By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
JUNEAU – The Sitka High girls track team got a taste of the field that will host the Southeast Championships in two weeks, and they liked it.
The Wolves placed second at the Capital Invitational on Juneau’s Thunder Mountain High School track with 153 points to JDHS’ 159. Thunder Mountain was 3rd (72.5), Ketchikan 4th (44), Haines 5th (19), Skagway 6th (16), Gustavus 7th (12) and Petersburg 8th (4.5).
Senior Joei Vidad won the girls 100 meter dash in 13.08, after setting a school record in the preliminaries with a time of 12.66. Soph. Makayla Moore placed 10th (PR 14.25), soph. Mia Skultka 18th (PR 15.26), freshman Alyssa Henshaw 19th (PR 15.30).
“The thing I struggle with the most is I get too tense,” Vidad said. “Tightening up during my races. I have been working on getting smoother lately. I try to control my body to be more fluid, be less tight and less intense, because if I want to go faster I sometimes squeeze my muscles and you don’t want that, it slows you down.”
Sitka High Track & Field senior Joei Vidad, center, wins the 200 meter dash in a Sitka High record time at the Capital Invite on Juneau’s Thunder Mountain High School track. From left are Juneau-Douglas freshman McKenna McNutt, Sitka senior Haley Bartolaba, Thunder Mountain sophomore Hannah Deer, Juneau-Douglas freshman Trinity Jackson, Vidad, Sitka sophomore Lindsey Bartolaba, Haines freshman Avery Williamson, and Skagway junior Jennifer Hansen. Vidad won three individual events and also ran in the Wolves winning relay team as Sitka strengthens for defense of their Region V and State Championships. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
Vidad also won the 200 in a school record 26.46 with soph. Lindsey Bartolaba 2nd (27.95), sr. Haley Bartolaba 6th (28.90), fr. Adelaide Poulson 9th (PR 30.37), Henshaw 15th (PR 32.14), and Skultka 17th (PR 32.97).
Vidad hit a PR and new school record in winning the 400 meters in 1:00.48, L. Bartolaba was 4th (PR 1:03.86), fr. Tawny Smith 7th (PR 1:07.25), Poulson 9th (PR 1:10.08), fr. Razie Guillory 13th (PR 1:11.74).
“I feel like the goal for the older runners is to just, of course get our PR’s, but just encourage the younger ones,” Vidad said. “To set a standard for when we graduate they know what they have to do to continue the tradition. We are pretty well known for our track team in Southeast. So we want them to keep up the intensity when we are gone and encourage them to get better.”
Wolves sr. Haley Bartolaba won the 300 hurdles in a school record 49.48.
“I started this my freshman year,” Bartolaba said. “It was just something new and it looked fun. Actually I was really bad at it when I first started but once I started racing I was doing pretty good. It just felt good to me, it felt right. It was something I felt good at and could work hard at. It is very painful but it feels good when you finish, especially when you’re happy with your time. It’s a hard race but that makes it even more satisfying.”
Sitka senior Haley Bartolaba set a school record in the 300 hurdles
during the Capital Invite at Juneau. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
JDHS jr. Katherine McKenna won the 800 in 2:36.91 with Smith 2nd (2:37.35), Guillory 6th (PR 2:48.81), and SHS soph. Kathleen Sweeney 9th (PR 3:03.83).
JDHS jr. Sadie Tuckwood won the 1600 in a school record 5:17.86, Smith was 4th (PR 5:48.97), SHS sr. Olivia Wilcox 8th (PR 6:47.25), Sweeney 10th (PR 7:04.55).
Tuckwood also won the 3200 in 11:22.56 (SR), and Sweeney placed 3rd (PR 14:59.14).
TMHS soph. Iayanah Brewer won the 100 hurdles in 16.71, H. Bartolaba 2nd (17.57).
Wolves sr. Jessica Davis won the shot put with a PR of 32-02.75, SHS soph. Jocelyn Brady 8th (23-08.50). Davis also won the discus with 100-02, Brady 2nd (PR 79-06), SHS sr. Kaylahni Weddel 8th (70-01).
TMHS soph. Sophia Harvey won the high jump with 4-07, SHS Clifton 4th (4-04), SHS Saiz 7th (4-00).
JDHS sr. Bailey Wery Tagaban won the long jump with 15-03.25, Saiz 6th (PR 13-00), Clifton 12th (PR 11-00).
Tagaban won the triple jump with 33-08.50, Clifton 3rd (29-11), Saiz 9th (25-04.25).
JDHS won the 4x100 relay in 55.26, and Sitka (L. Bartolaba, Moore, Skultka, Poulson) placed 3rd (59.49). The Crimson Bears also won the 4x800 relay in 10:36.49, with Sitka (Guillory, Audrey Saiz, Wilcox, Sweene) 2nd (12:24.40).
Sitka (Henshaw, Guillory, Tayler Clifton, Skultka) won the girls 4x200 in 2:10.50.
The final event of the meet, the 4x400 relay, is one that’s the most exhausting, partially because the athletes have competed in a number of other events leading up to it.
“It’s at the end of the day, everybody is exhausted,” Sitka coach Jeremy Strong said. “There is just not a lot of rest for the kids that ran in that race.”
Vidad had won the 400 and 200, L. Bartolaba had run in the 400 and 200, and H. Bartolaba had run in the 300 meter hurdles and the 200. They welcomed Smith into the baton passing and won in 4:26.82.
Sitka coach Jeremy Strong said it was his job to think about what could happen in each race and the team’s job to just be ready.
“If I say, hey, you’re going to do this race for regions,” Strong said. “Just know that they have to trust the coaches in what we think fits best for them.”
Strong said a PR is good for any caliber of runner, whether they are advancing to state or not.
“It’s a huge pat on the back,” he said. “That’s what kids look for, those two letters, every time… It feels so good that you put in all this training and you see the fruition, you’re going out and giving your best.”
