Prep Notebook
Published 8:56 am Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Joey Bywater has been in the spotlight before, but this was different.
Very different.
On Friday, the standout distance runner from Lake Stevens High School competed in the 2-mile run at the prestigious Nike Outdoor Nationals track and field meet. Competing against many of the country’s elite prep competitors in Greensboro, N.C., nearly 3,000 miles from his home, the junior didn’t go as fast or place as well as he had hoped, but he certainly walked away with a few valuable lessons.
“I definitely learned a lot as far as I got the experience of really being by myself,” said Bywater, who placed 24th overall in a the three-heat event. He finished in 9 minutes, 7.5 seconds in Heat 2.
Seattle Prep senior Max O’Donoghue-McDonald, the only other Washington runner in the event, was 14th (8:59.19).
Bywater, who won both distance titles (1,600 meters and 3,200 meters) last month at the Class 4A state championships, made the trip with his dad. It was strange to prepare for a race without having any teammates around, said Bywater, who made his Nike Nationals debut and had never previously competed in such a high-profile meet.
He said he wanted to finish in less than 9 minutes, but his time was still a season-best and it’s the second-fastest of his life.
Besides competing without the familiar support of teammates, Bywater realized he must prepare differently in the future. When the prep season ended May 26, so did his normal routine. The change hampered his performance at Nike Nationals, he said.
“I wasn’t as ready – I didn’t prepare myself as much as I should have,” Bywater said.
Considering the circumstances, the distance star did pretty well, Lake Stevens track coach Jeff Page said.
“The first time you’re on a really big stage like that, it’s tough,” said Page.
Bywater said he plans to take some rare time off from running and then prepare for the fall cross country season. He’ll be part of a group that he said hopes to improve on its back-to-back fourth-place team finishes.
Meanwhile, college recruiters will try to convince Bywater to run for their program. He’s received interest from a variety of NCAA Division I-A schools, including the University of Washington, Stanford University and the University of Arkansas.
Stanwood announces award winners: Dozens of student-athletes were recognized June 12 at Stanwood High’s senior awards banquet. Forty-four athletes received plaques for having a grade-point average higher than 3.7, Spartans assistant athletic director Troy Heuett said.
The following athletes plus a volunteer and a coach won special awards, according to Heuett: U.S. Marines Award (athletics/academics) – Ian Mai, Megan Amundson; U.S. Army (athletics/academics) – Daniel Redfern, Kelsey Cline; Volunteer of the Year – Franklin Hansen; Team Sportsmanship Award – girls soccer team; Mike Chandler Coaches Service Award – Bill Walker (boys tennis); Cliff Gillies Award – Jerae Kelly, Luke Laures; Female Athlete of the Year – Rachele Kloke; Male Athlete of the Year – David Lipinski; Female Scholar Athlete of the Year – Alyson Piccolo; Male Scholar Athlete of the Year – Zach Tafoya; Multi-Sport Award (three sports as a senior) – Alyson Piccolo, Seth O’Harra, Rachele Kloke, Luke Laures; Spartan Red Award (earned 9-12 varsity letters) – Megan Amundson, Rachele Kloke, Alyson Piccolo, Dawnia Sudweeks; Spartan White Award (earned 6-8 varsity letters – Michelle Aikens, Tyler Cutforth, Lauren Hansen, Julie Land, Luke Laures, Ian Mai, Aaron Poh, Katlyn Shallow, Kayla Shaughnessy, Zach Tafoya, Cory Tobin, Skyler White.
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
