Eagle Track and Field Athletes Preparing to Raise the Bar
A "freshman-heavy" College of the Siskiyous track and field program had some good results in their first meet of the season, the Butte Opener February 24 in Oroville.
With 6 returning sophomores and 14 new athletes, the Eagle men and women competed against conference rivals Butte, Shasta, Yuba, and Redwoods, as well as athletes from Chico State, Simpson College, Sacramento City, and San Joaquin Delta.
Head coach Julius Jones said the team's goal early in the season is "setting the bar and seeing what we can do to raise it. We want to get ready to have success at the conference meet."
Among the standouts at the first meet were sophomore Jehan King of Madison, AL, who set personal bests in the men's discus and shot put, sophomore Edric Moroyoqui of Montague, who set a personal record in the men's pole vault, and sophomore Frances Fleener of Ontario, OR, in the throws and 100m hurdles.
Jones said Moroyoqui is "creeping up on 3 meters in the pole vault, and before the end of the season he should clear at least 3 ½ meters."
The trio of Moroyoqui, freshman Hunter Hill of Yreka, and sophomore Chase Callison of Yreka give the Eagles a solid group in pole vault. "They have a chance to finish one-two at the GVC meet, and we could possibly place three in the top five," Jones said.
Fleener, who medaled in the GVC hammer throw last year, is one of the Eagles "ready for a breakout," according to the coach, who sees her having a good chance to also finish top three in conference in shot put, javelin, and 100m hurdles.
The Eagles are also setting their sights on a men's 4 by 100m relay medal at the conference championships, scheduled for April 26 at Shasta College in Redding. The relay team featured four freshmen sprinters in the opener: Genaro Reyna of Cashmere, OR, had Siskiyous' fastest 100m and 200m times. He was joined on the relay team by Demetrius McWillie of Rogue River, OR, Lucus Cousens of Bellingham, WA, and Michael Cox of Orlando, FL.
Among the throwers, Jones said returning sophomore James Coefield "had a good offseason and is primed for a big throw."
Chase Callison also runs the 400m, while brother Zane is again competing in the throws.
Freshmen throwers who had good results at Butte included Key'shawn Thomas of Bremerton, WA, and Anthony Martin-Sweet of Prosser, WA.
Other freshmen on the men's roster include Jayden Dorsey of Cheney, WA, in the throws, Wemar Lujan of Yreka in the sprints and jumps, Zeb Martin of Radford, VA, in the throws, Tyler Martino of McMinnville, OR, in the jumps, and Issac Real of Myrtle Creek, OR, in the sprints.
Coach Jones said the men have a good chance to score upwards of 60 points in field events at the conference meet and a good chance to place top three. He was also looking forward to sophomore
Asia Hendrix of Mount Shasta and freshman Tatum Allen of Orland joining the women's team now that basketball season has ended. Hendrix is a runner. Allen is a runner and jumper.
Jones has no official assistant coaches this season, but he said Steve Pyles is helping with pole vaulters.
"It's a long season and we're feeling our way through it, trying to make sure everyone is in the best position to get points at the GVC championships," Jones said.
The Eagles were scheduled to compete at Shasta College March 2nd, but the Cody Beaumont Meet was cancelled because of stormy weather. Next on the schedule is Saturday's Wildcat Invitational at Chico State.
By Steve Gerace