Kevin Ramos, Molly Gibson and Cora Speidel aren’t household names just yet.
But the freshmen standouts are certainly on their way.
The talented trio is beginning to turn heads as part of a Shorecrest track and field team infused with promising underclassmen.
“Every year you hope to get some youth that comes in and will be able to contribute to your program,” Scots coach Don Dalziel said. “We’ve had streaks of kids over the years who’ve been able to do that and this year is no exception.”
Dalziel was aware this year’s freshman class included its share of noteworthy prospects who excelled in the sprints and jumps at Kellogg Middle School.
Midway through the season, Ramos, Gibson and Speidel have proven to be the best of the bunch.
“I’m real pleased with their efforts and quite surprised with some of the kids that I had no idea about,” Dalziel said.
In Ramos, Dalziel sees the makings of a state-caliber sprinter.
“I’ve never had a freshman boy with that kind of top-end speed since I’ve been here,” said Dalziel, who is in his 13th season as head track coach.
Ramos is accumulating a collection of firsts and seconds in the 100 and 200 meters at Wesco South dual meets. His top 100 time of 11.44 seconds (handheld) has Dalziel excited about the future.
“That’s not earth-shattering, but if you start at 11.5 as a freshman and put in your time in the weight room, by the time you’re a senior you should be able to get it done,” Dalziel said.
“He’s got the footspeed. If he just grows a bit and gets some size on him, he’s somebody who could potentially be threatening at state.”
For now, Ramos has been a consistent source of points in the 100 and 200 and filled the only vacancy on Shorecrest’s relay teams. He runs the second leg of the 400-meter relay and leads off the 1,600-meter relay.
“He’s had a great opportunity to step in and run with kids that really know how to set a work ethic at practice,” Dalziel said. “He’s learned how to run the hard workouts and has done nothing but contribute in every dual meet he’s been in.”
The Scots possess another sure-fire state contender of tomorrow in Gibson, whose mix of size and speed has proven valuable on the track and in the field.
She clocked Shorecrest’s fastest split this spring in the 1,600-meter relay and her slender, 6-foot frame and natural leaping ability have helped generate some particularly lofty results in the high jump.
“We knew Molly had the potential to be a decent high jumper,” Dalziel said. “We just didn’t realize she’d be able to come in and contribute right away as an upper-end high jumper for our whole conference.”
Capitalizing on a dose of warm weather last week, Gibson cleared a career-high 5 feet, 2 inches in a dual meet at Edmonds Stadium.
Three Scots have cleared 5 feet: Gibson and juniors Kim Shen and Amy Farquhar.
“These are some of the best marks I’ve had in a long time,” Shorecrest high jump coach Juli Van Pelt said.
While Gibson’s spring can be traced to her long legs, Speidel doesn’t have the same luxury.
“Cora’s the opposite,” Dalziel said. “She goes out and lets her speed create her distance.”
Speidel registered Shorecrest’s top triple jump mark this season at 33 feet, 3 1/2 inches. She ranks third on the team behind Gibson and sophomore Brianne Robinson with a long jump of 14-8.
As for the jump from Kellogg to Shorecrest, the landing couldn’t have been much smoother for Gibson, Speidel and Ramos.
“It’s not easy to go from middle school to high school,” Dalziel said, “but all these kids have made a good adjustment.”
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