Track makes strides at Coupeville meet

La Conner High School thinclads seem to be on the right track two weeks into the 2024 campaign.

The school’s boys’ and girls’ track teams enjoyed a second straight strong outing March 20 at Coupeville with several among coach Peter Voorhees’ charges making their season debuts.

“It was another good week for us,” Voorhees said.

The Lady Braves placed a close second and the boys were third on their respective team leaderboards.

The La Conner girls, behind dual-event winner Morgan Huizenga and superb finishes in the relay events, trailed meet winner Coupeville just 139-135 at day’s end. Mount Vernon Chistian, with 134 points, was third in the six-school contest.

On the boys’ side, Coupeville (150.6) and MVC (118.5) outpaced La Conner (111.2) despite Tommy Murdock’s four solo gold medal efforts and triumphs by Alex Martin (discus) and Lane Tenborg (triple jump).

Tenborg and Huizenga were named the La Conner track and field program’s athletes of the week at Coupeville, Voorhees said afterward.

The invitational meet at Mickey Clark Stadium was Tenborg’s first outing of the season.

Eighth-graders Kiana Jenkins, Kim Williams and Finley Hancock likewise saw their initial action of the spring.

Jenkins captured the girls’ 200-meter dash in 28.72 and was second in the high jump at 4-6. Williams mined bronze in the triple jump, stretching the tape to 27-0. Hancock placed fourth in the 1,600, an event for which the Lady Braves previously had no entrants, with a time of 6:54.01.

Huizenga, meanwhile, won both the javelin (98-3) and high jump (4-8) and ran a leg of La Conner’s victorious 4x100 sprint relay. She, Maeve McCormick, Nora McCormick and Lydia Grossglass were clocked at 53.47.

Huizenga wasn’t done, joining Jenkins, Nora McCormick and Reese Bird for a second-place finish (1:56.14) in the 4x200 relay.

The Lady Braves also struck gold in the mile relay as Grossglass, Jenkins, Bird and Maeve McCormick ran the 4x400 in 4:29.97.

Grossglass was an individual winner as well, claiming the 300-meter hurdles in 51.98. Grossglass added a second-place finish in the 100-meter sprint (18.27), just ahead of Nora McCormick, who clinched third in 18.44.

The McCormick sisters continued showcasing the versatility they showed in the season opening meet at Whittaker Field earlier this month.

Maeve McCormick won the 100 meters in 13.61 while Nora McCormick was the silver medalist in the long jump (15-2.75), with Maeve McCormick (14-4.5), finishing third.

Bird and Addison Wigal placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the javelin behind Huizenga. Bird threw an 80-4 while Wigal went 73-8.

Murdock, the defending state boys’ 2B hurdles champion, swept his specialty events at Coupeville and added first-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. He won the 100 (11.42), 200 (24.67), 110 hurdles (15.76) and 300 hurdles (41.76).

“Tommy, obviously, had another great meet,” Voorhees said. “He won multiple events, so we’re super proud of him.”

Same for Tenborg. In his inaugural meet, he won the triple jump (36-6), tied with eight-grade teammate Yandel Rosales-Rojas for second in the long jump (18-5), and joined Marlin Bralens, Maxwell Page and Rosales-Rojas to secure third place in the mile relay at 3:58.33.

La Conner demonstrated depth on the oval as Simon Bouwens finished third in the 100 meter dash (11.57), and fourth in the 200 (26.09) and 300 hurdles (48.95). Bralens took fourth in the 110 hurdles (19.69).

Martin led La Conner in field events. He won the discus with a throw of 118-6 and took third in the shot put with a toss of 35-1. He was sixth in the javelin (109-1), just behind teammate Flint Huizenga (113-9).

The La Conner track teams will look make additional strides at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at an invitational meet hosted by Mount Vernon Christian.