Pekin track gets 2009 underway at Central Indoor

PELLA ? With a 2008 Class 1A state cross-country title still fresh in their memory, several holdovers from that team put the running shoes back on as the Pekin girls track team kicked off the 2009 season Friday.

Pekin was hosted several 4A schools at the meet at Central College and dominated the relay events, taking four first-place finishes. The Panthers also added three more individual champions.

Kristen Freeman, Annie Jones and Kaitlin Spilman were part of three of the winning relays as they teamed up with Celcey Conger to win the 4x800-meter relay in 10:41.41. Erin Mosinski joined those three in the winning distance medley (4:41.75) and 4x400-meter relay (4:23.15).

The shuttle-hurdle team of Jessica Deutsch, Jaime Sterling, Emily Ellis and Mosinski also crossed the finish line first in 41.36 seconds.

?I?m very proud of how our girls competed after just nine days of practice,? said head coach Sarah Wright. ?They are a very focused and positive group of young ladies.?

Jennifer Clubb got her season started out with a personal best throw of 37 feet, one inch to take home the shot put title, and Jessica Deutsch took first place in the 55-meter hurdles in 9.03 seconds. Conger won the 1500-meter in 5:25.7.

Other solid finishes for the Pekin girls was Jessi Martin with third-place in the 55-meter dash (7.51), Sara Eeling with sixth-place in the 3,000 (13:42.27), Sterling with fourth-place in the 55-meter hurdles (9.80) and a third-place finish for the 4x200 relay (2:08).

Boys win 4x800 title

The Pekin boys also kicked off their season and took home a first-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay. The team of Jeremy Tosh, Derek Robison, Matt Jones and Philip Laux finished in 8:53.91.

The 1600 medley relay team of Seth Hoover, Matt Jones, Cody Millikin and Robison took second in 4:02,81, and Brady Lamb, Hunter Maeder, Tyler Sylvester and Colton Swanson teamed up to run fifth in the shuttle hurdle (39.71).

For complete story, read the Monday, March 16, 2009 Fairfield Ledger.