The Trenton Lady Bulldogs track and field team has its sights set high for 2012. After winning a district championship last year and capturing two individual state titles in relay events last year, Trenton is looking to take the next step and go for a plaque at the state meet in Jefferson City.
Trenton finished sixth at the 2011 state meet, just two spots and three points away from a plaque.
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“We want to do better than we did last year,” Lady Bulldogs’ Coach Chris Parks said. “We won districts last year, so we want to win it again and place higher at state than we did a year ago.”
Returning to lead the Lady Bulldogs is junior Chandler Wilson. Wilson was a member of both the 4×100- and 4×200-meter relay teams that won state championships last year. This year, as was the case most of last season, Wilson will run in four individual events to optimize point potential for the Lady Bulldogs at meets this season.
“Chandler, right off the bat, is off the two sprint relay events and in three individual events,” Parks said. “We are also going to run her in the 4×400-meter relay.”
Also returning are Wilson’s three teammates from the state championship relay teams, Mackenzie Mack, Scotlin Hurley and Maddie Hooyman. That trio will remain in the sprint relays, combining with freshman McKinley Hurley. With that group of four running in the two relays and breaking up to run in open sprint races, Trenton should gather a lot of points in short distance races this season.
“The sprinters are probably one of the strengths on our track team,” Parks said. “All the girls have been working exceptionally well. I have some freshmen coming up and competing for those spots and it is making everyone work harder.”
Hurdling for Trenton this year will be Alexis Fender and Ashley Osborn, both of whom will run in the 300- and 100-meter hurdling events.
Megan Sole, Molly Boyle and Katey Norris are all back, looking to factor into the 400- and 800-meter open and relay events. Shania Anderson and Kendra Lickteig should also help the Lady Bulldogs out in the 800-meter events.
Trenton does lose two solid point contributors from last year’s team in distance runner Amber Fischbach and high jumper Rebekah Capeder. Both graduated last May and Trenton will need to find athletes to step up this season to fill their roles.
“Right now the two really stepping up to fill Amber’s role are Shania Anderson and Kendra Lickteig,” Parks said. “Both of them are really competing hard in the 1600- and 3200-meter events. It will be hard, though, to replace the seniors we lost. Amber and Capeder both will be big losses in different areas.”
Capeder’s void will be filled by Maddie Hooyman, who jumped alongside Capeder last season, and her younger sister Mallory Hooyman, a freshman who will need to learn at the high school level a bit this season. Maddie Hooyman placed sixth in the high jump at state last season and should be a strong finisher in that event once again in 2012. She should also be a solid coach for her younger sister in the event.
Elsewhere in the field, Trenton will be strong in the triple jump, where Wilson and Sole return, and the pole vault, where Anderson and senior Kaylee Lickteig return.
“Kaylee Lickteig went to the sectional last year,” Parks said. “She is one of my two seniors out along with Mack and she has been working really hard in the off-season in the pole vault area.”
Other girls out for track in 2012 include Sophia Beard, Hailey Hawkins, Siara Bailey, Cassidy Cotton, Nicole Fairchild, Madison Patterson, Raquel Beaird, Taylor Boman, Payton Guile, LaKisha Hughs, Megan Lynch, Maggie McNabb, Hannah Robinson, Hannah Sowder and Alvynne Villicampa.
The Lady Bulldogs open their 2012 campaign with the Lawson dual meet on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Trenton will be at home on Thursday for the first of two meets scheduled to be ran at C.F. Russell Stadium this year, the Trenton Early Bird Relays. That event also begins at 4 p.m.