Track and Field
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Overall (Boys and Girls Combined) Huron-Perth Conference Track and Field Team Champions 2016!
The Stratford Northwestern Huskies Track and Field team made school history in winning the Overall (Boys and Girls Combined) Huron-Perth Track and Field Team Championship at Day Two of the Huron-Perth Track and Field Championships held at Goderich District Collegiate Institute in Goderich on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. This was Northwestern’s first Overall team title since the track and field program began in 2003! The Huskies narrowly defeated perennial powerhouse F.E. Madill by 8 points for the Overall points title. The Huskies also won Junior Boys and Boys Overall team titles.
Tatum James set a Huron-Perth Conference record in the Midget Girls 200m final running 26.73 seconds, breaking the previous record of 26.81 seconds set by Grace Sherwin of St. Marys DCVI in 2004. Jason Guy was a co-winner of the “Top Midget Boy” competitor of the meet with his 2 Gold and 1 Bronze medal performances (26 Points).
On Tuesday (Day One), the Huskies won an impressive 32 medals on day one of H-P – 11 Gold, 15 Silver, and 6 Bronze medals.
On Wednesday (Day Two), the Huskies added 14 medals – 6 Gold, 1 Silver, and 7 Bronze. This brings Northwesterns two day Huron-Perth medal count total to 46 – 17 Gold, 16 Silver, and 13 Bronze.
The top 6 qualifiers in each event qualify for the WOSSAA Championships held next Thursday and Friday, May 19 and 20 at Western University in London.
Northwestern’s WOSSAA Qualifiers from Huron-Perth Day One include:
Gold – Tatum James – Midget Girls 100m – 13.31 seconds
Gold – Shayla Brooks – Junior Girls 1500m – 5:47.86 minutes
Gold – Zach Otto – Junior Boys 100m – 12.70 seconds
Gold – Jacalynn Veenstra – Midget Girls Shot Put – 9.25 metres (Northwestern Record)
Gold – Senior Boys 4x100m Relay A – 48.31 seconds
Gold – Jason Guy – Midget Boys Javelin – 41.71 metres
Gold – Sam Knechtel – Senior Boys Javelin – 43.31 metres
Gold – Rhys Britton – Midget Boys Pole Vault – 2.60 metres
Gold – Sam Knechtel – Senior Boys Pole Vault – 3.70 metres
Gold – Abby Rhea – Junior Girls Pole Vault – 1.60 metres
Gold – Jordyn Riehl – Senior Girls Pole Vault – 2.20 metres
Silver – Junior Boys 4x100m Relay – 51.80 seconds
Silver – Midget Boys 4x100m Relay – 53.33 seconds
Silver – Senior Girls 4x100m Relay A – 56.14 seconds
Silver – Midget Girls 4x100m Relay – 55.66 (Northwestern Record)
Silver – Sammi Roes – Midget Boys 100m – 12.87 seconds
Silver – Nick Ogram – Senior Boys 100m – 12.09 seconds
Silver – Tatum James – Midget Girls 400m – 1:04.10 minute (Northwestern Record)
Silver – Max Britton Stratford – Junior Boys 1500m – 4:58.95 minutes
Silver – Angela Walmsley – Junior Girls Triple Jump – 9.09 metres
Silver – Jordyn Riehl – Senior Girls Javelin – 26.00 metres
Silver – Rhys Britton – Midget Boys Long Jump – 4.92 metres
Silver – Brett Maguire – Midget Boys Javelin – 35.70 metres
Silver – Dan McRoberts – Senior Boys Javelin – 43.01 metres
Silver – Adam Skinner – Senior Boys Pole Vault – 3.40 metres
Silver – Larissa Baker – Senior Girls Pole Vault – 1.80 metres
Bronze – Leanne Weber – Senior Girls 100m – 13.39 seconds (Northwestern Record)
Bronze – Ethan Day – Junior Boys 100m – 13.04 seconds
Bronze – Ethan Day – Junior Boys 400m – 59.93 seconds
Bronze – Andrew Maguire – Junior Boys 1500m – 5:05.59 minutes
Bronze -Tessa Deighton – Senior Girls Javelin – 24.38 metres
Bronze – Dan McRoberts – Senior Boys Pole Vault – 2.80 metres
4th – Adam Skinner – Open Boys 2000m Steeplechase – 7:21.22 minutes
4th – Tola Francis – Senior Boys 100m – 12.44 seconds
4th – Shayla Brooks – Junior Girls 100m – 14.70 seconds
4th – Max Britton – Junior Boys Triple Jump – 10.98 metres
5th – Junior Girls 4x100m Relay (Shalby Schmidt, Shayla Brooks, Sadie, Angela Walmsley) 59.26 seconds
5th – Senior Girls 4x100m Relay B – 1:22.00 minute
5th – Larissa Baker – Senior Girls 100m Hurdles – 21.34 seconds
5th – Liam Lennon – Junior Boys 1500m – 5:35.82 minutes
5th – A. J. Schmidt – Midget Boys 1500m – 4:50.82 minutes
5th – Joanne Marshall – Senior Girls 1500m – 5:30.21
5th – Maria Giannakopoulos – Midget Girls Shot Put – 8.14 metres
5th – Michaela Knechtel – Junior Girls Discus – 19.90 metres
5th – Ethan Ried – Midget Boys Javelin – 30.00 metres
5th – Aly Stone – Midget Girls Long Jump – 4.09 metres
6th – Natalie Bice – Midget Girls 100m – 14.32 seconds
6th – Payton Dias – Midget Girls 400m – 1:09.76 minute
6th – Senior Boys 4x100m Relay B – 51.74 seconds
6th – Amber Riehl – Midget Girls Shot Put – 8.08 metres
6th – Felicity Marshall – Junior Girls Discus -18.65 metres
6th – Janis Louwagie – Senior Girls Javelin – 22.16 metres
6th – Sammi Roes – Midget Boys Long Jump – 4.65 metres
Alternates
7th – Larissa Baker – Senior Girls 400m – 1:13.90 minutes
7th – Ethan Gardiner – Junior Boys Shot Put – 9.20 metres
Northwestern’s WOSSAA Qualifiers from Huron-Perth Day Two include:
Gold – Maria Giannakopoulos – Midget Girls Javelin – 23.56 metres
Gold – Tatum James – Midget Girls 200m – 26.73 seconds (Huron-Perth and Northwestern Record – Previous Record Grace Sherwin 26.81 seconds set in 2004)
Gold – Emma Kestle – Junior Girls 3000m – 12:46.91 minutes
Gold – Jason Guy – Midget Boys Shot Put – 12.05 metres
Gold – Andrew Maguire – Junior Boys 3000m – 11:12.00 minutes
Gold – Tola Francis -Senior Boys 200m – 24.96 seconds (Northwestern Record – Previous record Kurtis Bailey 25.63 in 2006)
Silver – Angela Walmsley – Junior Girls Triple Jump – 9.09 metres
Bronze – Payton Dias – Midget Girls 800m – 2:51.85 minutes
Bronze – Amber Riehl – Midget Girls Javelin – 19.50 metres
Bronze – Angela Walmsley – Junior Girls 3000m – 13:51.77 minutes
Bronze – Matthew Tennant – Midget Boys High Jump – 1.55 metres
Bronze – Jason Guy – Midget Boys Discus – 32.24 metres
Bronze – Zach Otto – Junior Boys 200m – 26.06 seconds
Bronze – Dan McRoberts – Senior Boys Long Jump – 5.50 metres
4th – Amber Riehl – Midget Girls Discus – 19.81 metres
4th – Emma Kestle – Junior Girls 800m – 2:54.63 minutes
4th – Joanne Marshall – Senior Girls 800m – 2:35.67 minutes
4th – Taylor Broughton – Senior Girls Discus – 28.25 metres
4th – Rhys Britton – Midget Boys High Jump – 1.50 metres
4th – Jonathan Koot – Midget Boys Shot Put – 9.77 metres
4th – Ethan Day – Junior Boys 800m – 2:44.96 minutes
4th – Max Britton – Junior Boys High Jump – 1.45 metres
4th – Zach Otto – Junior Boys Javelin – 36.04 metres
4th – Sam Knechtel – Senior Boys Triple Jump – 11.03 metres
4th – Boys 4x400m Relay Open (A. Skinner, D. McRoberts, J. Britton, Z. Otto) – 3:59.05 minutes
5th – Shayla Brooks – Junior Girls 200m – 31.66 seconds
5th – A. J. Schmidt – Midget Boys 800m – 2:24.86 minutes
5th – Brett Maguire – Midget Boys Shot Put – 9.68 metres
5th – Liam Lennon – Junior Boys 800m – 2:50.45 minutes
5th – Adam Skinner – Senior Boys 800m – 2:09.42 minutes (Northwestern Record – Previous record Mark Schmidt – 2:10.44 in 2014)
5th – Nick Ogram – Senior Boys Long Jump – 5.26 metres
5th – Josh Britton – Senior Boys Triple Jump – 9.98 metres
5th – Open Girls 4x400m Relay (S. Brooks, A. Walmsley, J. Marshall, E. Kestle) – 4:47.72 minutes (Northwestern Record – Previous record 4:48.85 minutes in 2006)
6th – Jacalynn Veenstra – Midget Girls Javelin – 18.42 metres
6th – Michaela Knechtel – Junior Girls Shot Put – 7.32 metres
6th – Michaela Knechtel – Junior Girls Javelin – 14.48 metres
6th – Taylor Broughton – Senior Girls Shot Put – 8.05 metres
6th – Sammi Roes – Midget Boys 200m – 26.64 seconds
6th – Michael Vandewiel – Midget Boys 3000m – 11:54.22 minutes
Huron-Perth Conference Champions!
1. Overall (Boys and Girls Combined) team champions
2. Boys Overall team Champions
3. Junior Boys team champions
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Archive Articles
Northwestern coach Randy Johnson has a javelin thrower at OFSAA
It was hard to know who was happier when Garrett James qualified for OFSAA in the senior boys javelin on Friday — James, or coach Randy Johnson.
Over the past decade Johnson has coached dozens of Stratford Northwestern athletes to varying success in the javelin — his specialty — with around 20 or so reaching the OFSAA regional qualifier.
But until James uncorked a school record throw of 50.39 metres on his final attempt of the competition at the West Regionals at the University of Windsor Friday, not one had advanced to the provincial championships.
The throw moved James from sixth place up into third and sends him to OFSAA in Mississauga June 5-7 as a top-four finishers
“I went into that last throw pretty nervous because I knew it was all or nothing,” James said Sunday. “I just tried to relax and focus in and luckily I got that throw to go ahead.
“Afterwards (coach Johnson) came up and gave me a big hug. He was really excited about it and I was happy for him.”
Johnson, while a student at Exeter South Huron, won two bronze, a silver and a gold in 1994 in javelin at OFSAA and went on to a scholarship at Division 1 Southeast Missouri State.
He still holds the Huron-Perth midget and senior boys javelin records.
Shortly after joining the staff at Northwestern he was the driving force behind bringing back the school’s track and field program.
“It really means a lot to me — I’ve been waiting since 2003,” Johnson said of seeing one of his javelin throwers reach OFSAA. “I love to see any kid going on to OFSAA, but this does have a special place in my heart being the event I competed in all through high school and university.
“I’m absolutely thrilled for Garrett. I’ve known him since he was about five years old and watched him grow up in the gym and it’s just fantastic to see such a great person and a great athlete move on to OFSAA.”
James, 18, is the son of Northwestern phys ed head Rob James and also plays volleyball and basketball at the school as well as junior hockey with the St. Marys Lincolns this past season.
Johnson used that as encouragement as a nervous James prepared for his final throw.
“I reminded him that with his vast sports experience and his ability to come through in the clutch, if anyone could qualify for OFSAA on their final throw it was him,” Johnson said. “And he answered the call.”
Said James, “With everything I’ve gone through , big games in hockey or in high school sports, it’s helped me out dealing with stress and pressure situations. But it was good to have coach Johnson there to help calm me down.”
Nick Graver, who held the Northwestern record, finished fifth at regionals in 2009. Johnson said he and James set a goal of breaking the record this season, and he told James that he’d have “a really good chance” of qualifying for OFSAA if he broke the record at the right time.
Now he can think about the possibility of a medal at OFSAA when he competes at 2 p.m. Thursday. The West Regional qualifiers in the senior boys javelin head to OFSAA among the top seeds.
“I think it’s realistic for him to go for a medal (at OFSAA),” Johnson said. “He just seems to be improving every week, so if he can maintain that through another good week of practice, anything’s possible.”
Silver for Broughton
The Huskies’ Taylor Broughton qualified for OFSAA by winning silver in the junior girls discus on Friday with a throw of 28.66 metres — a personal best by three metres and a full two metres ahead of the third-place finisher.
Four of Broughton’s six throws were beyond her previous personal best. She will compete at her second straight OFSAA at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. She was eighth in the event as a midget a year agol.
Two St. Michael athletes qualifed for OFSAA in events on Saturday, joining the school’s junior girls 4 x 100 relay team of Kristin Looby, Janieka Droog, Avery Wedow and Erin Ingoldsby, which placed fourth Friday to qualify for OFSAA.
Erin Kuepfer of St. Mike’s placed third in the midget girls triple jump. Her best jump of 10.42m came on her second-to-last jump and moved her from fourth up to third. She also qualified for OFSAA in cross country back in the fall.
Craig Klomp of St. Mike’s qualified for OFSAA in the senior boys 800m with a fourth-place finish. Klomp’s time of 1:56.05 put him .34 seconds ahead of the fifth-place finisher.
Klomp, a regular competitor at provincials, reached OFSAA in cross country running in the fall and Nordic skiing in the winter.
Megan Dale of Stratford St. Michael was fifth in the junior girls 3000 metres with a time of 11:07.55, less than seven-10ths of a second out of the fourth and final qualifying spot. Cassandra Hinz of Mitchell placed seventh in the same race and Emily Drake of St. Mike’s was 11th.
Mark Schmidt of Stratford Northwestern placed sixth in an extremely strong senior boys 3000 field and Cael Wishart of Stratford Central was less than a second behind in sixth place. It marked the final high school races for the longtime rivals.
Sami McGuinness of St. Mike’s placed sixth in the senior girls 3000. It was the final high school race for the talented distance runner.
Avery Wedow of St. Michael was sixth in the midget girls triple jump and Vanessa Ortelli of Stratford Central placed eighth. Wedow also placed 10th in midget girls discus.
Andrew Dunsmore of Northwestern was eighth in senior boys pole vault.
Marissa Horenberg of St. Mike’s was eighth in the midget girls javelin and Tessa Deighton of Northwestern was 15th. Noah Redfern-Lount of Northwestern was 15th in junior boys javelin.
Christian Lippai of Stratford Central placed ninth in the senior boys triple jump.
Maranda Klaver of St. Michael was 10th in the junior girls shot put.
Topp outstanding
On Saturday Natalie Topp of St. Marys DCVI won the junior girls 800 in 2:21.02 and the 200 in 25.45 to complete a gold-medal sweep at the regionals.
On Friday Topp won the junior girls 400 metres in 58.03 seconds.
Stan Froese from the Salukis won the senior boys 200 in 22.60 on Saturday to add to his medal haul. On Friday Froese won the 400 and was second in the 100.
Marcel Scheele of DCVI was fourth in the midget boys 300 in 9:54.57, nearly 10 seconds ahead of the fifth-place finisher.
Cody Pauli of Mitchell DHS placed second in the junior boys 300 hurdles in 39.87 behind winner Joey Daniels of Kitchener Cameron Heights (39.30).
On Friday, Pauli won the junior boys 400 in 51.52.
James Cooper of Mitchell placed fifth in the midget boys 200.
Lexi Aitken of Clinton St. Anne’s won the senior girls 400 hurdles Saturday in 1:00.77, following up on her win in the senior girls 100m hurdles on Friday in 13.61.
steve.rice@sunmedia.ca
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Neeb ready for take-off to Tennessee The Beacon Herald 2008-05-09
Stratford Northwestern’s Nikki Neeb finished her secondary school athletics career with a sixth-place finish in senior girls high jump at the Ontario high school track and field championships at Mohawk Sports Complex here Saturday.
Neeb cleared the bar on her second attempt at 1.63m but was denied three times at 1.66m, twice when she clipped the bar with her ankle. Her former club teammate at Kitchener Laurel Creek, Maddie Buttinger, won gold with a leap of 1.72m.
Neeb, 19, will continue in track and field in the fall as a member of the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders www.goblueraiders.com, where she is headed on a full ride.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’ll be at Middle Tennessee in a couple of months,” said Neeb, who starred in several sports while at Northwestern, including volleyball, high jump and javelin. “I’m looking forward to it ? it’s not too big a school and they really care about their athletes.”
The university is located in Murfreesboro, Tenn., a city with a population of 37,000, about a half hour outside of Nashville. Their teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference in Division 1-A.
Neeb will minor in human kinetics and will likely major in athletics training although that is yet to be determined. She’ll compete in high jump, javelin and most likely long jump and triple jump.
“A lot of credit goes to Mr. (Randy) Johnson (at Northwestern),” Neeb said. “He’s a great coach and he helped guide me through the application process for school. I’ve really leaned on him a lot and he’s helped make the transition a lot easier for me.”
Although her athletics focus will be on track and field, Neeb says volleyball is her favourite sport and she may play it at school if her schedule allows.
“If not during the season then definitely on the beach next summer,” she said..........
Steve Rice - Beacon Herald Sports Reporter
Copyright © Stratford Beacon Herald 2008
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Huskies howl again The London Free Press 2003-05-21
For the first time since 1989, Stratford Northwestern has a track and field team.
The Huskies qualified 31 athletes for WOSSAA.
The track program died off at the school after coach John Cameron left 14 seasons ago, but it has been revived through the efforts of South Huron grad Randy Johnson, who won OFSAA gold in senior boys' javelin in 1994 and went on to a solid university career at Southeast Missouri State. At one point he held the Ohio Valley Conference record in the javelin.
"We just beat the bushes," Northwestern athletic director Martin Ritsma said of getting athletes, but he said Johnson is the main catalyst.
"To do something like this, you need someone who's committed, someone who bleeds the sport -- and that's Randy," said Ritsma, who helps out along with Rob James and David Finnie.
Steve Green, London Free Press Sports Reporter
Copyright © The London Free Press 2003