ADM boys track head coach Mike Whisner is realistic about the construction of his team this year. He knows the Tigers don’t have blue-chip athletes they can depend on finishing in the top-three on a regular basis, at least not for now.
That doesn’t mean they can’t have success in other areas, and it’s the main reason why Whisner has put a focus on relays this season.
That thought process played out favorably for the Tigers at the Hugh Norman Coed Relays Tuesday night at ADM Stadium, as the 4×200 relay team of Gavin Osteen, David Howard, Trey Volz and Kole Merical took first with a time of 1:37.9, less than two-tenths of a second faster than second place Dallas-Center Grimes.
“You can look at track many ways, but it really is a team sport,” Whisner said. “You have some individual events, but when you don’t have that shining star or don’t know if you have that shining star yet [and] you’ve got four guys that are …very similar in speed, you’re going to have some success in those relays. So that’s kind of what we’re looking at.”
ADM’s best individual performance came from sophomore Reece McLaughlin, who placed third in the long jump, clearing 18 feet, two inches.
The Tigers went up against a fairly competitive field of teams, including Carlisle, Clarke, DCG, Des Moines North, Norwalk, Van Meter and Winterset
Next up, the Tigers will head to the Nevada for invite Thursday afternoon. Below is a summary of how the Tigers fared in various events, courtesy of Whisner:
1st Place 4 x 200 1:37.9
Gavin Osteen, David Howard, Trey Volz, Kole Merical
5th Place Shuttle Hurdles 1:08.09
Jacob West, Austin Flora, Caleb Weddle, Sam McCartney
6th Place 400 Dash
Reece McLaughlin 55.81
3rd Place Long Jump 18′ 2
Reece McLaughlin
5th Place Long Jump 17′ 9.75
Trey Volz
5th Place High Jump 5″ 6
Jacob West
5th Place 4 x 800 Relay 9:31.31
Luke Huen, Jesse Zika, Elijah McCartney, Jesse Huen
4th Place 1600 Medley 4:09.55
Tristen Snyder, Taylor Smith, Jesse Huen, Luke Huen
4th Place 4×100 47.43
Gavin Osteen, David Howard, Tristen Snyder, Kole Merical
5th Place 4×400 3:53,09
Trey Volz, Brady Perry, Sam McCartney, Reece McLaughlin