WP Athletes Celebrate Successes

WAITSBURG - The WP Cardinal track and field team had state champions and personal records to celebrate last Wednesday night. And while the WP Tiger baseball team didn't come away with any state trophies this year, they had many moments of their own to cheer about.

The athletes and their families gathered at Waitsburg Elementary School for food and awards to top off a successful season.

Track

Head coach Jeff Bartlow said he had about 50 athletes turn out for track this year and he said each of them made the season memorable for him.

"It's my favorite time of the day," Bartlow said of track practice. "They're resilient and a lot of fun."

Bartlow did add that his team had a major obstacle this season - the fact that the track was torn up and under construction because of the improvements being made to the football field.

"We had a lot of distraction and the weather was the worst I've ever seen it," Bartlow said.

The team did have to travel sometimes to local rubberized tracks so the team could practice on that surface.

"Next spring will hopefully be back to normal," he said.

Bartlow had 14 women turn out for the team and they won one track meet and six went on to state. Senior sprinter Kristin Potter earned three personal records at the state meet. In Umatilla, he remembers how all of his women shot put athletes earned personal records within minutes of each other.

Another happy surprise was newcomer Stacia Deal making it into districts and Hannah Helm's 30-foot shot put at districts was thrilling, he said.

And certainly remarkable was that Ronnie Hulce and Potter making it to state all four years of their high school track careers.

For the men's team, Bartlow said they won almost every meet of the season and placed second just twice. And the team has now been District 9 champions 6 years in a row.

"That's domination and it's getting to be a regular expectation," he said.

In state, the men's fourthplace finish is the second highest the team has ever come to the championship. In 2011, the men's team placed fifth and Bartlow said he knows one year the team earned second. Just two points behind the winners of the meet, he said he knows the team will be a force to be reckoned with in 2013.

Baseball

"It has been quite a year for athletics in the community," head baseball coach Dustin Snedigar said.

Both WP baseball and softball teams made it into the state playoffs this season.

Coach John Watts recognized the junior varsity baseball players. The JV season was cut in half because of weather and the Tigers only played about six or seven games, Snedigar explained.

But that was OK because the varsity team had tough competition and lofty goals on its plate.

"There are a lot of memories this year," Snedigar said.

The team went 15-8 overall. The Tigers started out, 1-4, and then improved its standing to 14-4 after a slow start. Snedigar said a highlight of the season was beating Dayton, 6-0, in Walla Walla for the shot to head to playoffs in Adna. Also a pivotal point was beating state champion DeSales on the team's home turf.

For a team that had some holes to fill because of graduating seniors, the Tigers had 18 players travel to state playoffs and expect to have 15 return next years to varsity.

And despite the rainy weather this spring that meant more indoor practice than usual, the Tigers made it far in competition. At playoffs in Adna, the Tigers played two games and lost a heatbreaker to Toutle Lake.

"We were close," Snedigar said. "But, it wasn't our turn."

WP Athletic Awards

Track and Field

Women's Team

Most Inspirational

Kristin Potter

Most Improved

Emily Skay

Most Valuable Player

Kristin Potter

Men's Team

Most Improved

Roy Ebong

Most Inspirational

Eshom Estes

Most Valuable Player

James Thompkins

Baseball

Most Improved

Tucker Alleman

Most Inspirational

Dalton Estes

Most Valuable Player

Zach Bartlow.

All-League Honorable Mention

Chris Monzano

All-League Team

Zach Bartlow