You never know what you might get your first time out. After a few weeks of practice, often in the hallways at school due to cold weather, the Malcolm track team finally got its chance to race someone other than teammates.
The Clippers turned in a pair of winning performances at the March 30 David City Triangular. The Malcolm boys ran away with the team race scoring 72 points while Raymond Central finished second with 54 and David City scored 49. The Malcolm girls put up 94 points. David City and Raymond Central had 40 and 29 respectively.
Logan McGreer had a nice start to the season as the sophomore was part of a pair of first place finishes. McGreer edged out three teammates in the 100-meter dash with an 11.7 second finish. Dalton Amen, Jonathan Cook and Lucas Christensen finished just behind McGreer in a near photo finish.
The four previously mentioned Clippers claimed top honors in the 400-meter relay with a 44.72 finish. Raymond Central was second with a time of 46.39.
“We ran a faster relay time at our first meet than we did the majority of last season,” Malcolm head coach Kip Arnold said. “Those guys are pushing each other in practice. We have high hopes for this group.”
McGreer placed second behind David City’s Caden Denker in the 400-meter run.
“Logan is a very talented runner,” Arnold said. ”He had a strong day and saw some good competition.”
Noah VanEvery had a solid day with a pair of first place finishes in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
The junior set personal records in both events. Bricen Wilkie broke the tape in the 3,200-meter run with a personal best time of 11:25. The junior distance specialist placed second in the 1,600-meter run.
Wilkie was joined by Tommy Lewis, Nate Swenson and Cayden Witzel in a 9:17 finish in the 3,200-meter relay. David City’s second place finish crossed 56 seconds later.
Drew Johnson turned in the team’s only first place finish in field events. The senior cleared 6-2 in the high jump. Reid Otto from Raymond Central placed second with a jump of 5-8.
“It was good to see our athletes doing something other than practice so they can see how they measure up,” Arnold said. “We want to see them continue to work toward setting PRs.”
Halle Dolliver got her high school track career off to an impressive start. The freshman speedster placed first in both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. She was also part of the winning 1,600-meter relay along with Lillie Beach, Rachel Lannin and Josephine McGreer.
“Looking at last year’s numbers, I believe a few of our relays have a strong chance to do something special,” Arnold said. “We’ll play around with the order and the participants until we get the best lineup.”
Dolliver also finished second in the 100-meter dash.
“Halle and a few other freshmen are coming in pushing the upperclassmen and that is great for everyone involved,” Arnold said. “I’ve seen the experienced girls take the younger ones under their wings and support them. As a coach, that’s great.”
Keira Farritor opened the season with a discus throw of 98-8 as the Clippers took the top three spots in the event. Mikiah Witzel and Jenna Schweitzer placed behind Farritor.
“Our throwers have great camaraderie and will be a tight knit group,” Arnold said. “They have similar marks and will be competing closely all year.”
Jessica Sandell claimed the top spot in pole vault with a personal record of 8 feet.
The track meet scheduled at Malcolm April 5 was canceled because of weather. The Clippers were to host Centennial and Raymond Central April 6 for a triangular.
