The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - Waits­burg Prescott track and field head coach Jeff Bartlow might want to apply for the position of UPS driver, be­cause with this year's large turnout of about 40 male and female athletes, logistics will be one of his primary focuses for the 2013 edition of WP track.

"It's a great honor to be out again with the kids this year," said the fourth-year head coach and 13-year track and field veteran. "Our boys return enough talent to compete for the district title again. We've won it six of the last seven years, and if we stay healthy, I think we can compete for a state title.

"We're a little thin on the girls' side," Bartlow added. "There aren't very many and they're young. It will be tough to get a relay team together. We'll concentrate on fundamentals with the girls this year and have a good time."

Alongside Bartlow are assistant coaches Joanna Lanning, Ann Adams, and David Black. Adams, from Waitsburg, and Black, from Jubilee, are both new to the coaching staff this year.

"I've got three or four volunteer coaches who come in once or twice a week as well," said Bartlow. "It makes me feel very blessed to have coaches who know way more than I do like (former Waitsburg head coach) Ron Huntington and Leslie Stockton from Walla Walla. She's been the head coach at Wa-Hi and the throwing coach for 25 years. And Ron's been coaching for over 35 years. He really mentored me."

WP's best returning point- scorers are Prescott's James Thompkins and Waitsburg's Seth Deal. Thompkins com­petes in the 100, 200, 400, and 4x100 relay and scored in all four events at state. Deal, meanwhile, competes in the 800, 1600, and 3200 meter distance runs.

"Seth is running the 800 for conditioning," said Bart­low. "He should place high in both the 1600 and 3200, and he could win one of them. I think in the two mile (3200) he has a better shot."

Billy Brown, who trans­ferred out of the district in the fall, provided another chunk of Cardinal points at the district and state meets last year. Bartlow says re­placing him will be difficult.

"We lost Billy. He earned a whole bunch of points with hurdles. He would've been tough," Bartlow said. "We're moving some other guys into the hurdles spots, and Brendan Donovan is one of them. Brendan is a senior who's going to be really tough. He's coming back from a broken wrist. He threw the shot 42 feet today, and it's early in the season. He and (senior) Ben Shafer will be tough in the shot."

Seniors Alex Dill and D.J. Leroue will be counted on to join Thompkins in the sprint relays. Dill competed on the relay teams at state for the past two years. Leroue, who's been dealing with a lingering hip flexor issue, will be eased into the role more slowly, according to Bartlow.

Waitsburg senior Zach Brown will also be expected to contribute to the team effort in his primary event- the 800 meter run.

On the girls side, WP returns one state qualifier- senior Maddy Witt. Witt made the big meet in the triple jump.

"She's got a chance to do it again," said Bartlow. "She's in my weight-lifting class. She's worked ex­tremely hard. She's excited about the opportunity."

The girls' team will great­ly miss the contributions of last year's seniors, especially Ronnie Hulce and Kristin Potter.

"They were the horses on the girls' side that gave us all of our points," said Bartlow. "We were close to winning some of our league meets just because of those two."

Attempting to fill the void will be sprinter Stacia Deal. She was on the state relay teams with Potter and Hulce last year. Blanca Quiroz (from Prescott) is another returning sprinter. She and Prescott schoolmate Sonia Bell Mendoza may be two of the new members of the relay squad.

One underclassmen on the girls side, Brittany Lute, has the best chance of mak­ing state outside of Witt, ac­cording to Bartlow.

"In the shot put, she can go to state," he said. "She can throw 30 feet already. When you get to 30 feet, you're in the money to go to state."

Other members of the team include returning hur- dler Joe Esparza, of Jubilee, jumper and hurdler Owen Lanning, of Waitsburg, and surprise trackster this year, Luke Alexenko.

"Luke came over from baseball last year. He's been jumping good, and he's fast," said Bartlow. He's a good addition that we didn't know we were going to have."

Other contributors on the boys side could include Jubilee's Jada Alfred, who switches from distance races to sprints this year; high jumper Kobie Brown; hur- dler Jesse Rawson; and "ath- letic" Corey Brown.

On the girls side, throw- ers Meara Baker and Beka Adams and runner Margaret Potolicchio could also con- tribute.

Bartlow sees the Asotin boys as WP's biggest com- petition in the district this year, and the Asotin girls as the distaff team to beat.

"We barely beat (the Aso- tin boys) last year. It was a fistfight," said Bartlow. "They're always tough. And the Asotin girls have won the district title on the girls side about as many times in the last several years as our boys have. Their girls are all back and they've got a great turnout. DeSales has some great kids coming back too, but their numbers just aren't what they used to be."

The first meet of the sea- son is the Papa Wells In- vitational at West Valley High School in Yakima this Saturday.