Girls’ Track Outlook: James Wood’s Strength In Field Events Will Be Key

Posted: April 4, 2015
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — In a way, James Wood is seeing a run of unfortunate circumstances continue in the field events this year.

In 2014, high jump star Katie Houser — who will play volleyball for Notre Dame next year — understandably ended her track career after missing her junior volleyball season with a foot injury.

Fortunately for the Colonels, then-freshman Emma Hammond arrived on the scene to not only help in the high jump (she had the second best mark in the area), but also the triple jump (first in the area) and long jump. But Hammond, now a sophomore, will miss the entire season after suffering a foot injury that required surgery at a track camp at Hagerstown Community College.

But James Wood coach Matt Stegmaier mentioned last year that the Colonels joked they should change their shirts to read “James Wood Field & Track,” and once again, good fortune is making up for the bad in the field. It appears as if the addition of another freshman will prevent a drop-off in the pits and circles where the Colonels perform best.

Freshman Rene Rosso won the high jump with a mark of 5 feet at last Saturday’s Arrowhead Invitational at Sherando, and took second in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump. In a dual meet with Strasburg on Wednesday, she won each of those three events (she recorded a 15-1 in the high jump, an improvement of 21 inches from Saturday, and 32-71/2 in the triple jump, improving by 30 inches) as well as the triple jump.

Adding Rosso to an established corps of athletes means a James Wood team that had the highest area local finish at the Conference 21 meet (third) and the 4A North Region (10th) should once again be near the top of any meet they compete in.

“I think our girls team should be very competitive,” said Stegmaier, whose girls won the six-team Arrowhead Invitational. “We’ve got strong throwers and jumpers, and I think we’ll do pretty well on the track this year.”

James Wood’s throwers are headlined by junior Grace Greene and senior Sarah Johnson.

Greene qualified for the Group 4A state meet in the discus (she had the area’s best mark in that event with a 112-4 in 2014) and shot put last year. She’s already surpassed her best mark in the shot put from 2014, recording a 36-1 in a dual meet with Strasburg on Wednesday. Greene also placed sixth in the Group 4A state indoor track meet in the shot this year.

Johnson also qualified for states in the discus a year ago, and she has already surpassed her top mark of a year ago with a 111-101/2 at the same meet with Strasburg.

James Wood also boasts a 2014 state qualifier in the triple jump in Becca Ferrulli, a junior who also happens to be one of James Wood’s best athletes on the track. Ferrulli, junior Princess Sales (third in the area in the 100 and 200 last year) and sophomore Kara Norman all return from last year’s Conference 21 4x100 championship relay team.

Led by The Winchester Star Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year, sophomore Sophia Dorsey, the Colonels can also pick up points in the distance events.

There’s no shortage of talented athletes at the other local Northwestern District schools though, as each brings back at least one person who earned all-state honors as a result of placing in the top eight at the Group 4A state meet in 2014.

Sherando is led by Davina Lane, The Winchester Star Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year as a freshman. Lane posted the area’s fastest times in the 100 (12.82), 200 (26.23), 100 hurdles (15.34) and 300 hurdles (45.64) last year.

Lane placed fourth in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300 hurdles at the state meet last year, and Sherando coach Tom Grim said the sophomore is primed to build off her myriad accomplishments.

“I think she realizes, ‘I’m pretty good at this, and I can get better,’” said Grim of an athlete whose track experience was limited coming into high school. “She’s determined to be the best she can be. Of course she’s going to do the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles this year, but outside of that it’s just a matter of figuring out the best ways to use her.”

Sherando’s deep and well-rounded team also features senior Katie Rogers, who recorded the area’s best time in the 800 (2:27.11) and third-best time in the 1,600 last year.

Handley returns the area’s top state-placer at the Group 4A meet in junior Angelica Robinson, who placed third in the high jump and had the area’s top mark in that event at 5-1. Fellow basketball players Alysandra Worrell (ninth in Group 4A in the 100 last year, second in the area in that event and the 200), a junior, and senior Miriah Smith (state qualifier in the 300 hurdles, third in the area in the 400) also return from a team that won the Conference 23 title last year.

Millbrook’s top athletes include senior McKenzie Schrank, who joined Lane on the state meet podium for both hurdles events, placing fifth in the 300 hurdles and seventh in the 100 hurdles; and senior Mia VanderToorn, who had the area’s top mark in the long jump last year (16-7).

The Pioneers also welcome back junior Nadia Dahimene, who placed fifth in Group 4A in the 3,200 last year and posted the area’s fastest times in that event (11:21.52) and the 1,600 (5:15.65) last year.

Dahimene — the Star’s Cross Country Runner of the Year as a sophomore — missed the entire 2014 cross country season because of an illness and did not start running until February. Still, Shirk believes Dahimene has the potential to round into top form by the end of the season and return to the state meet.

Clarke County returns most of last year’s team, including three-quarters of the area’s third-best 4x100 team and second-best 4x400 team in sophomores Emma Jenkins and Kayla Stephenson and senior Kolby Parrott. Freshman Madison McClean looks to be a particularly promising newcomer, recording a 1:04.20 to win the 400 at a nine-team meet at Central last week.

The following is a glance at each area team:

Handley

Coach: Mike McKiernan, 4th year.

Last year: Conference 23 meet champions; 10th in 4A North Region.

Key losses: Ashden Personius, Candace Nelson, Rachel Dodson, Olivia Dickens-Bowman (foot injury).

Top returning athletes: Angelica Robinson, Jr., sprints/jumps; Alysandra Worrell, Jr., sprints/jumps; Miriah Smith, Sr., hurdles/middle distance; Nicole King, So., distance; Abby Swartz, Sr., middle distance; Mya Mintschenko, So., jumps/hurdles; Hannah Long, Jr. sprints/jumps, Haley Swartz, So., middle distance.

Key newcomers: None mentioned.

McKiernan’s outlook: “I think we’ll have a good conference-level team, because we can pretty much cover every event and not have any holes. I’m really excited about what Angelica can do in the high jump. She came back this year much further ahead than where she was at this point last year. It’s amazing what a year of experience can do for you. Our basketball players, Angelica, Alysandra and Miriah, have really started out strong for us this year.”

Next meet: Handley Invitational on April 11, 9 a.m.

James Wood

Coach: Matt Stegmaier, 10th year.

Last year: 3rd in Conference 21 meet; 9th in 4A North Region.

Key losses: Brittany Arnold, Loralee Tyler, Emma Hammond (foot injury).

Top returning athletes: Grace Greene, Jr., throws; Becca Ferrulli, Jr., sprints/jumps; Sarah Johnson, Sr., throws; Sophia Dorsey, So., distance; Haile Esparza, Jr., distance; Maria Harter, So., distance; Kara Norman, So., sprints/jumps; Princess Sales, Jr., sprints.

Key newcomer: Rene Rosso, Fr., hurdles/jumps.

Stegmaier’s outlook: “It’s tough losing Emma, but we feel good about the people that we have. Becca Ferulli is going to help us in a lot of ways because of what she can do in the jumps, and we can use her in anything from the 400 on down. She’ll be big for us in the relays too.”

Next meet: Wednesday vs. Skyline, 5 p.m.

Sherando

Coach: Tom Grim, 16th year.

Last year: 4th in Conference 21 meet; tied for 11th in 4A North Region.

Key losses: Alaina Combs, Angelique Matthews.

Top returning athletes: Davina Lane, So., hurdles/sprints/jumps; Katie Rogers, Sr., distance; Allison Combs, Jr., throws; Andi Crosby, Sr., distance; Haley Powers, Sr., distance.

Key newcomers: Hannah Snapp, Fr., sprints/jumps; Donzailya Berg, Fr., sprints/jumps; Ania Summers, So., sprints/jumps; Rachel Burton, Fr., jumps; Abigail Henderson, So., throws.

Grim’s outlook: “We’ve got a lot of people who are capable of getting third, fourth, fifth, sixth in big meets for us, and we’ve added a lot of young athletes that I think can really help us this year in the sprints and jumps. We’ve got some strong distance runners, and Allison Combs should do well for us in the throwing events.”

Next meet: Handley Invitational on April 11, 9 a.m.

Millbrook

Coach: Kevin Shirk, 4th year.

Last year: 6th in Conference 21 meet; 13th in 4A North Region; tied for 17th in Group 4A.

Key loss: Hannah Strosnyder.

Top returning athletes: McKenzie Schrank, Sr., hurdles; Nadia Dahimene, Jr., distance; Mia VanderToorn, Sr., jumps; Ashley Bigler, So., jumps; Lindsay Lockhart, Jr., throws; Kelley Wyatt, Sr., throws.

Key newcomers: Hannah Croyle, Jr., distance; Mellany Groll, Fr., jumps/middle distance; Kami Buza, Fr., jumps/sprints.

Shirk’s outlook: “McKenzie Schrank, Nadia Dahimene, Lindsay Lockhart, and Mia VanderToorn all have potential to score big points in their events. We have added several newcomers who can impact the top of the conference as well in their areas. Unlike the boys, our top athletes for the girls are a little more spread out over all event areas. Since we have a relatively small girls' team, we hope that these individuals can score big points and push our team into the top half of the conference after finishing just sixth last year.”

Next meet: Handley Invitational on April 11, 9 a.m.

Clarke County

Coach: Andre Kidrick, 9th year.

Last year: 4th in Conference 35 meet; tied for 10th in 2A East Region; tied for 15th in Group 2A.

Key losses: Michelle Yates, Amy Legare, Erin Hall, Jade Payton.

Top returning athletes: Allegra Eyles, Jr., all-around; Emma Jenkins, So., sprints; Mackenzie Kibler, Sr., middle distance/sprints; Javonna Lansdown, So., throws; Eve Lettau, Sr., jumps; Sophia Biddle-Snead, So., distance; Kolby Parrott, Sr., sprints; Jayla Stephenson, So., sprints; Madison Palmer, Jr., jumps.

Key newcomers: Madison McLean, Fr., sprints/jumps; Rebecca Acland, Jr., jumps/sprints; Caile Broy, So., sprints.

Kidrick’s outlook: “We’ve got a lot of youth, but if we can get it together and everyone does what we need them to do, we should be fine. I think we have a chance to win our conference.”

Next meet: Handley Invitational on April 11, 9 a.m.

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