Girls take 2nd and 12 athletes qualify for state
The full PHS track and field team poses for a picture in good spirits. The boys team won first in the 1A/2A/3A division for Region V, and the girls took second place. Twelve athletes qualified for State in 26 events, and six will compete at the tournament this weekend in Anchorage.
PHS sophomore Izabelle Ith and senior River Quitslund were named the most outstanding athletes at the Region V meet last weekend in Juneau. Ith placed first in four events, and Quitslund placed first in three individual events and a relay.
The boys Track and Field team emerged as the Region V champs at last week's regional meet in Juneau. The girls team took second place, behind Sitka, and twelve PHS athletes qualified for the State tournament in over twenty events.
"It was pretty remarkable. The kids all stepped up and performed equal to or better than what we had kind of anticipated," said Head Coach Brad Taylor.
He said the boys team has come close to earning the regional title in the past, and this year's victory was hard fought. "This year with the senior leadership we were able to pull it out, and Sitka was definitely gunning for us," Taylor said.
Senior River Quitslund boosted the Vikings overall score with first-place finishes in the men's 500, 1600 and 3200 meter races, which also qualified him for State. Junior Tucker Hagerman was also a point earner for PHS in the same events.
The Vikings also had a strong showing in the men's 110 and 300 meter hurdles with senior Ben Zarlengo taking the top spot in the former and 2nd in the latter. Casey Bell and Nathaniel Lenhard were also point getters in the two hurdle events, performances which earned the runners a state qualification.
In field events, Evan Marsh, Abel Aulbach, Billy Ware, Ethan Cummins and Zarlengo all earned points for PHS and qualified to compete at state. Marsh placed first in the men's shot put, and his 42 foot 9 inch throw also broke the school record for the event.
Continuing her record-breaking streak was sophomore Izabelle Ith who placed first in all four of the events she competed in and set a new record for her 35' 5" jump in the triple jump.
"It's the first time I've ever had a girl go over 35 feet," Taylor said. "And she had the Region V record for the long jump for about a half an hour," until Thunder Mountain's Naomi Welling out jumped Ith by 1.5 inches.
Ith's performance in the women's hurdles, long jump and triple jump earned her a chance to compete at state. Her teammates Kayleigh Eddy and Hannah Pfundt were also state qualifiers.
Taylor said he was happy with the girls' performance, and ultimately their finish reflected a numbers game. "The girls did amazing," he said. "Sitka doubles our numbers as far as athletes go...they just had too many athletes for us."
In addition to the regional title and state qualifiers, two PHS athletes-Ith and Quitslund-were honored as the most outstanding athletes of the meet.
Of the dozen state qualifiers, Zarlengo, Marsh, Quitslund, Bell, Cummins and Ith will represent PHS at the state meet this weekend in Anchorage.
See page 3 for photos and results from the Region V meet.
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