Sports

McNary opens up track season

McNary’s Logun Anderson prepares to throw the javelin at the Titan Track Classic on Friday, April 5 at West Salem High School (KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings).

The McNary track team opened their season last week with a home dual meet against South Salem where the boys team defeated the Saxons 76-69, while the McNary girls fell 90-54 on Wednesday, April 3.

“The kids are working and competing hard and doing what we are asking of them,” McNary head coach Frank Gauntz said.

One of McNary’s top sprinters Ethan Martin picked up where he left off from last season as we won both the 100 and 200 meters. He was also a part of theCeltics 4×100 relay team that finished in first.

In the 100m, Martin was neck-and-neck with McNary sprinter Dyami Rios, but Martin was able to edge out his teammate and crossed the line in 11.76 seconds.

“It’s fun to watch those two compete against each other,” Gauntz said.

Martin also finished just ahead of Rios in the 200m (24.23).

“It feels really good to come back from last year and have my training in the offseason pay off,” Martin said. “It also felt good to beat Dyami because he’s usually faster than me. It just shows that were both putting in work.”

A big key for the McNary boys winning this meet was their dominance in the throwing events, starting with freshman Francisco Gomez, who threw the shot 35-feet-9.25 inches.

Will Krauss triumphed in the discus with his top throw of 112 ft. and Logun Anderson took home the win in the javelin (144-02).

Cole Garland won the long jump (20-00) to round out the individual victories for the Celtic boys.

“It was great to see Cole jump 20 feet, especially as a sophomore,” Gauntz said.

On the girls’ side, Isabella Walker started of her season on the right track by winning the 100m (14.07).

Caitlyn Kiefiuk Yates was the only McNary girl to win multiple events as she was victorious in the 100-hurdles (17.68) and the long jump (15-1.5).

The Celtics also picked up victories from Reyna Terrazas in the 400m (1.05.72), Brandi Grunberg in the pole vault (8-00) Kennedy Buss in the discus (100-02) and Sabella Alfaro in the javelin (107-01).

Alfaro followed up on that success two days later at the Titan Track Classic at West Salem High School by throwing a personal-best of 121-09 and placing second at the 18-team meet.

 However, the rest of the Celtic team couldn’t find that same success. The McNary boys placed 15th while the girls placed in 17th at the TTC.

“It was a big meet, and we don’t really have the firepower to compete with some of those teams because 70 percent of our team are sophomores and freshmen,” Gauntz said. “But, down the road, we will be competitive in meets like that.”