By Jim Fog
SPRINGFIELD TRACK & FIELD
On Wednesday May 18, Springfield hosted Woodstock and White River Valley in a Tri-Meet at SHS Gurney Field. Strong winds did not hamper the competitors too much on this otherwise perfect weather day, as evident from the many Personal Records achieved by all three teams. A break in the baseball schedule allowed dual-sport athletes to reinforce their track teammates, with particular benefit to the Springfield relays.
Senior Captain Alicia Ostrom set the pace for the Springfield women, placing 2nd in the 800m(2:56.73), 3rd in the 1500m(5:59.39), and 4th in the 3000m(13:42.54-PR). Junior Angelina Woychosky also had a stellar day, taking 2nd in 300m hurdles(59.81), 4th in 100m hurdles(21.64), 4th in 800m(3:08.62), 4th in Long Jump(3.51m); incredibly, she recorded PRs in all four events! All the Cosmos women showed up strong in LJ: junior Zinny Harris captured 2nd with a PR of 3.54m, while 9th-grader Sabyn Tennis edged out Woychosky for 3rd with a PR of 3.52m. Tennis had already taken 2nd in 100m high hurdles with a PR of 21.36. Harris also placed 4th in High Jump later.
Senior captain Gabby Anders likewise excelled, hitting a PR of 22.25m to place 3rd in Javelin, and another PR of 18.69 to take 4th in discus, while finishing 6th in Shot(6.21m). Her classmates Liv Loney and Taigen Dezaine placed 5th in Jav(21.49m) and 4th in Shotput(6.58m) respectively. Sophomore Molly Tennis bumped Dezaine out of 3rd with a PR throw of 6.65m; she also hit a PR of 17.75m in Javelin. Junior Kaylee Moore threw a PR of 19.69m to place 3rd in discus, while sophomore Hanna Zierfus finished 6th with a PR of 17.44m. Moore later ran a 15.68 to place 4th in the 100m, and a 33.29 to place 4th again in the 200m. Dezaine finished 6th in the 100m(15.77), and 5th in the 200m(33.46).
Sophomore JJ Prouty placed 5th in the 400m, despite never having run it before, even in practice. Maintaining a brutal pace, Prouty beat those in the same heat who had sprinted out in front early, only to exhaust themselves. Prouty later ran a PR of 33.67 in 200m dash, and teamed with Dezaine, Moore, and sophomore Hailey Sliker to run the 4x100m relay in 1:01.52, placing 3rd. Sliker teamed with Woychosky, Ostrom, and junior Olivia Howard to place 2nd in the 4x800m (12:31.31). Howard’s robust performance extended to PRs in the 1500m(6:40.66), and the 800m(3:18.86), finishing 6th in both. 9th-grader Paige Beebe ran a PR of 16.18 in the 100m, and her classmate Erika Knudsen did likewise in both the 400m(80.60), and the 800m(3:25.80), dropping an impressive 13 seconds from her PR in the latter.
Senior Co-Captains Chris Jeffers and Tim Amsden led the Cosmos’ men: Jeffers won LJ with a PR of 5.89m, placed 2nd in HJ with another PR of 1.68m, and took 3rd in his first-ever Pole Vault attempt(2.44m)! Amsden won both the 110m high hurdles(19.03), and the 300m intermediate hurdles(45.89). He teamed with sophomores Marshall Simpson and Dylan Magoon, plus junior Damian Stagner, to win the 4x800m relay(9:59.43). Jeffers replaced Stagner to form Springfield’s winning 4x400m relay(4:07.91). He also ran first leg of Springfield’s 2nd place 4x100m relay with Senior Sam Presch, junior Carson Williams, and freshman Reece Harriman(50.35). Presch placed 3rd in the 400m run(60.73), while Simpson placed 4th with a PR of 63.20. Harriman also ran PRs in the 100m(13.12), and 200m(27.32), but Williams finished just ahead of him with his own PR in the 100m(13.07).
In the 800m run, Simpson finished 5th(2:38.35), Magoon placed 4th with a PR of 2:23.22, and Damian Stagner won with a season’s-best 2:21.28. Stagner placed 2nd in the 1500m(5:03.0), while Magoon logged his season’s best 5:04.93 to place 3rd.
In throws, freshman Hunter Ferland led the team, hitting PRs to place 2nd in Shot(9.89m), 5th in Disc(22.07m), and also taking 3rd in Jav. Senior Caleb Roby also threw well, edging Ferland out of 4th in disc(22.27m), and placing 3rd in Shot. Tristin Stagner finished 6th in Jav with a PR of 24.43m, while Magoon hit a season’s best 24.10 in that event.
Next Tuesday, May 24, the Cosmos host the SVL small-school championships at SHS Gurney field, starting at 3pm. Admission is free.
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