Track: Walker, Young star at league meet

Published 10:40 am Monday, May 17, 2010

This Walker is a sprinter.

Freshman Naomi Walker won the 100 (12.31) and 200 (25.79) to help lead the Oak Harbor girls team to a second-place finish in the Wesco North meet last week in Arlington.

Arlington took the girls team title with 175.33 points; Oak Harbor was next in the nine-team meet with 138.

The Wildcats were hurt by the loss of junior Allison Duvenez in the hurdles. Duvenez qualified for state the past two years but was unable to run her specialties because of broken bones in her wrist suffered in a fall in a meet several weeks ago. Despite wearing a cast that runs up over her elbow, she gutted it out and ran the 400 (seventh, 1:02.81) and on the 4×400 relay team with Christina Wicker, Maura McKole and Adrianna Royal (sixth, 4:15.02).

On the boys side, Oak Harbor placed ninth with 36.4 points; Lake Stevens won with 111.

The Wildcats boys were also stung by an injury to a key performer. Josiah Miller, who has the league’s second-best times in the 100 and 200 and runs on two relay teams, missed the meet because of a freak injury. He cut his leg on a piece of track equipment in practice last week and required 13 stitches.

Walker, who also finished fifth in the long jump (15-04.25), wasn’t the only Wildcat star.

Senior Shantae Young won the triple jump (35-10) and long jump (17-04) and was third in the 100 (12.58).

The pair also teamed up with Janessa Ramos and Christina Alexander to win the 4×100 relay in a league record of 49.59. The old mark of 49.77 was set by Lake Stevens in 2002.

The top finish for the Wildcat boys was Matt Bolte’s second in the 800 (2:00.43).

Other Oak Harbor girls who finished in the top eight and scored points:

Ramos (fourth, 100, 17.73; sixth, 200, 27.06), McKole (sixth, 400, 1:02), Royal (second, 800, 2:10.44; fifth, 1,600, 5:17.72), Wicker (fifth, 800, 2:26.29), Amanda Alvarado (sixth, shot, 32-09), Nicole Mowbray (fourth, high jump, 4-10; third, triple jump, 34-09; second, long jump, 15-11.5), 4×200 relay (fifth, Ramos, Alexander, McKole, Janelle Yoshimoto, 1:49.05).

Those who scored for the Oak Harbor boys:

Donovan Hunt (eighth, 100, 12.94; third, long jump, 21-03.75; fifth, triple jump, 42-06.75), Jason Curles (fourth, 200, 23.23), Cody Hernkind (tie, eighth, high jump, 5-06); Sam Schultz (tie, eighth, high jump, 5-06), 4×100 relay (fourth, Curles, Aaron Boesch, Derrick Clarit, Josh Higbee, 45.06) and 4×400 relay (eighth, Chris Opdyke, Curles, Josh Sayre, Bolte, 3:37.06).

The district track meet is Wednesday, May 19, and Friday, May 21, in Snohomish.