Middle School Track Teams Open Season

The Trenton Middle School track and field teams opened their 2016 campaigns on Tuesday, competing at the Cameron Veterans Middle School Invitational. Trenton’s girls placed second overall at the meet, while the boys took third in the eighth grade division and fourth in the seventh grade division.
Lady Bulldogs
Trenton’s girls were able to come away with a second place finish out of five schools, scoring 148 points.
“The girls competed very well at a tough track meet,” Trenton girls’ Head Coach Jon Guthrie said. “I was very proud of their effort. Our relay teams really showed up, getting gold medals in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays. We also had a lot of athletes do well in individual events, which helped us have a good day.”
The 4×100-meter relay team of Ann Airey, Shawna Coplen, Maci Moore and Lexi Whitaker picked up a gold medal for Trenton and the same four combined to win gold in the 4×200 as well. The 4×400-meter relay team of Coplen, Emily Kosse, Gwyneth Foster and Whitaker rounded out Trenton’s gold-medal performances.
Individually, Evie Dowell placed second in the 800-meter run and third in the 1,600-meter run and Moore was second in both the discus and shot put. Other top-three finishers included Janessa Van Hoozer, second in the 100-meter hurdles; Kosse, third in the 400-meter dash; Foster, second in the long jump; Coplen, second in the triple jump; and Gilcy Ando, third in the shot put.
Bulldogs
The Trenton boys placed third out of five teams in the eighth grade division and fourth out of five in the seventh grade division.
“Overall I thought our kids competed well,” Trenton boys’ Head Coach Brandon Boswell said. “I was pleased with their effort. It was good for them to compete against kids from bigger schools and experience success.”
Leading the way for the Bulldogs were Jose Valazquez and Carson Burchett. Valazquez was first in the 200-meter dash and took second in the triple jump. Burchett, meanwhile, won the shot put and was second in the discus.
Other eighth grade Bulldogs placing in the top three included Mark Trump, second in the 200-meter dash and third in the high jump; Dalton Burchett, third in the 800-meter run and third in the shot put; and Sam Schilling, third in the 100-meter hurdles.
The Bulldogs also placed all three eighth grade relay teams in the top three. The 4×100-meter team of Trump, Valazquez, Dolan Huber and Dakota Wendt was third; the 4×200-meter team of Trump, Quentin Hughs, Jarren Whitney and Dalton Burchett was third; and the 4×400-meter team of Wendt, Jerrick Stotts, Schilling and Hughs was also third.
At the seventh-grade level, Trenton placed in the top three with two relay teams. The 4×100 group of David Felix, Royce Jackson, Brycin Loyd and Camdyn Leeper finished third and the same four teamed to place third in the 4×200 as well.
Trenton’s next middle school meet will be a home one as the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs host the Trenton Middle School Quad on Thursday, April 7 at C.F. Russell Stadium. The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.