"Since there are a lot of
new people, the team's goal
is to include them and make
sure they have a good year,"
Karleigh Vroman, senior, said.
In the first meet of the
season, Sydney McNaughton,
junior, took fourth in Hunt
Seat Over Fences and second
in In Hand Obstacle Relay
with teammates Vroman,
Samantha Roberts, senior, and
Nicole Paulson, freshman.
In Hand Obstacle Relay, four
riders are judged on a pattern
that has multiple obstacles.
Collaborative events
included Betsy Luers, senior,
Carly Strasshofer, sophomore,
and Austin's fourth in Team
Canadian Flags. Paulson and
McNaughton placed ninth in
Working Pairs. Working Pairs
is an event where two riders
complete a pattern in unison.
"Our goal this year is to
become a better team, work
together and help each other
out," Luers said.
In the second District
meet, Roberts placed first in
Showmanship, third in Hunt
Seat, second in Working Pairs
with Vroman and second in
In Hand Obstacle Relay with
Vroman, Paulson and Kenzie
Samantha Roberts, senior, takes
her horse through obstacles in the
In Hand Obstacle Relay. The team
of Roberts, Karleigh Vroman,
senior, Sydney MacNaughton,
junior, and N icole Paulson,
freshman, placed second in the
first two season District meets.
Photo courtesy of Deb Roberts
Johnson, freshman. Vroman
took second in Stock Seat.
McNaughton placed seventh
in Hunt Seat Over Fences.
Paulson tied for third with
Roberts in Hunt Seat.
In Steer Daubing, the rider
has a stick with chalk on the
tip and the rider has to make
a mark on the steer's shoulder.
Once they mark the steer, the
rider raises her stick in the air
to stop the clock. Strasshofer
placed sixth in Steer Daubing
for the second consecutive
meet as well as placing 11th
in Keyhole, where the horse is
ridden through an obstacle of
cones.
"I hope that the new team
members enjoy this year and
that they come back next year,"
Luers said. "I want them to
have fun even if they don't do
well, to make memories and
improve in events."
The last District meet
will be on April 15-19 at the
Yamhill County Fairgrounds.
State will be on May 14-
17 at the Jackson County
Fairgrounds.
"I don’t expect too
much because State is very
competitive, but I'm going to
do my best," Vroman said.
On the boys' side, the only
first place finisher on the track
was Taylor West, sophomore,
in the 1,500 meters. Second
place finishers included Keaton
Hedman, sophomore, in the
100 meters, Jacob Gianuzzi,
junior, in the javelin, Timothy
Donnelly, sophomore, in the
800 meters, and rookie long
distance runner Graham Frank,
sophomore, in the 3,000 meters.
First place finishers on the
field were Alexander Schlitt,
senior, in the javelin, Zachary
Valentine, junior, in the high
jump, Andre Armattoe, junior,
in the pole vault, and Ian
Markstaller, senior, in the triple
jump. Second place finishers
included Armattoe in the high
jump and Markstaller in the
long jump.
•First place finishers for the
girls included Maria Green,
freshman, in the 100 meters
in the freshman/sophomore
race, Erin Morrow, sophomore,
in the 800 meters, and Taylor
Nowlin, senior, in both the
1,500 and 3,000 meters. There
were many second place
finishers including Kendall
Brooke, sophomore, in the
400 meters, Kelsey Guerins,
junior, in the 1,500 meters, and
Danica Jungerman, junior, in
both the 100 and the 300 meter
hurdles. On the field, Sarani
Chatteqee, sophomore, and
Mallory Griffith, junior, both
made strong showings. Griffith
placed third in both shot put
and discus, while Chatterjee
took second in the discus.
Cerny expects the team to
improve each day and to be
competitive in each meet.
"Clackamas has a large
number of people, and Oregon
City is also a very tough
team, but all of the teams are
tough," Cerny said of the
competition. He also believes
that every dual meet provides
an important step in order to .
be ready for Districts on M a y ^ B P
14. The team has some strong
returners for the boys and
girls.
"We have a strong distance
crew, strong boys javelin, and
a returning state placer, Bryce
Baker, in the hurdles," Cerny
said.
The distance crews are filled
with sophomores looking to
gain a Varsity spot.
"We have a really good girls'
long distance program. They
were 10th at State with viruses,
so I expect them to be very
competitive this season." John
Linman, distance coach, said.
The next home meet, one of
only two for the season, will
be held today at 4 p.m. against
Rex Putnam.
a m o fe S kirts t o »
Oregon Ducks Coach Bellotti
takes over as Athletic Director
m
ASHLEY S hc RON
Staff Reporter
After 14 years as head
coach of the Oregon Ducks
Football Team, Mike Bellotti,
will become the University of
Oregon Athletic Director on
July 1. Offensive coordinator,
Chip Kelly, took over as
new head coach on March
30 for the team's first spring
practice.
Before stepping down
as coach, Bellotti will serve
as the assistant coach to
the Ducks for the spring
practices. The role is only
temporary in order to
maximize the number of
assistant coaches. He will
primarily be working with
the quarterbacks on the team.
Bellotti led the Ducks
to 12 bowl games in 14
seasons and a 116-55 record.
The Ducks were 10-3 last
season, defeated Oklahoma
State in the Holiday Bowl,
and finished No. 10 in
the Associated Press final
rankings, as well as a Pac-10
championship in 2001 and
a co-championship in 2000.
Bellotti is the first Oregon
coach to resign after a bowl
victory according to the
Statesman Journal.
U
continued on page 13