Thursday was a banner day for the Carlton Crusaders track team.
The Crusaders and fellow track athletes from across the North Central athletic district braved over 30 C heat and swarms of mosquitos to compete for a spot in provincials on June 5-6.
By the end of the day, 29 Crusaders had qualified for provincials. Carlton track coach Patricia Taylor said this will be the school’s largest contingent of track athletes headed to provincials in a decade.
“I think just so many of them are strong multi-sport athletes,” Taylor said. “Track isn’t necessarily their be-all, end-all. I think a lot of it has to do with track being their fun sport, their off-season sport, or their other sport.
“We don’t put pressure on the kids. We want them to go out there and do the best that they can at all times. They just so happened to win doing that.”
This will be the first time competing at provincials for huge swaths of the Carlton track team. That’s not due to youth either. Taylor said this is the first year of high school track for some of their Grade 11 and 12 athletes.
“I thought for their first big meet that they did really well,” she said. “They were great sports, and they tried so hard.”
Carlton distance runner Sophia Walter is emblematic of the type of athlete headed to provincials. Walter suited up with her club soccer team for games over the weekend, then trained for track on Monday and hit the pool with her competitive swim team on Tuesday.
That training helped propel Walter to first place finishes in the Intermediate Girls 800m, 1500m, and 3000m races.
“She’s a high-level soccer player, a high-level swimmer. I think the training that she does in those sports lends so well to the middle to long-distance running,” Walter said. “I also think that while she’s a quiet, soft-spoken kid, she’s got fire in her belly. When you see her on the track, she gives it her all.”
Walter was part of a Carlton sweep at the Intermediate 800m distance. She finished first with a time of 2:39.41. Fellow Crusaders Jayda Finch (second, 2:43.39) and Jillian Bennington (third, 2:45.42) rounded out the top three. Another Crusader, Ela Pohanka, finished fourth, while a pair of La Ronge runners, Casey Bernardin and Amila Andrews, finished fifth and sixth.
In the 1500m, Walter took first with a time of 5:59 while Bennington came second at 6:08. Bernadin from La Ronge (6:22) rounded out the top three.
Walter and Bennington were the only two runners in the 3000m race, which Walter also won.
“It was really hot, so we were just trying to finish the race,” Walter said when asked about the 3000m competition. “I just ran as hard as I could.”
Walter joined track because she liked running and the camaraderie that came with hanging out at track meets. Now she’s eager to compete at provincials.
“(I’m) nervous because there’s going to be a lot of fast people, but excited,” she said. “I think now I can push myself more.”
SUBHEADLINE: Heat and bugs take their toll
Track athletes had to deal with above 30 C temperatures on Thursday, but it was the bugs that caused the most discomfort.
“Other than the heat, the worst thing out there was the mosquitos,” Taylor said. “They’ve been brutal this week, but all in all, I just thought (the athletes) did so well.”
Taylor said she was impressed with how many athletes not only competed in the heat, but stuck around to cheer on their teammates.
“We’re lucky at Carlton that the kids could go inside. When they needed to, they could go in, they could cool off, they could just take care of themselves, but even so, most of them chose to stay outside and cheer on their teammates, which was really great to see.”
SUBHEADLINE: Carlton runners dominate the track
Aside from Walter, long distance runner Matthew Quiring, and sprinters Raedyn Reddekopp and Steele Zablocki were the most successful Carlton athletes.
Reddekopp dominated the Senior Girls category, taking first in the 100m and 200m races, then adding another top finish in the Long Jump.
“Raedyn has lots of success in track and field over the years, so we weren’t surprised to see her winning her events,” Taylor said. “She’s a strong kid…. When she hops on the track, she gives it 110 per cent.”
Zablocki repeated Reddekopp’s feats, but in a younger age category. She took first in the Junior Girls 100m with a time of 13.45, then won the Junior Girls 200m race, finishing .05 seconds ahead of Shellbrook’s Jersey Kereluk.
Zablocki capped her day with a first place finish in the Junior Girls Long Jump. Kereluk came second again, with Carlton’s Edye Bendzsak and Kali Steward finishing third and fourth respectively.
Quiring took top spot in the Junior Boys 800m, 1500m, and 3000m races. His time of 2:08.15 in the 800m was more than eight seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. In the 1500m, he finished with a time of 4:37, which would have been enough to win the Senior Boys 1500m as well.
Quiring capped his weekend with another strong showing in the Junior Boys 3000m. His time of 10:32 once again would have been enough to win the Senior Boys category.
The Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association provincial track meet is scheduled for June 5-6 at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex in Saskatoon.
For more on the St. Mary track team, please see a future edition of the Daily Herald.
Carlton Crusaders headed to provincials
Intermediate Girls
• Sophia Walter (800m, 1500m, 3000m)
• Jillian Bennington (1500m, 3000m)
• Addisyn Larson (200m, 4x100m Relay)
• Rose Wilson (long jump)
• Jayda Finch (400m, 800m, 4x400m)
• Brynn Locke (100m, 4x100m)
• Olivia Gorder (Quad, 4x100m, 4x400m alternate)
• Tayanna Garrard (Quad)
Intermediate Boys
• Baxter Hutchinson (400m, 4x100m Relay alternate, 4x400m Relay alternate)
• James Cook (400m, 4x100m Relay alternate, 4x400m Relay alternate)
• Amir Saka-Bello (Triple Jump)
Junior Girls
• Kali Steward (80m Hurdles, High Jump, 4x100m Relay alternate)
• Adrianna Lussier-Gobeil (80m Hurdles)
• Aurora Isbister (1500m, 3000m, Javelin)
• Steele Zablocki (100m, 200m, Long Jump, 4x100m Relay)
• Anastazja Scott (800m)
• Edye Bendzsak (100m, 4x100m Relay)
• Peighton Tait (400m, 4x400m Relay alternate)
Junior Boys
• Samson Sullivan (100m Hurdles, Pole Vault, 4x100m Relay alternate)
• Matthew Quiring (800m, 1500m, 3000m)
• Connor McKay (100m, 4x100m)
Senior Girls
• Raedyn Reddekopp (100m, 200m, Long Jump, 4x100m)
• Brooke Anderson (Pole Vault, 4x100m Relay alternate)
• Kaitlyn Foy (Shot Put)
Senior Boys
• Kingston Marsh (Pole Vault, 4x400m Relay)
• Isaac Schwartzenberger (Pole Vault, 800m, 4x400m Relay)
• Avery Slobodzian (Shot Put, Discuss)
• Damien Court (High Jump)
• Hudson Baliski (Shot Put)
