Shelton Throwers Club 2007 Track Athletes of the Year

John Sells

2007 ‘ATHLETES OF THE YEAR’

The Awards Committee of the Shelton Throwers Club has seen fit to pick a boy and girl ‘Athlete of the Year’, based upon achievements in high school track and field during the 2007 season. Additionally, an ‘Athlete of the Year’ has been chosen for each of the WIAA classifications other than the classification from which the overall boy and girl selections were drawn. Considerations include honors won, competitive record, and marks achieved. Members of the Committee realize their picks may be controversial, and welcome feedback from fans, coaches, and athletes. Also welcome are nominations for the 2008 ‘Athletes of the Year’.

2007 WashingtonHigh School Boy ‘Athlete of the Year’

ABDI HASSAN

If told at the beginning of the 2007 season that an 800 meter runner would be chosen Washington High School ‘Athlete of the Year’, few would have been surprised. The identity of that athlete, Nathan Hale’s Abdi Hassan, might, however, have raised a few pre-season eyebrows. In a season that lasted through the middle of August, Hassan distinguished himself in ‘hot’ meets (3A StarTrack champion at 800m and 1600m; 4th place in the 800 meters at the Nike Outdoor Nationals), ran fast times (#3 in the Nation at 800 meters; #2 and #4 800 meter marks on Washington’s all-time list), and garnered post season honors (Track and Field News All-American at 800 meters). Hassan will continue his promising track and field career at the University of Arizona.

4A BOYS: TONEY HENDERSON (Gig Harbor)

StarTrack long jump champion each year of his 3-year high school track career, always with winning leaps of over 24 feet, Henderson was one of the most physically gifted track and field athletes in state high school history. The #8 all-time Washington State high school performer in the long jump, he ranked 9th nationally in that event in 2007. For good measure, he won the 2007 4A StarTrack triple jump with a mark of 48’10 ½”, placing him at #14 on our state’s all-time high school triple jump list as well as 17th in the nation in that event for 2007.

2A BOYS: STEVEN AYERS (Sehome)

With season bests of 64’7½” and 190’1” (#7 and #13, respectively, on Washington’s all-time high school lists) Ayers ended his high school career as one of the top shot/discus doublers in state history. 2007 state leader and 2A StarTrack champion in both events, he competed well in the post season, with a double win at the WA vs. OR Meet of Champions and 2nd (SP) and 3rd (DT) placings at California’s Golden West Invitational.

1A BOYS: ADAM WALDEN (Newport)

2007 times of 14.60s (HH) and 38.87s (IH) placed Walden on par with our state’s top ‘large school’ hurdlers in 2007. A three-time winner at the StarTrack (HH in 2006 and 2007, IH in 2007), his high school resume also includes a runner-up finish in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2007 edition of the WA vs. OR ‘Meet of Champions’ and 43 StarTrack points over a 3-year state meet career.

2B BOYS: MIKE VETTER (La Salle)

Although untimely injuries adversely impacted a large portion of his high school sprinting career, Vetter’s raw speed was more than evident to all who watched him compete against our state’s top sprinters. Healthy in 2007, he won both the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints at the 2B StarTrack meet. His 10.4s hand-timed 100 meters of 2006 gave us a glimpse of what might have been for this gifted athlete.

1B BOYS: HERSCHEL SANCHEY (Klickitat)

From the time he burst upon the scene with a front-running 3200 meter StarTrack win as a frosh, to his 26 point distance running performance at the 2007 1B Star Track meet, Sanchey has been a dominant force in Washington State class B track and field endurance events. Still only a junior, he returns for more state meet glory in 2008.

BOY Newcomer of the Year

MASON McHENRY (Sehome)

When an athlete leads the entire state at 400 meters, and then wins the 1600 meters at the 2A StarTrack meet, one can’t help but take notice. When that individual is a first-year track and field competitor, one knows they are seeing an exceptionally talented athlete. Sehome junior Mason McHenry is just such an athlete. With a remarkable range from 200 meters to 3200 meters (23.30s, 48.44s, 1:56.02, 4:15.7, 9:57.84), as well as proven competence at the cross-country distance of 5000 meters, he makes one wonder which events he will pursue in earnest in 2008. It will be worth the wait!

2007 WashingtonHigh School Girl ‘Athlete of the Year’

DEVIN BROOKS

Few Washington State athletes have enjoyed a more successful high school track and field career than did Holy Names’ hurdler/sprinter Devin Brooks. Undefeated in her best event, the 100 meter hurdles, at Washington meets over her four year high school career, Brooks also earned multiple StarTrack placings in the 100 meters (6th as a frosh, 3rd as a soph and junior, 7th as a senior) and in the 200 meters (3rd as a frosh, 2nd as a soph and junior, 8th as a senior). Always competing during the summer, she placed 2nd in the 100 meter hurdles at the 2004 USATF National Junior Olympic Championships, and 4th and 5th at that distance in the 2006 and 2007 editions of that meet. Like her male counterpart, Hassan, Brooks will compete in 2008 for the University of Arizona.

4A GIRLS: NIKKI CODD (Mead)

A fine 2:10.40 800 meter runner in 2006, Codd ‘took it up a notch’ in 2007. Her 2007 best of 2:07.51 ranks her #4 on Washington’s all-time 800 meter high school performance list. Most impressive of all, that mark was set at the USATF National Junior Championships, the highest quality domestic meet available to high school track and field athletes. Codd was 4A StarTrack champion at 800 meters, and anchored the outstanding Mead 4x400 meter relay team to StarTrack ‘gold’.

2A GIRLS: ANGELA JENSEN (Fife)

An accomplished sprinter/hurdler/jumper, Jensen dominated the 2A StarTrack meet with wins at 100 meters, 110 meter hurdles, and 300 meter hurdles. Her 35 points at that meet (she was 4th in the high jump as well) were the most scored in 2007 by an individual at StarTrack for classes 4A through 2B. With career PR’s of 12.24s (100m), 14.30s (HH), 44.17s (IH) and 5’4” (HJ), Jensen should enjoy a fine career as a heptathlete at Washington State University.

1A GIRLS: JADE LANGSTON (Seattle Academy)

A prolific StarTrack scorer (15 points as a frosh in 2005, 25 as a soph in 2006, and 34 as a junior in 2007), the quality of Langston’s jumping and hurdling marks in 2007 took a back seat to few if any Washington State high school athletes. Her 5’6”, 18’7¼”, 37’3½” HJ/LJ/TJ ‘triple’ was particularly noteworthy.

2B GIRLS: CHELSI FRIESE (Willapa Valley)

A repeat class B ‘Athlete of the Year’, Friese’s pole vaulting (11’9”) and hurdling (15.03s) give her a valid claim to being Washington’s very best ‘small school’ athlete of 2007. Those marks were recorded at the 2B StarTrack meet, where she won both events, in addition to placing 3rd in the 100 meters. It will be worth watching her compete for the excellent Eastern Washington University track and field program.

1B GIRLS: KAPRINA GOODWIN (Northport)

Four StarTrack events, four convincing victories! That pretty much sums up the remarkable 2007 season of Northport’s Goodwin. Her StarTrack margins of victory in the 100 meter hurdles (1.32s), the 300 meter hurdles (2.8s), the long jump (16¼”), and the triple jump (18½”), as well as the quality of her marks (15.92s, 46.7s, 17’0”, and 35’3¾”, respectively), are outstanding for any athlete in any classification.

GIRL Newcomer of the Year

ANDREA GEUBELLE (Curtis)

Curtis soph Geubelle burst upon the scene in March and April with a series of first-class horizontal jumps, topped by marks of 19’7” in the long jump and 38’9½” in the triple jump. The triple jump mark, as well as a 18’4” long jump, were set at the X-O Invitational, a very large and highly competitive high school meet held in Eugene at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field. Although a leg injury plagued Geubelle for the better part of May, her obvious talent and the determination and courage she showed by competing with her injury, both point to a bright future for this fine young athlete.

 

Thanks to John Sells 2007 Washington State High School TRACK AND FIELD ANNUAL