Joey Payeur
The Muskie track-and-field team made it clear they don’t appreciate being put on hold.
At the Harry McMaster Classic in Dryden last Thursday, the black-and-gold had to play an almost interminable waiting game at times when it came to their events.
But when they finally got to stretch their arms and legs, they extended themselves right into the meet record books on multiple occasions.
The Muskies set six new standards at the Classic while combining for 19 top-three finishes among the five high schools attending, which also included the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints (Kenora), the Kenora Broncos, the Sioux Lookout Warriors, and the host Eagles.
“That was our best meet of the year and the toughest competition,” lauded co-coach John Dutton, whose athletes had to be patient while the age 10-13 girls’ and boys’ divisions completed their events before the high schoolers got their shot.
“We needed a Canadian meet after having our other two in the Falls, and being there was good for bringing the team together since it’s the first travel we’ve done all season,” he noted.
The Muskies headed to Thunder Bay yesterday for the NWOSSAA championships, which were slated to wrap up today although rain threatened to throw the schedule into chaos.
The top four results in either time or distance for each event combined out of both the NWOSSAA and the NOSSA regional meets will advance to the OFSAA championships June 2-4 in Windsor.
Pacing the Muskies in Dryden was 10th-grader Sekina Scheibler, who broke three meet records and won five medals overall.
Scheibler claimed gold in the boys’ age 14-19 high jump (1.60m), shot put (13.11m), and discus throw (47.45m)—erasing the former top mark at the meet each time.
“We had Sekina there so that doesn’t hurt,” Dutton grinned about the defending OFSAA champion in Midget boys’ discus, who defeated runner-up Taylor McLarty from Dryden (33.55) by nearly 14 metres.
“Sekina’s winning discus throw was seven metres further than his OFSAA gold-winning throw last year,” he noted.
“He’s hot, he’s primed, and he’s ready to go.”
Fellow 10th-grader Jyllian Westover also was on fire last Thursday, garnering two records of her own as part of a three-medal day.
She rocketed to gold in the girls’ age 14-19 100m hurdles in an unprecedented time of 20.91 seconds, ahead of teammate Tory Beaudry, who wound up with four medals in all.
In the girls’ age 14-19 high jump, Westover and Beaudry tied for both the gold and a new record of 1.30m.
Beaudry also teamed up with Westover, Sarah Rittau, and Ellie Petsnick to place second in the girls’ age 14-19 4x100m relay (1:00.70), then repeated that silver in effort with Petsnick, Rittau, and Harleigh Brow-Rose in the 4x400m relay (5:35.40).
Two-time OFSAA participant Jacob Empey also looked on his game Thursday as he tries to get back to the all-Ontarios after falling short last year.
The long jump pit barely could contain Empey as he broke the record in the boys’ age 14-19 division with a leap of 5.61m, with Scheibler taking the silver medal (5.35m).
Empey also raced to silver in the 100m dash with a time of 12.25 to trail only Jacob Bilous (Dryden), who broke the meet record with a clocking of 12.08.
Brow-Rose (3:36.89) and Cayla Leimenstoll (4:03.67) finished 1-2 in the girls’ age 16-19 800m to each collect their first medals of the season.
“Harleigh had a great day,” noted Dutton. “I’ve never seen her run so well.
“She’s catching on to what she needs to do.”
Rittau also earned four medals, adding bronze in the girls’ age 14 800m run (3:56.26) and the girls’ age 14-19 high jump (1.25m).
Petsnick rose to silver in the girls’ age 14-19 long jump (4.40m) to give her three medals on the day, with the Broncos’ Nadine Guindon (4.50m) having to set a new meet record to hold Petsnick off.
Savannah Sinclair, meanwhile, showed she’s peaking at the right time as the Muskies’ top female field athlete captured a bronze in the girls’ age 14-19 shot put (8.07m).
She almost claimed another two after placing fourth in both the discus throw (22.00m) and javelin (19.40m).
“Savannah did really well all day,” Dutton said.
The Muskies’ other medal came in the boys’ age 14-19 4x100m relay.
Empey ran the lead leg and Scheibler the anchor, with Joe Onichuk and Chad Westover in the middle, to finish with a time of 52.65—less than a second back of the Eagles, who clocked in at a record-setting 51.69.
In individual events, Westover’s best finish was sixth in the boys’ age 14-19 800m (2:55.57) while Onichuk topped out in ninth in the boys’ age 14-19 discus throw (17.43m).
Hanna LeDrew tied for fourth in the girls’ age 14-19 high jump with Christina Henley from St. Thomas Aquinas (1.20m) while Brenna Weir’s best finish was sixth in the girls’ age 14-19 long jump (3.70m).
Maddy Morrison wound up in eighth in the girls’ age 14-19 discus throw (16.35m) while Taylor Steinke had a pair of eighths in the girls’ age 14-19 javelin throw (15.40m) and shot put (6.33m).
A notable absentee from last Thursday’s meet in Dryden was OFSAA veteran Jenny Hammond, who had played a soccer doubleheader for the Muskie girls’ squad the day before in Kenora.
“We told Jenny to stay home and rest,” said Dutton.
“We want her to be at her best . . . she’s going to be loading up on events on the first day of NWOSSAA [steeplechase, 400m, and high jump] because she won’t be there the second day because of NorWOSSA soccer finals [in Dryden].”
The Emo resident qualified for OFSAA last year in both the 200m and 400m, but will have to skip the 200m this year at NWOSSAA, along with the 800m and 3,000m, that all were to be run today.
