In The News: Tigers dominate in historic district sweep

Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic 

Newberg wins all four relays to take the boys and girls titles and complete undefeated campaigns in the Three Rivers League

McMINNVILLE — Coming off undefeated runs in the dual meet season, the Newberg boys and girls track and field teams were certainly the favorites entering the Three Rivers League District Championships last week, but there are no guarantees in a sport measured by hundredths of a second and fractions of an inch.

But the Tigers surprised even themselves with just how dominant they were in adding to what was already an historic season for the program with sweeps of the boys and girls titles Friday at Linfield College.

Newberg won all four relays for the first time in coach Brandon Ramey's seven-year tenure and the title sweep is the first that athletic director Tim Burke can recall in his decades at the school.

"Ramey just had high expectations for us ever since the winter and he just kept telling us that we could do it," senior Madeline Whalen said. "After he said it so many times we just started believing it."

The Tiger girls won five events and compiled 133 points to hold off primary challengers Tualatin (118) and Tigard (99).

Senior Madison Hergert had a hand in four of those wins, taking first in the 200 (25.84) and 400 (56.22) and anchoring the winning 4 x 100 (49.25) and 4 x 400 (4:03.64) relays. After the meet she was named Female Track Athlete of the Year.

Ashley Korb-Doty, along with Madeline DeVerna and Whalen, joined Hergert on the winning sprint relay. The junior also won the triple jump by extending her own school-record to 37-1 despite picking up the event for the first time two weeks ago.

Whalen and Hergert partnered up with junior Casey Novak and freshman Grace Umfleet to win the meet-ending 4 x 400 relay going away.

"We just focused on leaving it all on the track," Hergert said. "We get the privilege to compete against these amazing teams and the privilege to show our talent and what we've been training for the whole year and it's just all paid off."

Also qualifying for state with second-place finishes were Natalie Peterson in the javelin (132-4) and Savanna Milroy in the high jump (new PR: 5-0). Noelle Sawyer earned Newberg's lone wild card bid to state (boys and girls) after setting a personal best (125-8) to place third in the javelin.

The boys strung together a number of top performances, also winning events to finish with 138.5 points, with Tigard second at 115.33 and Tualatin third (105.33).

The Tigers got off to a fast start Friday, as senior Taylor Howard, junior Davis Smith and sophomore Jake Thompson went 1-2-5 in the triple jump just before Howard joined Cole Alteneder, Hunter Moen and Michael Tarakhchyan on the winning 4 x 100 relay (43.22).

Despite being without top sprinter Byron Morris, who is injured, Newberg also cruised to victory in the 4 x 400 relay, as Kyle Charbonneau, Peter Gentile, Tarakhchyan and Alteneder clocked in at 3:24.47 to win by two seconds.

Tarakhchyan, who also placed third in the 200 (22.95) and fourth the 100 (11.47), only came out for track as a senior, but proved to be vital in shoring up both relays.

"His energy brings up the team," Gentile said. "You can see a difference. We love having him out here. It's been amazing."

Gentile (1:58.56) and Charbonneau (1:58.99) also went 1-2 in the 800, with Alteneder adding a win in the 300 hurdles (38.74) and a runner-up showing in the 110 hurdles (15.04).

Howard will also compete in the long jump Eugene Friday and Saturday after posting an automatic qualifying mark of 22.3-5 to place third.

Davis also earned an automatic bid by clearing 13-8 to place fourth in the pole vault and was the top field athlete at the meet after also placing second in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump (20-10).

The key, according to Alteneder, to following up with an equally strong performance this weekend at state will be to keep the same mindset the team has had all season.

"Ramey always tells us to never be satisfied. After I ran all of my PRs, he's come up to me and said, 'Hey. Good race. Don't be satisfied." Every single race it's like that. The mentality we have is don't be satisfied, keep going. It's never good enough. There's always room for improvement."