Lady Mariners win Region III track and field championship

By Dayten Van Ostrand
For the Homer Independent Press

The Homer Mariners girls track team holds the Division ll Region lll winning plaque at Colony High School. (Photo courtesy of Andrea McClenning)

The Homer High School girls track and field team won the Region lll Championships held this past weekend at Colony High School in Palmer.  The team had 220 points overall to top Seward’s 119 points and Grace Christian’s 100 points.

Homer boys also placed third overall, finishing behind Mountain City Christian Academy in second and Grace Christian Academy in first.

Twelve teams competed in total, with seven at the Division II level, including Grace Christian Academy, Mountain City Christian Academy, Homer, Kenai Central, Seward, Houston and Redington. The Division I teams included Colony (Palmer), Soldotna, Kodiak, Wasilla and Palmer. 

The Homer girls 4x100m relay team, consisting of Immi Im, Maddy Miotke, Jaelynn Kennon and Molly Evans, set new school and meet records with a combined time of 50.35 seconds. The meet record was previously held by Colony in 2001 with a time of 51.03 seconds. The previous school record was 51.55 seconds set in 1988.

Caleb Bunker, Tait Ostrom, Jude Rozeboom, and Landon Tinsley finished first in the 4x800m relay. The 4x200m and 4x400m teams also finished third, with the 4x100m relay team finishing fourth.

 

First place winners on both the boys’ and girls’ teams included Ariela Garvey in the 1600m and 3200m, Molly Evans in the 100m and 200m, Reilly Sue Baker in the long jump, Johannes Bynagle in the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and shot put, and Tait Ostrom in the 300m hurdles.

Homer head coach Bob Ostrom, who coaches both the boys and girls team, won the girls’ Coach of the Year award.

“He’s brought Homer from a small school team to a team, especially on the girls’ side, that has been competing at the top level,” said senior Caleb Bunker. “His main coaching philosophy is ‘persevere through whatever you’re going through.’ I think that’s what’s pushed us to the top of the state rankings.”

Coach Bob, as he is known by the athletes, meets people where they are and builds from there. That is what has made the team so successful. Everyone feels included and a part of the team.

Overall, everyone on the Homer track team did very well, but the Mariner throwing team, competing in shot put and discus, is something to be recognized. The girls throw a 1-kilogram discus and a 4-kilogram shot put. The boys throw a 1.6 kilogram discus and a 12-pound shot put. 

Out of six boy throwers going into regions, 30 points were scored in total with the top eight finishers scoring points. 

The girls’ team had four throwers scoring a total of 13 points — the most points ever scored by the Mariner throwing team.

“Coach Nate (McClenning) is a big supporter of what we’ve accomplished this year, especially sending just about every thrower we’ve had to regions, and almost every thrower from regions to state. I’d say that’s something to be proud of,” said junior Aidan Cooney.

Homer’s Brayden McClenning and Johannes Bynagle and Grace Christian’s Henry Beck stand on the podium for shot put at Colony High School. (Photo courtesy of Brayden McClenning)

Girls second place competitors include:

Ariela Garvey; 800m

Claira Booz; 3200m

Dayten Van Ostrand; Discus

Jaelynn Kennon; 300m Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump

Reilly Sue Baker; Triple Jump

Girls third place competitors include:

Abby Sampson; High Jump

Claira Booz; 1600m

Etta Bynagle; 800m

Maddy Miotke; 100m

Reilly Sue Baker; High Jump

Vera Bates; 400m

Boys second place competitors include:

Brayden McClenning; Shot Put

Jai Badajos; 800m

Tait Ostrom; 110m Hurdles

Boys third place competitors include:

Gryffyn Linder; 300m Hurdles, Triple Jump

Landon Tinsley; 800m

Girls:

Abby Sampson: 3. High Jump; Ariela Garvey: 2. 800m; Claira Booz: 2. 3200m; 3. 1600m; Dayten Van Ostrand: 2. Discus; Etta Bynagle: 3. 800m; Jaelynn Kennon: 2. 300m Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump; Maddy Miotke: 3. 100m; Reilly Sue Baker: 2. Triple Jump; 3. High Jump; Vera Bates: 3. 400m.

Boys:

Brayden McClenning: 2. Shot Put; Gryffyn Linder: 3. 300m Hurdles, Triple Jump; Jai Badajos: 2. 800m; Landon Tinsley: 3. 800m; Tait Ostrom: 2. 110m Hurdles.