SHORELINE — With four consecutive Western Conference South Division titles to its credit, the Shorewood girls track team hopes to make it five this spring.
However, “it’s going to be a little tougher,” second-year head coach Howie Wood said.
The Thunderbirds’ only state returnee is senior javelin thrower Lauren Sego. The three-time Wesco South champ, whose personal record is 137 feet, threw her season best of 124 feet, 1 inch, the second-best 4A mark so far this season, during a March 30 meet at Shoreline Stadium.
Sego, who recently signed a letter of intent to throw the javelin at Washington State, was 12th in the event at the state 4A meet in Pasco last year.
Sego’s best mark last year was 132-8, but much of the season was spent working on her approach to prepare her to throw farther in the long run.
No such growing pains this season.
“This year is just fine-tuning and more repetitions,” Sego said.
Other top competitors in the field events include: senior Anyka Ozog returns in the shot put and discus; junior Kathryn Claus in the long jump and triple jump; senior DeeDee McCormick in the pole vault; and sophomore Caroline Soules in the high jump.
Sophomore sprinters Amanda Clark and Elody Adjibly run the 100 and 200 meters while senior Liz Schoch does the 200 and 400.
Wood hopes to get senior sprinter Christa Brediger who is nursing a calf muscle strain back by the Wesco South meet. Brediger anchored Shorewood’s winning 400 and 800 relays at the Wesco South meet last year.
The T-birds’ best relay is the 800 with Claus, Schoch, Adjibly and Clark filling the slots right now, Wood said. The 400 relay lineup is the same as the 800, with German exchange student Hanna Schliephake inserted for Claus. Wood also hopes to have 400 runner Jenny McCall back from a stress fracture in her foot. McCall could also help the 800 relay.
Schliephake is a solid high and low hurdler as well.
In the distances, senior Hannah Vietmeier returns in the 3,200, sophomore Sara Levy runs the 800 and 1,600, senior Katie Haug takes on the 1,600 and 3,200, senior Kristin Santroch competes in the 800 and freshman Dominique Amor tackles the 1,600.
At the district meet, Wood said he expects Everett, Marysville-Pilchuck and Stanwood to be the top contenders among the girls teams.
Wood expects the boys team to be in the middle of the pack in the Wesco South.
“I guess we’re here to surprise people,” senior sprinter Taylor Williams said. “We’re looking to improve our place in the Wesco meet.”
Wood said he expects dramatic improvement in the boys 400 and 1,600 meter relays. Williams, the boys top 100- and 200-meter runner, anchors both relays. The 400 relay has senior Jeremy Creelman, sophomore newcomer Erik Lee, junior Shane Gruger and sophomore Taylor Hartman competing for spots. Besides Williams, the 1,600 relay team consists of senior Matt Goiney, senior Brock Hartman and Taylor Hartman.
In individual track events, Goiney runs the 400 and Brock Hartman runs the 300 hurdles. Senior distance runner Eric Ardissono competes in the 1,600 and 3,200.
In the jumps, Gruger and Lee compete in the long and triple jumps and Taylor Hartman is doing the high jump.
In the throws, senior Ryan Freitas is the top shot putter and senior Richard Ledyard leads in the discus. Juniors Andrew Sundquist and Said Hamood throw the javelin.
Creelman competes in the pole vault along with junior Vasil Zhulev, a recent immigrant from Bulgaria. Zhulev, who told Wood he cleared 14 feet in Bulgaria, cleared 11-6 at a March 30 meet.
Among Wesco South boys teams, Everett, the defending district champion, could be the team to beat again, Wood said.
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