Faith Christian Eagles

Track & Field 2011

5 EAGLES RACK UP 41 POINTS TO FINISH 6TH AT THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

True True to form the entire season, the weather was the story at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships. Half way through the first day of competition, the rain poured and the lightning crackled, sending all in attendance under the grandstands for shelter. After several lightning strikes all around the track, it became apparent that the event could not continue as planned. Athletes and fans alike were sent home to return the next day to an extended and compressed schedule. Athletes who were originally scheduled to compete in one event per day were now competing in multiple events in the same day.

Such was the case for the throwers who were now throwing the shot in the morning and the discus in the afternoon. Not exactly ideal and conducive to big throws. Nonetheless, Grayson Bundick and Derek McCartney stepped into the competition confident and ready to perform at their best. Grayson got things going with a solid opening throw and Derek did the same. Derek’s first throw equaled his PR, which is precisely how he opened up last year at State. His next throw would be is best, tacking on 10 inches and just missing the 50-foot barrier at 49-10 ¾. He took 2^nd place with that throw and Grayson matched his performance of last year by again throwing his best on his last throw. He threw 48-10 ¼ for 4^th place and a new PR. So after one event, the boys had 14 points!

The next event on the revised schedule was the 110M hurdles. Jake Macklin ran just behind his best time of the year at 16.88. Jake finished a remarkable year in the 13^th place and narrowly missing the top 9 who would go on to the finals.

Right after Jake’s race came the 3200M with Evan Fortney and Luke Yeager representing the Eagles. With Evan still feeling the effects of a chest cold, his endurance seemed slightly compromised. Nonetheless he fought through to a 5^th place finish and adding 4 points to the team’s tally. Luke Yeager ran a fantastic race (his 2^nd 3200 of his career) and lowered his PR to 10:20.86. He finished 9^th and knocked out another freshman from The Classical Academy and prevented them from reaching scoring position.

Next on the track was the 800M run. Sam Yeager was up against a talented field and ran a strong first lap but 3 runners finished ahead of him and left Sam with a 4^th place finish and another 6 points for the team total. Sam still had one race to go which was the 1600M run on Saturday.

The discus event was moving up quickly on the schedule as the meet officials elected to operate on a rolling schedule. Originally scheduled for 4:30, the event began at 2:45, just in time for the only downpour of the day. Derek McCartney was hoping to finish as high as 2^nd place as he came in ranked as such, but his technique was erratic and his first three throws were not enough to get him into the finals. Derek was unknowingly following a tradition of Faith discus throwers (Ian Lettow, Adrienne Lettow and Grayson Bundick) who failed to reach the finals in their first year of competing in the event at the State Championships. Grayson Bundick learned from his first year at State and was very consistent in his technique. His first throw was good enough to get him to the finals. Then…..the heavens opened up and the rain poured over the competition. Grayson and Derek had practiced the entire week before state in a water filled throwing ring in anticipation of this circumstance. Not a single thrower improved in the finals except Grayson who threw 137-8 to take 3^rd place and nearly taking 2^nd which was 1 inch ahead of him. Grayson was the top Faith scorer at State with 13 points.

The last event was the 1600M run which was the only event for the Faith Boys on the last day of competition. After the 3200M race, there were concerns that Evan had perhaps lost too much of his conditioning due to illness. Soon after the gun went off, those concerns were proven unfounded. Evan ran very hard and pushed the pace through every lap. He never let up and finished a strong 3^rd place. The only athletes to beat him were seniors and Evan will return next year as the top ranked runner in the state for this event and the 3200. Sam Yeager was looking to make some moves in the 1600 as well but after 2 laps he could feel his hamstring starting to pull. He courageously finished the race with his injured leg and drew the respect of his competitors and from those in the stands who applauded what would be his last finish line of his career. Sam wrapped up an unprecedented career at Faith with 2 school records and no less than 5 top ten marks at Faith. Another Yeager was in the race as well. Brother Luke was busy creating his own legacy by finishing 9^th and making the awards stand for the second time in his remarkable young career. Luke scored 2 points from his two races.

When all the events concluded, Faith had scored an impressive 41 points from only 5 athletes! They finished in 6^th place and once again finished in the top 8 for the last 7 years in a row. With all athletes returning next year except Sam Yeager, the team looks to score well again. As mentioned earlier, Evan Fortney is the top returning 1600/3200 runner. Derek and Grayson are the top 2 throwers in both the shot and the discus. Luke Yeager will no doubt move up very high as well. It will be fun to see what happens by this time next year!

FAITH BOYS SCORE BIG WITH SEVEN INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS!

5/13/11- Holy Family High School

With typically wild Colorado weather dictating a change in plans for the Metro League Conference Championships, the Faith Tracksters did their best to look past the circumstances. Normally a two day meet, the teams had to face an extended one day schedule that would prevent many from running the events they had intended.  As had been the case all season, the distance/hurdle squads coached by David Yeager led the way with the bulk of the 118 points scored. The Faith Boys finished 2^nd to Holy Family in the team scoring but took more individual titles than any team at the track that day.

Jake Macklin continued his tremendous progress, running a PR of 16.23 in the 110 meter hurdles, winning league and moving up to #3 all time at Faith, then recording a 43.16 in the 300 meter hurdles, good for another PR, winning league and moving up to #5 on the all time list at Faith.  Jake will be competing in the 110 meters at state.  Tyler Yocum ran another strong 400 meter race, finishing in 56.05 seconds, just .01 off his personal best.

The Faith boys swept the 1600 meters, with Sam Yeager using his patented kick to win in 4:33.81, a four second PR and moving up to #4 on the top ten list.  Evan Fortney took second place despite suffering from a head cold, and Luke Yeager took third in a one second PR, moving to #7 on the top ten list.  Faith will be represented by all three of these runners in the 1600 at state.  Sam finished his day by winning the 800 meters, then Luke debuted in the 3200 meters and won the league title in 10:23.18, good for #6 on the Faith top ten list and putting him in the race at state.

Beth Xiong and Hannah Payne represented Faith in the girls distance events.  Beth ran two strong races, finishing 6^th in both the 800 and 1600, while Hannah finished in 8^th and 9^th to finish out her season.

The throwers flexed their muscles in the last meet before State. Derek McCartney and Grayson Bundick took the top 2 spots in each event respectively. Derek’s winning toss in the shot put (49- 1) was a big PR and moved him up to #2 in the state. Derek also won the discus with his second best throw of the year at 146-1.   Grayson contributed solid marks for his 2^nd place finishes, 47-10 and 143-9. He goes into State with the #4 discus mark in the state and the #6 in the shot put. On the ladies side, Caitlin Chavez led all Faith girls with 12 points. She notched 3rd place finishes in both the shot and discus. She threw a season best of 98-2 in the discus and threw her 2^nd best throw of the year in the shot. She fell just inches short of qualifying for State but she gave it her all. Freshman Abigail Flaming stunned all competitors (including her coach) with a 17foot PR in the discus! She moved up from 79 feet to 96-3 to take 4^th place. Natasha Weidneaar took 6^th in both the shot and the discus. She finishes her career as the #4 discus thrower all –time at Faith and the #10 shot putter.

Coach Marshall’s crew (otherwise known as the sprinters and jumpers), had great marks as well with the girls 4x100 relay leading the way. They ran a PR time of 54.89 that was good enough for third place. The boys relay over the same distance was just fractions off their PR and even less behind 3^rd place finishing Manual High School. They finished 4^th overall with a time of 47.57.  Robbie Graham and Kiara Durrett both scored PR’s in the 200 running 24.37and 28.73 respectively.  Kiara was 7^th overall and Robbie finished in the 7^th spot as well.

The jumpers logged personal bests with Kiara again finishing in 7^th and Chris Johnson taking 6^th followed by Josh Spitzer in 7^th.  Kiara jumped 13-9, CJ went 17-8.5 and Josh 17-3.5.

Faith will take 6 young men to the State meet this week and for the first time in a long time there won’t be a lady trackster out there to represent. The new qualifying procedures have definitely challenged our girls and they vow to return to the action next year!

These are the individuals competing at State this week and their respective time and events. Please come out and root them on to victory!!

McCARTNEY AND FORTNEY GO HUGE AT ST. VRAIN INVITATIONAL

5/6/11- Longmont High School

On a rare warm evening at the track, The Faith Boys and Girls teams notched several personal bests and showed signs of what they hope to achieve at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships in 2 weeks.

Derek McCartney fired an 8-foot addition to his lifetime best in the discus and seized the top spot in the 3A State rankings at the same time. His 151-8 toss would lead the event until the very last throw by the last competitor of the night. Longmont's Miles Bergner hit 152-2 to take the lead. Derek gave it his all on his last throw but came up just short. Teammate Grayson Bundick had to shake off the ill effects of a migraine to even be able to compete but still managed to throw 47-1 in the shot to take 6^th. He also was 7^th in the discus. A slippery ring proved challenging for all the throwers but particularly for Derek as he finished at 44-4 and just inches short of making the finals.

Evan Fortney continued his torrid streak, running 9:48 in the 3200 meters, a ten second PR, and good for second place overall.  Evan finished his evening with a 4:30 1600 meter race, good for another second place finish.  Luke Yeager ran both the 800 and 1600, and was the only freshman in the fast heat of either event.  Sam Yeager ran another strong 800 meter race, finishing in 1:59.20, his second consecutive race under 2 minutes.

Jake Macklin ran well in both hurdles races, again setting a PR of 16.51 in the 110 meter high hurdles.  Tyler Yocum ran a strong 400 meters, recording a PR of 56.04 seconds, over seven tenths of a second faster than his previous best.

Beth Xiong and Hannah Payne both competed in the 800 meters and 1600 meters.  Beth recorded a season best time of 2:42.64 in the 800 and Hannah was within fractions of a second of her PRs in both races.

The sprinters saw their share of great performances with both relays hitting PR performances. The girl’s team of Tess Brockemeyer, Fabs Progar, Molly Payne and Kiara Durrett lowered their best time once again from 56.97 to 55.48. The boys were not to be outdone taking their time down from 48.52 to 47.34. Sean Calahan, Josh Spitzer, Chris Johnson and Robbie Graham put a smile on Coach Marshall’s face by once again improving their hand-offs and overall time. Robbie Graham set a PR in the 200 meters lowering his best from 24.86 to 24.62. Kiara Durrett did the same by dropping her time from 30.46 to 29.5Team scores were not posted but the boys racked up nearly 40 points against some of the top 4A-5A talent in the state.

Both teams will be pushing hard over these next 2 weeks to present their best performances when they matter most. In keeping with our theme this year, every performance, in victory or defeat will be an offering to our God as it is truly “All for Him”.

DISTANCE STARS SHINE BRIGHT AT LIBERTY BELL

4/29/11 & 5/2/11- Littleton Public Schools Stadium

In a meet where the directors tried to avoid the weather by rescheduling the Saturday portion to Monday, the Faith boys distance team showed they weren’t there to avoid anything except maybe slow times. Evan Fortney started things off well by running a beautiful 3200 meter race on Friday.  After averaging just over 75 seconds for the first seven laps, Evan closed with a 71 for a new PR of 9:57.84, the first time in eleven years a Faith runner has gone under ten minutes and moving him to #2 on the top ten list.  Friday also saw Jake Macklin lower his PR in the 110 meter hurdles to 16.69, moving him to #5 on the top ten list.  Monday saw Evan build on Friday’s success by running another PR in the 1600 meters on Monday, clocking 4:26.17.  Luke Yeager joined Evan in the top 1600 meter heat and lowered his own PR to 4:40.63.  Not to be outdone, Hannah Payne set two PRs on Monday, first clocking 6:16.45 in the 1600 to (a 4 second PR), then netting 2:44.07 in the 800 meters, a two and a half second PR.  Sam Yeager finished off the meet for the runners with his fastest 800 meters of the year.  Taking the lead from the gun, Sam ran an aggressive race and finished in 1:58.45 for second place in the top heat.  Sam is back!

The sprinters and jumpers all improved on their personal bests with Kiara Durrett and Josh Spitzer getting PR’s in the long jump. The girls 4x100 lowered their season best time from 57.40 to 56.97. The team of Tess Brockemeyer, Fabs Progar, Molly Payne and Kiara Durrett handled the baton well on their way to a season best time. On the boy’s side, the 4x100 team lowered their best from 50.31 to 48.52. The team of Sean Callahan, Josh Spitzer, Chris Johnson and Robbie Graham ran very well during fairly chilly conditions.

The throwers competed well for the most part with Grayson Bundick leading the charge. Grayson took 9^th in the shot put after taking just 3 throws out of the 6 he earned so he could scurry off to the Faith Promise Dinner and sing to the thousands that were there to see him (and that Tim Tebow guy) J. Grayson finished 7^th in the discus against the top throwers in the state. Caitlin Chavez threw season bests in both events, finishing 11^th in the discus and 17^th in the shot.

Next up-The Metro League JV Championships on 5/3 and the St. Vrain Invitational in Longmont on 5/6.

FAITH BOYS BRING HOME ANOTHER BRONZE AT HOLY FAMILY POST EASTER INVITE

4/26/11- The Faith Boys Track Team racked up 92 points and took third overall among 13 schools at the first annual Post Easter Invite. Once again Faith proved successful against the higher classifications and also against more familiar foes.

Once again the distance team led the way with 22 points coming from the 1600 meter race alone. The race was won by the always consistent-Evan Fortney. He was followed by Sam Yeager who stepped up to this distance to get a State qualifying time. Mission accomplished, Sam is now ranked 8^th. The remaining points in the 1600 were scored by remarkable Freshman Luke Yeager who took 5^th.

The 800 meters was won by Sam Yeager and brother Luke took 3^rd!  Jake Macklin added points in both hurdle races taking 3^rd in the 110 hurdles and 4^th in the 300 hurdles. Tyler Yocum added a PR in the 400 and placed 6^th overall.

The throwers were equally impressive with Sophomore Grayson Bundick stealing the show with the #2 best discus toss in Faith history at 147-1. He is ranked #2 in the state and threw his best on his last throw! Derek McCartney stunned the competition with a standing throw PR of 133-9 to take 3^rd place on his last throw as well. Derek then proceeded to notch his first win in the shot put tossing just under his PR at 47-7. Grayson was 2^nd at 46-8. Trevor Cole popped a personal record throw in the shot at 37-4 to take 8^th place.

The sprinters chipped in some points as well with Robbie Graham taking 8^th in the 100 meters. The very young relay team of Sean Calahan, Chris Johnson, Josh Spitzer and Robbie Graham took 7^th in the 4x100. The even younger 4x400 relay of Gunnar Caldwell, Zach Steitz, Sam Jones and Jake Macklin took 7^th place overall.

On the ladies side, 26 points were scored and that was good enough for a 10^th place finish. Junior thrower Caitlin Chavez led all scorers with 8 points and two 5^th place finishes. Caitlin also leads the girl’s team in scoring so far this year. Natasha Weidenaar had 5 points by virtue of her 4^th place finish in the discus, throwing her 2^nd best throw of her career at 94-11.

Beth Xiong added 4.5 points by taking 6^th in the 1600 and being part of the 3^rd place finishing 4x800 meter relay. Hannah Payne, Sydnee Nichols and Morgan Johnson were the rest of the relay team. The 4x100 relay team of Fabs Progar, Kiara Durrett, Tess Brockemeyer and Molly Payne took 5^th to add 4 more points to the cause. 

The action on the track comes fast and furious for the next 3-½ weeks as Faith heads toward the Colorado State Track and Field Championships on 5/19-21. We will once again compete at the prestigious Liberty Bell Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The JV team will compete Tuesday 5/3 at Holy Family and the Varsity gets back at it on Friday 5/6 to compete in the St. Vrain Invite at Longmont High School. After that all that remains are the Metro Conference Championships on 5/11 and 5/13 and then…..for those who have qualified in the top 18, the State Championship meet at Jeffco Stadium here in beautiful Arvada! So come out and see us as we compete to honor Him!

FAITH BOYS BEGIN TO SHOW THEIR MIGHT BY TAKING THIRD AT GW PATRIOT INVITE

4/23/11- All City Stadium, George Washington Patriot Invitational

As has become a bit of a tradition, the Faith Boys Track Team once again defined themselves as “late bloomers”. With much of the track season already in the books, Faith has tended to show it’s strength more at this time of year than in the early weeks of March and April. The intentional scheduling of the most State Qualifier meets in mid to late April has once again proven successful. With the championship season just a few weeks away, it is good to see the potential of our team be manifested in personal bests, points scored and individual state rankings on the climb.

With Faith and Manitou Springs as the only 3A participants among a lineup of 22 schools, finishing 3^rd and knocking off substantial programs like Cherokee Trail, Sierra, Evergreen, Rampart and Bear Creek was a substantial achievement. Manitou finished 12^th overall.

The distance squad had an outstanding day with 41 of the team’s 61 points coming from Evan Fortney (18), Luke Yeager (13) and Sam Yeager (10).

Evan Fortney won the 1600 in 4:36.19 and taking second in the 3200 in 10:10.54, a season best time that is just three tenths off his PR.  Luke Yeager placed second in the 1600 in 4:41.84 (a six second PR) and took fourth in the 800 in 2:03.97, a four second PR.  Older brother Sam Yeager ran just one race, the 800, but won it in a season best time of 2:00.50 after a blistering opening lap of 55 seconds. Sam now joins Evan with the number 2 best time in the state in each of their specialties. Jake Macklin competed in both hurdles races, recording a PR of 43.89 in the 300 hurdles, moving him to 6^th on the Faith top ten list.

The Throwers brought home the rest of the points with Derek McCartney launching a 47-10 throw in the shot moving him to 5^th all time at Faith and 5^th in the state rankings just behind teammate Grayson Bundick at 47-10 ½. Derek was 3^rd in the meet and Grayson was 4^th. In the discus, Grayson threw probably his best throw ever although it was inches short of his PR. He tossed 145-2 in very unhelpful conditions to take 3^rd place. Derek Mc Cartney added a 132-8 toss to take 6^th. Grayson now holds the number 2 best throw in the state in the discus.

On the ladies side, the team finished 15^th and saw several outstanding performances as well. Beth Xiong and Hannah Payne ran strong races in the 800 and 1600.  Beth ran a season best time of 2:43.31 in the 800 while Hannah set PRs in both races, recording a 2:46.57 in the 800 and a 6:20.25 in the 1600.

The throwers scored all 9 points with Natasha Weidenaar taking 5^th and throwing a PR 96-9 in the discus. She moved from 8^th all time at Faith to 4^th! Caitlin Chavez had a solid day taking 6^th in the discus and 7^th in the shot. 

1600 METER SCHOOL RECORD FALLS TO EVAN FORTNEY & BUNDICK TAKES 2ND IN INVITATIONAL SHOT PUT

4-9-11- When the announcer at the prestigious 2011 Mullen Runners Roost Invitational introduced the field of 15 competitors in the boys 1600 meter run, he referred to Evan as “stepping up to the big classifications”. When the race was over, Evan had beaten all but 6 of them and ran the 2^nd best time in the state for 3A. He also managed to break an 8-year-old school record in the process at 4:28.08.  Evan showed signs of being ready to do something big when he logged a near personal best at Peak to Peak earlier in the week. He followed up his school record with a near PR effort in the 3200 where he ran a 10:13:44. Evan now has the 2^nd fastest time in the state in the 1060 and the 3^rd best in the 3200. When he reflected as to why he was doing so well he noted his winter training efforts “and of course JESUS!”

Grayson Bundick has been pounding the shot put well all season long.  He had no lofty expectations at the 5A-heavy Runners Roost, only to improve from his previous efforts.  His third throw was enough to secure him a silver medal among some very talented competitors. He too heard references to us as a 3A school and being pretty good for a sophomore. The best comment came in the form of a question to Coach Lettow….”excuse me sir, where is Faith Christian anyway?”  I guess it’s good that they are asking!

Virtually the entire team had a great day at the track despite facing some fierce competition. Meets like these serve to prepare our team for when it matters most and if Saturday was any indication, we appear to be getting ready to do quite well.

Beth Xiong set another season best time in the 1600, running a 6:07 to shave 14 seconds off her time from the previous week.  Beth and Hannah ran strong 800-meter races and finished in a near dead heat at 2:49 – a season best for Beth and a 7 second PR for Hannah.

Jake Macklin ran two strong hurdles races, setting season PR’s in both events and bringing home two medals for finishing in the top three of his heats.   Sam and Luke Yeager competed in the invitational heat of the 800 meters and both ran season best times.  Luke also set a PR in the 1600, beating his previous best by six seconds. Luke is now ranked 8^th in the 1600 and is only a freshman!

Derek McCartney missed the morning shot put competition due to taking the ACT but scurried onto the track in time to toss a season best 143-2 in the discus and take 5^th overall in the Invitational event. His toss now ranks him 3^rd in the state for 3A and his teammate Grayson is the 4^th best. Grayson took 6^th in the same event Saturday. 

PEAK PERFORMANCES LEAD TO ANOTHER METRO LEAGUE VICTORY

4/5/11- Fresh off a restful Spring Break, the Faith boys track team narrowly beat a deep Kent Denver squad for 137-134 win. With 7 Metro League schools competing, this was a good test for the young and not so deep Faith boys. Topping all scorers was Senior Jake Macklin who managed to go from missing the Englewood meet due to a uniform issue to scoring 27.5 points on this day. He won both hurdle events, took 3^rd in the high jump and was part of the 3^rd place 4x100 relay.

Evan Fortney continues to dominate in Metro League meets with two more wins in the 1600 and 3200. He ran within 2 seconds of his PR in the 1600 and is showing signs of being ready to do even bigger things against the top runners in the state.

Grayson Bundick also had 2 wins and continues to improve rapidly in the shot put. He popped a 48-10 for what would be the best throw in 3A but due to this not being a ranked meet it will have to be an “unofficial” state leading throw. He now is the 3^rd best thrower in both events in Faith history.

Robbie Graham lowered his 100 meter time to 11.9 and a new PR. He also is showing leadership in the sprints with the relay events and the 200 meters. He racked up 14 points on the day. Luke Yeager notched another 14 to his point total by taking 2^nd in the 1600 and 3^rd in the 800.  Brother Sam battled stomach issues but still managed to win the 800 for 10 points. Derek McCartney had a great day as well with 2 season bests. He took 2^nd in both throwing events and brought in 16 points to the team total.

The ladies ended up in a respectable 3^rd place finish at the same meet scoring 77 points on the day. Beth Xiong and Caitlin Chavez led all scorers with 18 a piece. Beth took 2^nd in the 1600 and 800 events and was part of the 2^nd place 4x800 relay. Caitlin won the discus with a 93-2 ½ toss. She also took 2^nd in the shot put with a season best 30-10 ¾.  Natasha Weidenaar kicked in another 14 points taking 2^nd in the discus and 3^rd in the shot put where she threw a season best 29-11.

Hannah Payne added a 3^rd place finish in the 400 and was part of the 2^nd place 4x800. Melissa Lowe scored 6 points in the 800 taking 3^rd overall. Kiara Burrett added 4 points with her 4^th place in the 200 and her leg of the 4x800. Abby Flaming continues to improve with a huge PR in the shot put. She added 4 feet from her last meet at Holy Family to go 27-2.5. She took 4^th in the discus as well. Jackie Ross scored 3 more points by taking 6^th in the 1600 and being part of the 4x800. Sydney Nichols tacked on 2 points by running the 4x800 as well.

FAITH THROWERS SCORE AT THE TIGER TORNADO IVITE 

4/2/11- Taking advantage of a Spring Break opportunity to get their marks ranked in the top 18, the Faith Throwers put their best foot forward (or should I say arm!) towards that objective. When it was over, Grayson Bundick hurled the 2^nd best discus throw in the 3A State rankings and the 3^rd best in the shot put. He also took the same places in the meet scoring all the points for Faith at 14. With just the throwers competing, that was enough to beat 3 of the 18 teams attending.

Caitlin Chavez is rounding into her 2010 form with two 5^th place finishes and logging season bests in both events. She tossed 30’ 10” and 96’ 6” respectively. Those marks have her ranked at 13^th in the state in the discus and 16^th in the shot put.

Natasha Weidenaar scored a 7^th place finish in the shot put and was within inches of her season best. She threw a season best 90’ 8” for 9^th place at the meet. Her state rankings are now at 19^th for the discus and 26^th in the shot.  With the method for qualifying for the State Championship meet changing this year to the top 18 getting in, the need to perform well in State Qualifier meets is even more important.

Freshman Abigail Flaming threw another personal best in the discus by hitting 79’ 3 ½” and taking 13^th place overall. She is showing steady improvement and once she learns how to spin she will be a threat!

Next up for the Faith Track Team will be the meet at Peak to Peak Tuesday 4/5 followed by the biggest invitational of the year at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday 4/9. The top 2 athletes in selected events will be competing for Faith and will go up against very stiff competition. Come out and root them on! 

FAITH BOYS TAKE GOLD AND THE FAITH GIRLS TAKE THE SILVER AT ENGLEWOOD!  

3/22/11- The second meet of the young season turned out even better than expected with big performances coming from both squads. With a horrendous wind howling through the track, each athlete stayed true to their training and technique and came through with solid marks.  In the boy’s side, there were athletes running unfamiliar races to develop speed or endurance. There were also athletes just coming off of the play or the successful basketball season.  In total, there were enough great performances to win 8 of the 16 events contested.

The brothers Yeager- Sam and Luke combined for 28 of the 87 points scored by Faith.  Senior Sam won the 400 meters and took 4^th in the 200. He also anchored the winning 4x800 and 4x400 relays! Freshman Luke won the high jump and added a 4^th in the 400. He also was part of the same two winning relays. Evan Fortney continued to rack up the points by winning the 1600 and helping the two relays win.  Josh Spitzer won the long jump and ran a great leg of the winning 4x400.  Derek McCartney won the discus after one day of practice! He also added a 3^rd place finish in the shot put.

 Grayson Bundick had the most impressive mark of the day in the shot put. He added a foot to his PR and threw the farthest of any 3A thrower in the state at 47-8. He is now the #4 all time at Faith. He had some trouble in the discus however. His throws were far enough to win handily but landed just outside a very narrow sector. He took 3^rd overall.

The ladies scored the most points of the year at 85 and good enough to beat all teams but a very deep Holy Family squad. There were several great efforts. After missing the first meet due to the play, Beth Xiong let all know she was back in charge! She won the 1600 and 3200 and added a leg on the winning 4x800 relay. 18 points in her first meet signaled that she was ready to make moves this season. Natasha Weidenaar came through in a big way to take the shot put on her last throw. She ended up beating the leader by ½” . She also took 2^nd in the discus for a total of 14 points.  A banner day for the senior thrower! Caitlin Chavez won the discus in her first meet of the year and added a 3^rd place finish in the shot put. Hannah Payne racked up a win in the 400 once again and added a leg of the winning 4x800. Morgan Johnson added 4 points by taking 4th in the 3200 and 4^th in the 1600. Kiara Durrett showed her remarkable versatility by scoring in the long jump, 400 meters and 200 meters. Abigail Flaming scored 4points in the discus by finishing 3^rd and throwing a 5 foot PR at 75 feet. Sydney Nichols took 2^nd in the 800 meters and scored again in the 4x800 winning team. Jackie Ross scored in the 3200 taking 2^nd and in the 1600 taking 5^th.  

The next meet will be back at Peak to Peak after Spring Break on the 5th of April. Followed by one of the biggest meets of the year at the Mullen Runners Roost on April 9th. This meet will be at Jeffco Stadium at Highway 6 and Kipling. So come out and watch your Eagles line up with the best talent in the state!

FCA'S TRACK SEASON STARTS STRONG AT PEAK TO PEAK
Tuesday, March 15

The 2011 Faith Track and Field season got off to a great start at a bright and sunny Peak to Peak track. The boys squad finished 2nd out of the 5 teams in attendance. The girls struggled with a school play depleted squad and wrapped up in 5th place overall. Nonetheless there were great efforts by several ladies some of which are part of a freshman class with loads of potential. Hannah Payne led the ladies with 9 points overall. She won the 400 meters and took 5th in the 200. Freshman Kiara Durrett showed her talent and versatility in bringing home 7 points from 3 events. She was 4th in the 200 and long jump while taking 5th in the 100. We are very excited about Kiara's future! Fabs Progar finished 3rd in the 100 to score 4 points. Two other freshmen contributed to the total with Abigail Flaming taking 5th in the discus and Casey Saunders took 5th in the long jump.

 With the devastating news of Evan Marshall's ACL injury, the boys team had to find a way to press on through the disappointment. They put their best foot forward and took the gold in 6 different events. Another Evan took the lead on this day, Junior Evan Fortney racked up 18 points winning the 1600 and 3200 and tacking on a leg of the winning 4x800 relay. Grayson Bundick contributed 16 points  while tossing the 3rd best discus throw in Faith history at 145-4 1/2. He won that event and the shot put as well, throwing an outdoor PR of 46-8 1/2. Sam Yeager showed he is on a path to do great things at State by taking first in the 800 at 2:04.3 after running the anchor leg of the winning 4x800 in 2:03. He also anchored the 3rd place finishing 4x400 in a stellar time of 52.2! His younger brother Luke brought in 9 points in his debut. The young freshman star turned heads during the cross country season and is not slowing down a bit. Luke took 2nd in the 1600 running an impressive 4:53. He also ran an 800 in 2:10 on the winning 4x800 relay. Tyler Cole scored 6 points in the throws taking 4th in both events. Tyler Yocum looked strong in the 400 and ran a strong 800 leg in the relay. Robbie Graham made the most of his first track meet at Faith running a 24.86 200 meters for 3rd place. Josh Spitzer kicked in 2 points by taking 5th in the long jump and running a leg on the 4x400. Grant Black and Joey Samudio rounded out the scoring with a point a piece. Grant taking 5th in the discus and Joey as part of the 4x400.

Next up for the Eagles is the Metro League meet this Tuesday at Englewood HS. Come out and watch them tear it up on the track!