Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
A9
WEDNESDAY
May 11, 2016
Team Long Creek: 12 athletes learn, improve together
First-year coach
Studtmann proud
of team’s effort
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Long Creek’s track and field seniors are, from left,
Raquel Silva, Fernando Rodriguez and Aaron Yeung.
LONG CREEK — Sever-
al athletes on the Long Creek
Mountaineers track and fi eld
team are new to the sport but,
with a little elbow grease, are
making strides.
The varsity team has 12 ath-
letes led by fi rst-year head coach
Linda Studtmann and assistant
coach Jennifer Garinger.
“For many of our athletes, it
is their fi rst year doing track and
fi eld,” Studtmann said.
Even though it is their fi rst
year, most athletes have im-
proved their times and marks in
multiple events over the season.
At the most recent High Des-
ert League Meet in Prairie City
last Thursday, fi ve gained per-
sonal records.
The Mountaineers are often
seen standing together in their
red and white uniforms, cheer-
ing on their teammates — or
joking with them.
There are three seniors: Aar-
on Yeung, Fernando Rodriguez
and Raquel Silva.
“We have a really good team
this year, and a nice coach,” said
Yeung, who competes in the
100-meter dash, 200, 400, long
jump and 4x100 relay. “Every-
body wants to win, and we prac-
tice hard. I appreciate that the
school gives us the opportunity
to compete in track.”
Rodriguez has competed in
the 100, 110 hurdles, high jump,
long jump and triple jump.
“This is the fi rst time I’ve
done track,” he said. “It’s good,
because I’ve discovered that I’m
not that bad.”
Silva said her old school
didn’t offer shot put and discus,
so those are the events she’s try-
ing out this season, as well as
javelin.
The fun part of track for her:
“We get close to each other, and
other people at the track meets,”
she said.
Studtmann said the team is
gaining ground.
“They are all working hard
to learn and improve in their
events,” she said. “It means a lot
to me as a coach to watch them
put in the effort and to see their
excitement each time they PR.
I’m proud of them all.”
GC track teams prep for District Tucker
Wright to
bulldog at
CNFR
Athletes
take on Baker,
Prairie City meets
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
BAKER CITY — Friday’s Bak-
er Invitational was an exciting meet
for Grant County teams as athletes
soared to new heights.
Prairie City’s Garrett Hitz, who
broke his previous school pole vault
record with a 14-foot mark at the
High Desert League Meet in Prairie
City last Thursday, broke it again in
Baker City by 9 inches, earning fi rst
place.
Hitz also placed second in the 110
hurdles and 300 hurdles at the Baker
meet.
“There were 27 teams at this meet,
so plenty of tough competition,” said
Prairie City coach Joe Weymouth.
“The athletes will be working hard
this week to prepare for the 1A district
meet being held in Ontario this year.”
Grant Union’s track coach Sonna
Smith was pleased with her athletes’
results in Baker.
“We had a strong showing in fi eld
events again,” she said.
Kaylee Wright won high jump and
javelin, and was fourth in the 100-me-
ter dash and seventh in the 200, scor-
ing 27 points for Grant Union.
Jozie Rude had a fi rst-place fi n-
ish in shot put, second in javelin and
third in pole vault for a total of 24
points.
“These two ladies led our team to
a second-place fi nish,” Smith said.
“We were missing two key athletes
in Samantha Brock and Kori Pentzer.
We will have both back for district.”
She said her athletes are peaking at
the right time, but so are other schools
in the league, so it will be a battle at
the district meet for fi rst place.
“In the 21 years I have coached, I
have had girls teams place second at
state, third at state twice and a cou-
ple of fourth, fi fth and sixths, but I
have never had a girls league cham-
pionship,” she said. “This year, we
are setting strong in fi eld events but
weak in running,” she said. “We are
hoping our fi eld events will be able
to carry our team, and we will fi nally
bring home a girls league champion-
ship.”
Monument track coach Darrin
Dailey said their team goal for Bak-
er was personal records and prepa-
ration for the district meet.
Sophie Pettit claimed the top
100-meter time with a repeat of her
See TRACK, Page A10
Wright and Riley Clark
compete in Hermiston
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
HERMISTON — Local rodeo cow-
boy Tucker Wright of Canyon City will
compete at the June 20 College National
Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.
Wright, who rides for Walla Walla
Community College in Walla Walla,
Washington, fi nished fourth overall in
steer wrestling for the Northwest Re-
gion of the National Intercollegiate Ro-
deo Association, and 23rd in the nation.
The top three in the region automat-
ically qualify for the CNFR, and the
coach can pick from the top fi ve to add
to the team. WWCC coach Buster Bar-
ter added Wright to the team.
This will be Wright’s second run at
the national competition.
Last year, he fi nished seventh in the
nation as a college freshman.
“I’m going to try to make it better
than it was last year,” he said, adding
he’s looking forward to returning. “It’s
an exciting experience.”
Wright, the son of Trent and Jamie
Wright of Canyon City, is working
toward an associate degree in animal
science and ag business.
See RODEO, Page A10
The Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Prairie City’s Garrett Hitz reaches 14 feet in the pole vault, breaking his previous school record.
Contributed photo/LindseyWyllie.com
LEFT: Prairie City’s Wyatt Williams, left, and Long Creek’s Aaron Yeung and others compete at
last Thursday’s High Desert League Meet in Prairie City. RIGHT: Competing in the 100-meter
dash are Prairie City athletes Teri Cobb, second from left, and Hayley Pfefferkorn, right.
Tucker Wright bulldogs in the
Northwest Regional No. 6
rodeo April 29 in Hermiston,
finishing sixth in the event,
riding for Walla Walla
Community College.
Lady Prospectors face
Prospectors get ready for must-win games
If Grant Union wins two
Vikings in rough waters GU baseball
out of four of their remaining
Grant Union hosts
Riverside Friday
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
VALE — The Grant Union
Prospectors fell hard to the
Vale Vikings in softball action
last Friday.
Vale came away with two
wins on their home turf, 5-2
and 17-3.
Grant Union head coach
DeAnna Nash said Game One
was close.
“This was a tough-fought
battle, and the game could
have gone either way,” she
said.
Grant Union had a 2-1 lead
going in to the bottom of the
fourth inning when Vale tied
up the score.
Vale rallied in the bottom
of the fi fth with a three-run
home run just over the out-
stretched mitt of Prospector
Whitney McClellan.
Windy conditions didn’t
help Grant Union, and al-
though the team had a couple
more chances in the sixth and
seventh, the runs didn’t mate-
rialize.
Prospector Cody Jo Mad-
den pitched through fi ve in-
nings with Brianna Zweygardt
relieving in the sixth.
See SOFTBALL, Page A10
hosts Rockets
11 a.m. Saturday
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — The Grant
Union Prospector baseball
team had a series of close
games against Weston-McEw-
en — including one that went
to 10 innings — but couldn’t
catch a break.
Weston-McEwen had a 6-3
and 7-6 upperhand last Friday,
as well as 3-2 Tuesday, May 3.
Prospector fans were on
pins and needles through it
all, hoping for wins to help the
team reach district competition.
games, they could tie for third
with Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii.
Their next three games are
against Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii,
and their fi nal game is with
Union/Cove.
In Game One Friday, Grant
Union grabbed the lead in the
top of the fourth, 3-1.
The TigerScots evened
the score in the fi fth and held
Grant Union at bay while ral-
lying with three runs in the
sixth for the win.
Prospector
Clayton
Vaughan singled in the second
inning, and scored Ty McDan-
iels and Wyatt Weaver, dou-
bling in the fourth.
See BASEBALL, Page A10
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union’s Zack Deiter (13) gets a high-five from
teammate Clayton Vaughan (23) after scoring in the
bottom of the fifth inning May 3.