One of the largest track meets in the area took place last weekend at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa. Known as the Viking Track Classic, the 33rd year of the meet saw more than 60 high school teams show up for the day-long competition on Saturday, April 20.
Competitors crowded the turf field while their coaches, assistants, friends and parents circled around the track or found a place to sit in the bleachers located on both sides of the field. Kate Guthrie, a former University of Oregon athlete and current administrator at The Healdsburg School, coaches the Healdsburg team.
Several members of this year’s Healdsburg High track and field team attended the Viking Track Classic, and while there were no medal winners the competitors did their school proud.
For the third year, distance runner Kaeden Anderson performed well in the Viking. He finished fifth in the 3200-meter race, the longest footrace in the program, with a time of 10.06.86. Though a respectable clocking, it was off his season’s best time of 9.52.19, set at the Big Cat Invitational on March 2. His personal best of 9.43 was set last year in the Redwood Empire NCS Championship, when he finished fifth.
Teammate Jake McWilliams ran in both the 800m and 1600m races. He set a personal record of 2.03.8 in the 800m, finishing seventh, and another personal best of 4.41.12 in the 1600m. Lukas Brennan also ran in the 1600m, finishing at 4.56.54.
Areum Romero Bennerson competed in the sprints, with 11.9 in the 100m and 24.39 in the 200m. Milo Timmsen-Miller ran a 13.61 100m race, and Cole Pastene ran the 200m in 24.86. Vadim Mielock ran the 400m lap in 107.52. These times were all personal records for the Greyhound runners.
Boys track competitors included Timmsen-Miller and Kai Ostrom in the discus (with distances of 78’ 11” and 69’ 3.5” respectively). Cole Pastene also competed in two field events, with a long jump of 19’ 4.25” and a triple jump of 36’ 5.25”.
Girls on the Field
Several “Lady Greyhounds” also made the trek to Montgomery last weekend. Junior Madeleine Munselle ran a 13.6 100m dash and a 27.85 200m. Melissa Casas Gatica also ran in the 200m, finishing with a 34.57 time.
Sierra Anderson, like her brother a competitive distance runner, logged a 2.58.36 time in the 800m race and a 6.25.55 in the 1600m. Alisa Strykowski ran a 1.04.04 time in the 300m hurdles.
One notable story is that of Melissa Casas Gatica, who also competed in the girls long jump. On March 16 she leapt 9’ 11” at the Santa Rosa Field Jamboree. Less than a month later she took a big leap forward with a personal best of 15’ 3.25”, coming in second at the April 13 Santa Rosa Twilight Invitational.
At the recent Viking Track Classic, however, her best jump was just 10’ 10”. Perhaps next year, as a senior, she’ll hit her stride.
