It’s plain to see that the new turf and track at Kenai Central High School is popular.
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, athletes from the Kenai, Skyview and Soldotna high school track and field teams were racing around the new rubber, while an informal soccer scrimmage between Kenai and Nikiski was being held.
Last week, Kenai track coach Joe Trujillo noted that the Kenai track and soccer teams from the high school and middle school were all practicing on and between the new 400-meter track, which amounted to nearly 100 students competing for space.
It all made for a jubilant atmosphere Tuesday, despite the steady drizzle, as the first actual competition of the spring season took hold on the Kenai Peninsula.
Only five select events were held — the 100, the 200, the 800 and the 1,600 meter individual races, as well as the 800-meter relay.
Two athletes won more than once on Tuesday. Senior Tim Duke of Skyview took home first place in the boys 100 and 200 meter dashes, just barely edging Kenai’s Josh Jackman by a hundreth of a second in the 100.
Kenai junior Allie Ostrander won both the girls 800 and 1,600 meter races. Ostrander’s time of 2 minutes, 14 seconds in the 800 was only about four seconds off the official state record, held by Wasilla’s Morgan Dampier. Ostrander also managed to run under five minutes in the 1,600 — the second time in two attempts she has done that on Kenai’s new track.
Tri-meet at Kenai Central
(Top-3 results)
GIRLS
100 — 1. Kaylee Fisher, Sky, 12.91 seconds; 2. Daisy Nelson, Sol, 13.31; 3. Hailee Landess, Sky, 13.57.
200 — 1. Daisy Nelson, Sol, 28.50; 2. Hailee Landess, Sol, 28.80; 3. Kaylee Fisher, Sky, 28.80.
800m relay — 1. Skyview, 1:55.0; 2. Soldotna, 1:56.17.
800 — 1. Allie Ostrander, Ken, 2:14.0; 2. Dani McCormick, Sol, 2:29.0; 3. Sadie Fox, Sol, 2:32.0.
1600 — 1. Allie Ostrander 4:59.0; 2. Sadie Fox, Sol, 5:40.0; 3. Dani McCormick, Sol, NA.
BOYS
100 — 1. Tim Duke, Sky, 11.30; 2. Josh Jackman, Ken, 11.31; 3. Lucas Casebeer, Ken, 11.42.
200 — 1. Tim Duke, Sky, 23.40; 2. Josh Jackman, Ken, 24.03; 3. Preston Weeks, Sol, 24.72
800m relay — 1. Kenai, 1:42.0; 2. Skyview, DQ.
800 — 1. Micah Hilbish, Sky, 2:00.0; 2. Jonah Theisen, Ken, 2:02.0; 3. Jordan Theisen, Ken, 2:14.0.
1600 — 1. Jordan Theisen, Ken, 4:34.0; 2. Jonah Theisen, Ken, 4:43.0; 3. Travis Cooper, Ken, 5:01.0.
