Vandal track team opens up season

The Eureka High School Track & Field team opened their 2015 season with several placings at the Spring Creek High School Invitational meet March 7 and a respectable girls team-placing of fifth place.

Junior Megan Damele took a first, second, and two thirds while freshman Israel Warren placed fourth in the high jump. The girls 4×100 relay placed fifth while junior Brendan Mears helped his two-man boys team earn points with his 7th place finish in the 800 meter run.

Damele eked out a win in the 100 meter with a 13.11 win over Spring Creek’s Kellie Kinsman with her time of 13.15. She narrowly lost to Kinsman in the 200 meter with a 27.70 to Kinsman’s 27.62. She placed third in the 400 meter with a time of 64 flat and third in the long jump at 14’2”.

Warren began her high school track career with an impressive jump of 4’8” earning her fourth place. She also placed 6th in the 200 meter at 30.46, 8th in the 100 meter at 14.07, and was a member of the 5th place relay team which ran a 59.59 race. Other members of the 4x100relay included Natalia Burton, Kallie Norris and Jiselle Dominquez.

Sophomore Katie Damele placed 11th in both the 800 meter and the mile.

The girls earned enough points to place their team fifth out of nine girls teams in attendance.

Only two boys attended the meet. Mears also ran the mile and junior Errol Porter ran the 800 meter.

Several athletes were not in attendance due to the previously scheduled Juvenile Probation ski trip.

Trevor Merritt, Joseph Watts, Stephen Watts, Nicole Burton, and Nicole Orozco were absent for the season’s first meet.

“We should have a full team travelling to our next meet in Elko,” said J.D. Damele, who took over the varsity coaching position this year. “We will also have more time spent on the track in practice due to the nicer weather. We have some strong contenders and some young athletes this year. Our goal is to improve as we go along.”

Sherri Todd is serving as the assistant coach.

Eureka’s high school track meet is scheduled for Friday, March 27 followed by the junior high track team on Saturday the 28th. The Eureka meet serves as the opener for the junior high team coached by Theresa Minoletti.