Monday, May 18, 2015

Titan Track Bulletin - May 17, 2015

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: GIRLS 3RD, BOYS 2ND
35 hours after the first gun was fired, the Syracuse High Titans walked off the BYU track with a well-deserved 2nd place trophy. Even though it may have said "Boys" on it, the trophy was really for the entire Titan Track and Field program. All members of the TEAM should feel some ownership in and have a sense of pride in this outstanding achievement.
In the week leading up to State, coaches emphasized a few key ideas: the meet would be like a roller coaster with some triumphs and setbacks- how we reacted to the setbacks and moved forward would be key to our chances of success; it was important to concentrate on the things we have control over, not the things we can’t control; and one crazy old coach even said it would be good if we had bad weather because that would help the team that prepared properly and was mentally tougher than the opposition. Well, that coach got his wish, and the Titans went out and proved they were definitely a tough group of competitors. How tough? Kayla Rees was called on to run eight races over the two days. Colten Yardley, Daunte Atkinson, Hunter Woodhall ran seven great races. Isabella Williams and Mace Kucej were on the track six times. Each of them (and many others) put it all on the line and gave 100% each time.
This State Championships update will be an "hour-by-hour" account of the meet. The 35-hours of State started out at the bottom of the "roller coaster" with Brenn Flint being involved in a car wreck before the first gun had been fired. More on her reaction to that trauma later.
8:00/9:00- Isabella Williams ran a tough 1600m race in 5:09.06 to finish 9th- not what she wanted, but it was the toughest field ever for a Utah 1600. Cidnee Davies, Anne Petersen and Jentry Skidmore got caught up going back and forth between the long jump and 100m hurdles and 100m dash. Cidnee made the finals of the hurdles in the #6 position. Anne had a mishap at the 7th hurdle to just miss finals. Cidnee then jumped 17'05 to finish 2nd in the long jump, while Jentry’s 16'04.75 placed her in 8th. Colten Yardley qualified for finals in the 110m hurdles running 14.65 into a big headwind. Tanner Kutterer had the fastest time for a sophomore in the field running 15.91, just missing the finals.
10:00- Kayla Rees (12.46) and Daunte Atkinson (11.26) made finals in the 100m dash. Jentry missed by one spot running 13.12. Brenn showed how tough she is by "getting her mind right" after the car wreck, then throwing a huge PR of 43'04.75 in the shot put. She led the competition until the final round, but had to settle for 2nd with a school record toss and the #12 mark in Utah history.
11:00- Both 4x100m relays ran great to make the finals. The Girls (Cidnee, Arlyne Arteaga, Anne and Jentry), ran 51.19 to finish in the #6 position. The Boys (Broderic Hall, Colten, Mace and Hunter) avoided disaster at the last handoff to finish in 43.32, the 2nd fastest time in the trials. A controversial, but probably correct, ruling placed Herriman, our competition for 2nd place in the TEAM race, in the finals even though they did not finish the race.
12:00- Kayden White threw 141'06 to finish 7th in the discus. Kayla (58.34), Daunte (49.68) and Hunter (49.73) all made the finals in the 400m dash. Kayla was in the #4 spot, Daunte and Hunter #1 and #2.
2:00- Kaycee Adams just missed the podium by 2-inches finishing 7th in the javelin with a throw of 105'08.50. Emmy Smith threw 91'01. Prediction: these two sophomores will be at the top of the podium in 2016! Colten cruised to the fastest qualifying time of the day in the 300m hurdles running 38.23.
3:00- Anne, Arlyne, Taya Tobler and Isabella ran 4:18.15 in the medley relay, the #2 time in the trials.
4:00- Dylan Brower cleared 6'02 in the high jump to finish 6th and make it on the podium.
5:00- Broderic, Loren Burrell, and Carson and Ryan Andreasen ran 3:38.07, the fastest time in the Medley Relay trials. Kayla’s 25.86 in the 200m dash put her in the #3 spot in the finals. Daunte’s 22.45 was the #4 mark in the 200 trials, while Mace just missed finals by .06, running 22.93.
6:00- Jentry, Isabella, Taya and Kayla turned in a great time of 4:03.16 in the 4x400m relay to qualify in the #6 position. Loren, Mace, Carson and Hunter’s 3:25.00 produced the fastest time in the Boys 4x400m qualifying. Loren and Carson turned in their second great legs in the relays.
 
So, the first day finished up about 7:30 pm with some great field event performances and almost everyone qualifying for finals. And for the first time in Titan history, all six relays were going to be running on Saturday. While things looked good, there was still a great deal of work to be done.

Saturday
The sun was shining bright early Saturday morning, but clouds moved in and rain dominated the day. Perfect conditions to show the toughness of the Titans.
9:00- Camilla Moses finished her first season in style clearing 9'06 in the pole vault to finish 2nd. Looking at the video, her jumps at 9'09 were probably really at 10'09 as it appears the bar was misplaced. Hailee Swank’s 8'00 clearance wasn’t quite what she hoped for, but these two sophomores are going to do some great things over the next two years.
10:00- Ammon Riley, who waited until Region to qualify for State, made the 100's of hours of practice pay off by throwing 46'04 to place 5th in the shot put. We didn’t know how important the four points were at that time.
11:00- Cidnee got out-leaned at the tape to finish 2nd in the 100m hurdles, just missing out on her bid to repeat as State Champion. Her 14.76 was identical to the time given to the winner. Colten couldn’t quite overcome a less than ideal start to also finish 2nd in the 110m hurdles running 14.62.
12:00- Kayla’s 12.54 in the 100m dash put her on the podium for the first time in 4th place. She was just .03 away from 2nd. Daunte also picked up a 4th place finish in 11.24. He was running into a headwind, and trying to recover from a mediocre start. He probably had the fastest time in the field from 20m to the finish. In a story book finish to an incredible Lady Titan career, Brenn threw 137'09.50 to win the discus. She was 3rd going into the finals, but blocked out the weather conditions to finish up with another School Record and the #13 mark in Utah history. There could have been no better way to go out than at the top of the podium.
12:30- Two great honors for two great Titans: Treston Cullimore received his 2nd Academic All-State Award (the other for Football) and Tyler Fessler the Willie Cowdin Award. The Cowdin Award is for athletes who have overcome adversity to pursue excellence in Track and Field. Congrats to both of these great Seniors!!
1:00- Cidnee, Arlyne, Anne and Jentry ran great legs to place 5th in the 4x100m relay. Their time was 50.64 and produced a higher finish than projected. Broderic, Colten, Mace and Hunter followed up by running 43.11 to place 3rd in the 4x100. There were several teams with faster athletes running, but these were two TEAMS!!!
2:00- Kayla ran very tough to place 2nd in the 400m dash in 57.39, just missing her school record in her 6th race (so far) of the meet. Daunte (49.22) and Hunter (49.66) also ran tough to finish 2nd and 3rd in the 400m dash. They were just getting warmed up. Colten left no doubt in the 300m hurdle final as he destroyed the field running 37.81. This was the fastest time of the day by nearly a full second. Huge points were gained in the Boys javelin as Mason Leishman (165'10.50) and Adam Johnson (164'01.25) placed 3rd and 4th and made it to the podium. With both finishing ahead of the top-seed from Herriman, the Titans were back in the hunt for a trophy after being behind by almost 40 points earlier in the day.
3:00- Isabella finished 8th in the 800m run in 2:19.58. This was another loaded field and her time would have normally put her in the top 3-4.
4:00- Kaycee and Cidnee struggled in the high jump. The weather conditions were terrible- but no excuses were heard. The reaction by Kaycee showed something: she is a competitor who really cares, and she will be back to dominate the event before she graduates. Anne, Arlyne, Taya and Isabella finished 6th in the medley relay running 4:23.56. It was a courageous race by Bella, running about 45 minutes after her open 800. Broderic, Mace, Hunter and Ryan all ran great legs to place 3rd in the medley relay in 3:37.62. Kayla battled to the finish line in her 7th race turning in a 26.22 to place 4th in the 200m dash. Daunte, running his 6th race, also finished 4th in the 200m, turning in a 22.41. Both races were run into the wind.
5:00- A very tired crew of Jentry, Taya, Isabella and Kayla ran four courageous legs in the 4x400m relay to place 7th in 4:06.11. A great deal had been asked of these four, and they delivered every time.
6:00- Going into the Boys 4x400, the stakes were obvious: Herriman had an 8-point lead and had not qualified for the finals; if the Titans won, they would pick up the 2nd place TEAM trophy; a 2nd place finish in the relay would make it a tie; 3rd place or below would result in 3rd place for the TEAM. With the seniors, Colten and Daunte, getting Mace and Hunter pumped up and ready to go, the outcome should have been obvious before the gun was fired. Loren and Carson had run great in the trials to get this crew to the finals, and they were ready!! Colten ran a great lead-off leg, Mace ran like he was possessed, Hunter took off like he always does when he gets a baton in his hand (like a bat out of Hell), and Daunte brought the stick home!! While the time of 3:19.73 was not the State Record they had hoped for, it did secure the first State Track and Field trophy in Titan history. What a great climax to 22-hours of Track and Field- the greatest sport in the world.
7:00- Presentation of Trophies!! For the first time in Syracuse history, there was a reason to stick around for this "event". And it was sweet!! 13 Girls and 14 Boys (including alternates in relays) had scored points. Each and every point was important. The support of so many (including parents) who braved the weather for two days and stuck it out to the end was a factor in some of those points. For those who were there, I’m sure you will never forget the 4x400 relay and trophy presentation that followed. Also present were the great, dedicated "co-head" coaches who helped make this all possible. 
Congratulations on the incredible performances that were the result of 1000's of hours of hard work and sacrifice.

SOPHOMORE/JV REGION
In this last-chance to PR, several Titans turned in some great performances at Davis High. Picking up first-place finishes were: Tanner Kutterer in the 110m hurdles (16.98); Jake Reynolds, 800m run (2:07.45); Dahson Arave, long jump (18'11.50); and Everton Checketts, pole vault (12'00). Everton’s jump tied the sophomore class record and is #5 all-time at Syracuse. Not bad for the "Kamikaze" vaulter.

OGDEN HALF-MARATHON
Gabby Young ran 1:48:42 to finish 6th in her age group at the Ogden Half-Marathon. Ashley Walker placed 14th running 1:54:34. Congrats!!


DISTRICT JUNIOR HIGH CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thanks for the help at the District Championships. Everything went great due to your efforts.



PICTURES / UNIFORMS CHECKED IN
Monday, May 18th- Right after school in the stadium. Have your uniforms ready to turn in.



TITAN DECATHLON
Tuesday/Wednesday at 3:00.


BARBECUE / AWARDS
Our end-of-year celebration will be held Thursday, May 21st in the Stadium (weather permitting). We will move inside if necessary. All athletes and parents are invited to attend. We will start eating at 5:30 and expect to hand out awards at 6:30.



XC MEETING
Coach Wilcox will go over the summer training program for Cross Country May 28th. All interested in running should plan on meeting in the Blue Room at 3:30.



UPCOMING SCHEDULE
May 18 - TEAM Pictures taken and Uniforms turned in
May 19/20 - Titan Decathlon @ 3:00 pm
May 21 - TEAM Barbeque and Awards @ 5:30 pm
May 28 - XC Meeting in the Blue Room @ 3:30 pm
Jun 5/6 - Great Southwest Classic at Albuquerque, NM


QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The biggest reward for a thing well done is to have done it." Voltaire

You did it.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Titan Track Bulletin - May 10, 2015

IT’S HERE!!! STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!
It doesn’t seem very long ago that I stated in the indoor and outdoor meetings that the State Championships would be here in a hurry. It certainly seems that way. Fortunately, we have a great group qualified who have used the time to properly prepare themselves for two big days. And we have a great support group of athletes, coaches and parents that will help those competing to achieve new levels of excellence. It should be an exciting 36-hours.
"On paper", Davis and Herriman are the odds-on favorites to capture the top two spots in both Boys and Girls divisions. But with some great efforts by our competitors and great support from everyone else, we can tear up that "paper" and write our own script. But it will take great efforts and support from everyone for this to happen. To help ensure this support, we will be taking a bus down to BYU both days for those who would like to support the TEAM. Information and sign up will take place Monday at practice.

REGION ONE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Two days of outstanding efforts resulted in a pair of second-place finishes by the Titans. While some of those efforts may not have had the desired results, there can be no question that everyone competed hard and did their best to help the TEAM as well as help their own chances of success.
The Lady Titans were incredible capturing titles in seven of the 17 events. Kayla Rees had another outstanding meet winning the 100m (12.22), 200m(26.05) and 400m dashes (57.75). Not bad for someone who was too sick to workout Monday. Brenn Flint finished out three great years of throwing at the Syracuse track by setting a stadium record of 131'01" in the discus. She also won the shot put with a toss of 39'10. In an exciting long jump competition, Cidnee Davies leaped 17'08.50 on her last jump to beat Jentry Skidmore by ½". Cidnee also ran 14.67 to finish 2nd in the 100m hurdles and qualified for State in the high jump with her 5'01 clearance. Jentry also qualified for State in the 100m dash running 12.77 to finish 3rd. In an epic pole vault competition, Camilla Moses tied for 1st clearing 9'09. This was the result of what could be considered 10 overtimes against the state record holder before the jump-off was finally called off due to the weather. Isabella Williams had another great region meet as she finished 3rd in the 800m (2:18.64) and 2nd in the 1600m runs (5:09.29). Anne Petersen also had a busy meet finishing 4th in the 100m hurdles (15.18), 5th in the 300m hurdles (47.48) and 7th in the long jump (16'04). Kaycee Adams and Emmy Smith placed 3rd and 4th in the javelin with throws of 100'10 and 100'04 to punch their ticket to State. As usual, they are never far apart. Jentry, Isabella, Kayla and Taya Tobler ran 4:04.81 to finish 3rd in the 4x100m relay. Also picking up big points for the Lady Titans were: Hailee Swank, 4th pole vault (8'06); Rachel Griffin, 6th 3200m run (12:05.49); Maranda Kirkman, 6th shot put (30'01); Alyssa Perry, Courtney Bearnson, Brenna Hess and Arlyne Arteaga, 5th 4x100m relay (54.59);and Courtney, Arlyne, Megan Page and Rachel Griffin, 5th medley relay (4:52.03).
The Boys were just as impressive as they captured six of the 17 events. Colten Yardley picked up wins in the 110m (14.52) and 300m hurdles (37.97). Both times were new stadium records. Daunte Atkinson almost duplicated Kayla’s triple by winning the 200m (22.58) and 400m dashes (49.96). His 10.95 in the 100m was 2nd by 1/100th of a second. Mace Kucej picked up good points placing 7th in the 100m (11.30) and 3rd in the 200m (23.08) dashes. Hunter Woodhall broke away from the cameras long enough to place 2nd in the 400m (50.18) and 7th in the 200m (23.36) dashes. Tanner Kutterer picked up an 8th place finish in the 110m hurdles in 16.07. Bryant Edgerton’s 9:53.36 in the 3200m run was good enough for 5th, just missing out on State. Colten, Mace, Hunter and Daunte scared the State Record again in the 4x400m relay running 3:19.03. With better weather, they probably would have had the record. The time is #8 all-time in Utah history. The 4x100m relay team of Broderic Hall, Colton Steggell, Tanner Kutterer and Chase Sexton placed 5th in 45.33. Treston Cullimore, Broderic, Loren Burrell and Bryant Edgerton finished 4th in the medley relay running 3:49.84.
In field events, Adam Johnson came up huge in the javelin with a toss of 156'10 to capture first, just ahead of Mason Leishman’s 155'00. Ammon Riley picked a great time to PR in the shot put throwing 47'03 to place 2nd. Kaden White continued his great sophomore season throwing 145'05 to place 3rd in the discus. Dylan Brower’s 6'04 clearance in the high jump was good enough for 4th place. Joel Bolduc (46'02), Connor Kirkman (45'05) and Stephan Olivas (44'11) finished 5th, 6th and 8th in the shot put. Joel had a huge throw that would have easily put him into State, but had a narrow foul.
Sometimes obscure things happen in this type of meet that create some lasting memories for the old coach. Watching the last 100 meters of Aubrie Jacobsen’s 800m, and the last official vault of Treston Cullimore’s high school career brought mixed feelings. Neither finished up like I’m sure they envisioned when they started pursuing excellence over two years ago. However, neither will have to look back with any regrets. They did everything they could to help themselves and the TEAM. Everyone has benefitted from their efforts.

Complete results of Region can be found at: www.runnercard.com.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Chosen as Athletes of the Week were Kayla Snyder, Aubrie Jacobsen, Courtnee Bearnson, Karissa Jacob, Maranda Kirkman, Adam Johnson, Mason Leishman, Stephan Olivas, Mace Kucej and Connor Kirkman.

JV/SOPHOMORE REGION

This meet is open to all sophomores as well as juniors and seniors who did not qualify for the Varsity Region Championships. It is a great chance for another meet for those not qualified for State. It will be held Tuesday, May 12th at Davis. More information as well as sign up for events will be covered at practice Monday.

DISTRICT JUNIOR HIGH CHAMPIONSHIPS

We will host this final junior high meet Wednesday, May 13th. Everyone except those competing at State will be expected to officiate and help make this the best meet the junior high athletes have ever competed in.

PICTURES / UNIFORMS CHECKED IN

Monday, May 18th- we will have one final TEAM picture - we want EVERYONE who finished out the season in one big TEAM picture. We will then turn in uniforms. Avoid the fine list.

TITAN DECATHLON

A final competition to determine the top overall athletes at Syracuse. All track athletes are invited to compete in this fun competition. You must commit to compete in all ten events over the two days, and also commit to some good-natured trash-talking. This is a must. It will be held after school, May 19th and 20th. The 10 events are: Day One- 100m dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m dash; Day Two- 100/110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500m run. It’s a fun way to finish off a great track season.

BARBECUE / AWARDS

Our end-of-year celebration will be held Thursday, May 21st in the Stadium (weather permitting). All athletes and parents are invited to attend. We will start eating at 5:30 and expect to hand out awards at 6:30. There is no charge, but we will ask some to bring salads and deserts. Besides eating, TEAM awards will be presented.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

May 12 - Soph/JV Region at Davis @ 3:00 pm
May 13 - District Jr High Championships at SHS @ 2:00 pm.
May 14 - State TEAM Meeting for EVERYONE going to State, including those going to support. Room 2118 @ 2:30.
May 15/16 - State Championships at BYU @ 8:00 am
May 18 - TEAM Pictures/Uniforms turned in
May 19/20 - Titan Decathlon @ 3:00 pm
May 21 - TEAM Barbeque and Awards @ 5:30 pm
Jun 5/6 - Great Southwest Classic at Albuquerque, NM

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." Norman Vincent Peale
You have worked hard. You deserve to be competing at State. Be humble but confident in your abilities and preparation.







Sunday, May 3, 2015

Titan Track Bulletin - May 3, 2015

REGION!!!
The Region One Championships will be held at Syracuse Wednesday and Thursday. Action gets underway both days at 3:30. Many of you have prepared for this meet for an entire year. This preparation along with the home field advantage and support from the entire TEAM should result in some great performances. It should be an exciting and rewarding two days.

LAYTON / WEBER TRI-MEET

Not much to report on. There were some good performances, but the results and officiating were a little suspect. If you learned anything at all, I hope it was the importance of properly and efficiently officiating a track meet.

HERRIMAN TWILIGHT INVITATIONAL

The third edition of this meet proved to be a very good one for the Titans. Even without overloading any athletes, the Boys finished 2nd behind host Herriman in the team scoring, while the Girls 3rd behind Herriman and Weber.
Colten Yardley had an incredible meet winning the 110m hurdles (14.56) and 300m hurdles (37.67). Both were school records, and the 300m time is #12 on the Utah All-Time list. Daunte Atkinson also had a great meet winning the 200m dash (22.31) and placing 2nd in the 100m dash (10.97w). Hunter Woodhall was our other individual winner capturing the 400m dash in 50.68. In the final event of the evening, those three teamed up with Mace Kucej to destroy the field in the 4x400m relay. Their time of 3:19.17 was just off the school record, the #10 Utah All-Time mark and the fastest time in Utah this year by nearly 3-seconds. Quite a feat. Other scoring performances came from: Mason Leishman, javelin (3rd, 158') and high jump (4th, 5'08); Bryant Edgerton, 1600m run (4th, 4:33.07); Tanner Kutterer, 110m hurdles (6th, 15.45, state qualifying mark); Carrick White, long jump (3rd, 20'06); and Kayden White, discus (3rd, 149'06). Loren Burrell, Colton Steggell, Jake Reynolds and Tyler Stark finished 3rd in the medley relay running 3:49.89.
The top performance for the Girls was turned in by Jentry Skidmore, Arlyne Arteaga, Kayla Rees and Isabella Williams. Their winning time of 4:10.66 shattered the school record and is the leading time in Utah this year. It is also in the top-25 times ever run in Utah. Cidnee Davies picked up a 2nd place finish in the 100m hurdles running 14.81w. Kayla Rees finished 3rd in the 100m dash in 12.19. A slight tailwind negated a school record. Isabella came back from the medley relay to place 2nd in the 3200m run in 11:52.39. Camilla Moses also picked up a 2nd place finish jumping 9'08 in the pole vault. Other scoring performances came from: Anne Petersen, 100m hurdles (6th, 15.68); Jentry, 100m dash (6th, 12.78); Cidnee, 300m hurdles (5th, 48.65); Rachel Griffin, 1600m run (6th, 5:34.86); Kaycee Adams, high jump (5th, 5'01, state qualifying mark); Hailee Swank, pole vault (6th, 8'02); and Brenn Flint, shot put (3rd, 39'10). Cidnee, Anne, Arlyne and Jentry ran 50.87 to place 3rd in the 4x100m relay.
Complete results can be found at:
www.runnercard.com.

 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Chosen as Athletes of the Week were Arlyne Arteaga, Jentry Skidmore, Isabella Williams, Jake Kealamakia, Jessop Oliver, Broderic Hall and Tanner Kutterer. Hard work over the entire season resulted in some great performances and PR’s this week.

JV/SOPHOMORE REGION

This meet is open to all sophomores as well as juniors and seniors who did not qualify for the Varsity Region Championships. It is a great chance for another meet for those not qualified for State. It will be held Tuesday, May 12th - it has not been decided where the meet will be held.

DISTRICT JUNIOR HIGH CHAMPIONSHIPS

We will host this final junior high meet Wednesday, May 13th. Everyone except those competing at State will be expected to officiate and help make this the best meet the junior high athletes have ever competed in.

PICTURES / UNIFORMS CHECKED IN

Monday, May 18th- we will have one final TEAM picture - we want EVERYONE who finished out the season in one big TEAM picture. We will then turn in uniforms. Avoid the fine list.

TITAN DECATHLON

A final competition to determine the top overall athletes at Syracuse. All track athletes are invited to compete in this fun competition. You must commit to compete in all ten events over the two days, and also commit to some good-natured trash-talking. This is a must. It will be held after school, May 19th and 20th. The 10 events are: Day One- 100m dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m dash; Day Two- 100/110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500m run. It’s a fun way to finish off a great track season.

BARBECUE / AWARDS

Our end-of-year celebration will be held Thursday, May 21st in the Stadium (weather permitting). All athletes and parents are invited to attend. Coach Jones will begin "slinging burgs" at 5:30 pm. There is no charge, but we will ask some to bring salads and deserts. Besides eating, TEAM awards will be presented.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

May 6/7 - Region Championships at SHS @ 3:30 pm
May 12 - Soph/JV Region at TBA @ 3:00 pm
May 13 - District Jr High Championships at SHS @ 2:00 pm.
May 15/16 - State Championships at BYU @ 8:00 am
May 18 - TEAM Pictures/Uniforms turned in
May 19/20 - Titan Decathlon @ 3:00 pm
May 21 - TEAM Barbeque and Awards @ 5:30 pm
Jun 5/6 - Great Southwest Classic at Albuquerque, NM

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden
Be very thorough in your final preparation for the Region Championships. Put your energy into what you can control. You can’t dictate the weather, how your competition performs, etc. You do have the power to properly prepare for any situation and have yourself ready to compete at the highest level possible.