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By JOHN FRIDRICHSports EditorThe Malemute, the mascot at Lathrop High School through the years, is out on the streets these days, looking for work.It seems the ole boy just isn't fast enough anymore. Slow out of the blocks, like a treadmill in the corners, slower than molasses coming down the stretch, his legs like rub ber, his lungs burning.So, the Lathrop track and field team put him out to pasture, and brought in, of all things, a snake as their leader.Instead of having the noble Male-mute emblazoned across their sweatshirts, the Lathrop runners have a winged snake in his place, accompanied by lettering identifying the wearer as a member of the Malemute Speed Factory.“Go fast or go home,” the garment reads.“It’s sort of the motto of our team,” Lathrop senior Amy Gish said. “That’s what kind of perform-ances we expect out of our athletes—fast ones.”Lathrop had more than its share of those on Saturday at West Valley as the Malemutes opened the 1990 high school track and field season with several noteworthy individual performances and overwhelming victories in the team races.Although West Valley, North Pole and Eielson were each missing key performers on Saturday, Lathrop appears to have a formidable mix of talent and depth to successfully defend both team titles it won last year.In the boys and girls divisions, Lathrop won 10 of 14 events and finished at least 100 points in front of the second place team. Eielson in the boys case and West Valley on the girls side.The Lathrop sweatshirts areanother way of calling attention to the school's strong track and field tradition, which received a substantial injection of fresh blood this season.A trio of Malemute freshmen accounted for five individual first place finishes and helped out on tworelays.The biggest early season splash, however, was made by a senior from a school that historically fields a small team.Monroe senior Howard Harrellgot off throws of 53-91L* in the shot put and 154-7 in the discus, both personal bests in addition to being thetop throws in Alaska this season by substantial margins.Harrell improved nearly 10 feet in the shot put during last year’s season and hopes to do the same this year.“I believe so,” Harrell answered when asked if his goal of 60 to 62 feet in the shot is realistic. “Now I have confidence I can. With this being the first meet of the year and throwing as well as I did I believe I can. ”The state records, which must be set at the state meet, are 55-l3/4 in the shot and 175-5 in the discus.“He was pretty cautious. The toe board was just sitting there,” Mon roe coach Randy Small said of Harrell’s conservative approach to avoid fouling.Many of the performances turned in Saturday were faster than those recorded at last year’s regional meet, which comes four to five weeks into the season. At last year’s regionals, however, the temperature was 15 degrees colder than it was Saturday and the wind was particularly unpleasant.The Lathrop girls 800 meter relay team, consisting of freshman Passion Richardson, freshman DeAngela Fisher, senior Bettina Walter and junior Andrette Jack son, clocked a 1:47.4, matching the Malemutes winning time at regionals a year ago.“A 1:47 for this early is unbe-lieveable,” Lathrop coach Jeff Sink said.In addition to running a leg on the 800 and 400 relavs. Richardson wonthe 100 in 12.3 and the 200 in 26.4, both unofficial state bests.Lathrop freshman David Dyertook the boys 1600 in 4:40.0 and the 3200 in 9:57.2, a state best. The Malemutes’ third fast freshman— A.J. Snelling—topped an experi enced field to win the boys 800 in 2:04.9 and finished three seconds behind Dyer in the 1600, good for fourth.Both Dyer and Snelling like to run from the front, where they can con trol the pace.“I tried to stay in front of them on the first lap and then I gave it all I’ve got on the second lap,” Snelling said.Not all the freshmen who had notable performances wore Team Snake sweatshirts.West Valley's Stephanie King finished a whisper behind Anderson’s Heather Napoleone in the girls 100 hurdles and the same distance in front of her in the 300 hur dies. King’s time of 50.2 in the Ion ger race ties for an unofficial state best.Lathrop’s Gish had a state best of 12:21.4 in the 3200 and also won the 1600 (5:39.8), while teammate Reg gie Tongue claimed first in the boys400 (53.4) and 200 ( 23.4).Katie Kelley of Lathrop won the girls shot put (32-5) and discus (80-10) and Anderson’s Napoleone wonthe 400 (1:02.7) in addition to the 100hurdles (17.6).Because the starting gun kept misfiring, a whistle was used to start most of the running events.
Newspaper Details
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Fairbanks, Alaska, US
Sun, Apr 15, 1990
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Martha H.
VA, USA 16 Mar 2023
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