By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Although many of the athletes on Sitka High’s track and field team entered the season with little to no experience in the sport, the Wolves hit the ground running at the first meet of the season over the weekend in Ketchikan.
Despite inclement weather during the final events on Saturday, Sitka’s boys and girls teams both took second place in the meet. The Ketchikan Kings took first place.
One of the Wolves newest track runners, freshman Tray Demmert, said the team is enthusiastic about the season.
The Sitka High track and field team poses for a photo after competing in the first meet of the season over the weekend in Ketchikan. Sitka’s boys and girls teams both took second place. (Photo provided)
“I do feel pretty good about that as a team and I feel like we all did really good,” Demmert told the Sentinel. “There are definitely a lot of new people on the team and it seems like all the new people are very into it.”
He took sixth place in the 800 meter race in 2:22 and fourth in the mile in a personal best time of 5:01.
He hopes to improve his performance through the season.
“On the mile, I’m very happy with that. And the 800 I’m not mad about it. For the 400 though, I did the same PR that I’ve done in Sitka on a dirt track. So I’m not too happy with that because it’s like, dirt track and a rubber track, I feel like you should be going faster,” Demmert said.
He offered high praise for the team’s coaching staff.
“The coaches are great,” he said. “I’ve noticed just the way they talk about running. It’s like they’re so passionate and they just know what they’re saying.”
The Wolves head coach is Jeremy Strong. He’s assisted by Shasta Smith.
Tray’s older brother, Silas, took second in the half mile in 2:15, followed closely by Hank Maxwell and Annan Weiland. The older Demmert took first in the mile in 4:53 and second in the two-mile in 10:29. Sitka’s David Davis claimed first in the 110 meter hurdles in 20.15 seconds. Wolves junior Caleb Hutton finished third in the 12-pound shot put event.
While this year is Demmert’s first running track, senior Addie Poulson has competed previously. She said she trained in the off season to improve her ability to jump hurdles.
“Asa Dow and I have been coming in during the offseason before school and doing hurdles,” Poulson said. “I feel like last year was a lot of just me figuring out how to hurdle, and so this year I felt like I can now just focus on how to be faster at the hurdles rather than how to just get over them. So I think that’s how I was able to PR in the first meet.”
She finished second in the 100 meter hurdles in 18.06, a personal best, and also claimed second in the 300 meter hurdles in 53:03.
Along with Evangelina Estas, Gwen White and Jamison Dunn, Poulson ran in the four-by-100 meter relay as well. The team edged out Ketchikan by a fraction of a second and took first place in 59.81.
“All of our handoffs went really well, which was super exciting, because I think two of the people on our relay team had their first meet ever. We learned how to do relay handoffs, I think, a week beforehand,” Poulson said.
As a more experienced member of the Wolves team, Poulson looks forward to working with her younger teammates.
“I feel like all of the people that are new are super receptive to advice and working hard and so it’s actually been really fun to work with them,” she said.
Coming out of basketball season in the winter and cross country in the fall, freshman Clare Mullin was ready for the chance to try her hand at running track for the first time.
“I feel like having done cross country in the fall, it made the transition a lot easier because I knew a lot of distance team already and knew I had the foundation for it,” Mullin said. “I’m just excited about trying new events and stuff. Like trying out relays, stuff I haven’t done before.”
Despite her inexperience, Mullin swept the first place spots in the 400 meter race in 1:06, the 800 in 2:41, the mile in 5:43 and the two-mile in 12:03.
Another Sitka freshman, Gwen White, competed in sprint events. Going into the season was somewhat nerve wracking, she said.
“It was really scary at first because there’s all these experienced people and everybody already knows what they’re doing. And it’s kind of like everybody for themselves,” White recalled.
She took second in the 100 meter dash in 15.05 and third in the 200 in 31.98 seconds. White also ran in the four-by-100 relay, which the Wolves won.
She said she was confident at the meet, but in the future plans to come prepared for rough weather.
“I felt like I had a lot of confidence during this week. Next week, I’m definitely going to dress for the weather – it was really rainy and I’m definitely going bring better gear to stay warm,” White said.
The freshman is eager to see how she can improve through the year.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how well I can do at bigger meets and seeing how much I can grow,” White said.
In the four kilogram shot put, Sitka junior Ava Brady claimed second, and in the discus event, Meriedi Morrison finished second, followed by Kanen Alley-Jarquin in third.
Of nearly 40 Sitka athletes at the Ketchikan meet, about two dozen were new to the sport, coach Jeremy Strong said. He hopes his young team develops and improves through the season.
“Getting them experience here early on, bringing that many new kids with us is going to help them later on. Just to feel more comfortable… (The) bottom line is just growth,” Strong said. “Where you start the season, where you end the season.”
The Wolves compete at home this weekend.
