Indoor Update Feb 21

SIMPLOT GAMES
First of all, a huge thanks to all of the parents that helped shuttle kids to and from the meet and provided a great deal of support throughout the three days. A special thanks to Kevin Hansen who spent about 50 hours on his feet taking pictures of the kids. Luckily, he was able to avoid getting hit with shot puts, weights, etc., and survived the meet. And a big thanks to Coach Wilcox for his great support throughout the entire season.
What a meet!! And what an experience for everyone that was part of this great weekend. The performances by the Titans were exceptional, but that was only part of the experience. Seeing several Olympic athletes, many national leading performances, and a national record in the shot put made this an incredible weekend. This was not an ordinary weekend meet.
For the Titans, the top performance was the Boys medley relay. This was also the most exciting race of the entire meet. Jaxon Hansen, Chris Brown and Austin Warner got the baton around in great shape so Preston Williams could make a huge charge to dive at the finish to secure the victory. Their time of 3:40.37 was the top mark in the state. This was the only winning relay by a Utah TEAM at the Games. Jaxon had made the finals of the 1600 and Preston the 800, but they sacrificed their individual goals to help the TEAM in relays. Watch the race again at: http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238138-2011-adidas-Simplot-Games/video/464648-M-smr-F02.
Hunter Naisbitt had a big meet as he threw 54'05.75 to finish 5th in the shot put. He was part of the biggest show of the meet as the winner set a national record. He also made finals in the weight throw with a toss of 48'04.50", the top finish by a Utah athlete. Jamison Nielson ran great and was one of only three Utahn’s to make the finals of the 60m hurdles. His time of 8.87 just missed the school record. The 4x400m relay ran the fastest time in the state (3:30.56) to make the finals. A tired group consisting of Jaxon Hansen, Mike Russell, Preston Williams and Chris Brown ran 3:32.52 to place 6th.
Lindsey McFarland finished as the top Utah athlete as she ran 59.35 to place 13th in the 400m dash. No other Utahn made the finals. The 4x200m relay of Lindsey, Mayra Franco, Shelby Cadwell, and Kenzie Long narrowly missed the finals due to interference by another runner that left Kenzie battered and on the ground. Mayra ran a great 60m dash, missing the finals by .06 of a second. A great effort was turned in by Coach Wilcox who ran 5:22 in the Coaches 1600m run.
There were several other performances that didn’t make finals, but were impressive nonetheless. Ali Morris leaped over 16' in the long jump and ran a good 60m hurdles. Daylyn Johnston ran two very good 800's within a couple hours of each other. Andrew Skidmore had a big PR in his last indoor 1600m run. Brandon Yardley and Mike Russell also ran well in the 1600. Shane Russell and Austin Warner just missed finals in the 60m hurdles. Zach Watson and Jake Zaugg had very good attempts at 13'03 in the pole vault.
The “performance” of the meet was turned in by the entire TEAM. As I was checking out Saturday morning, a lady asked me if I was the coach of the track group. I was almost afraid to say “yes”, but said I was. She said she and her husband travel a great deal and every time they stay at a place with a young team there, they run into problems. She said this group was the best-behaved she had ever seen. Quite a compliment to every one of you. And I agree with her assessment. THANKS for your cooperation!!
You can find the video of many events at: http://www.flotrack.org/ Complete results and other meet coverage can be found at: http://www.simplotgames.com/ More great meet coverage can be found at: http://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/index.aspx

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Chosen as the Athletes of the Week were: Daylyn Johnston, Jordan Anderson, Jamison Nielson, Shane Russell, Preston Williams, Austin Warner, Chris Brown, and Tom Hill- and everyone that helped make the trip a success.

SIMPLOT PARTY
We will meet in my room Thursday at 4:00 for pizza and to watch pictures and video from Simplot. Please respond to this email if you are going to be able to attend so I will know how much pizza to buy. We are meeting late so some who are still training can get in a quick workout.

OUTDOOR TRACK MEETING
This will be held Wednesday at 2:30 in the Little Theater. Be there and bring at least three friends.

CONTINUED WORKOUTS
Unless you have some nagging injuries, I encourage you to continue to work out on your own until outdoor starts. Don’t lose the fitness you have built up during indoor.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Feb 23- Outdoor Track Meeting
Feb 28- Outdoor Track Begins