Triple threat
RSI’s Adessa Durglo places in three events at the Montana Class A Track and Field Championship
Issue Date: 6/3/2010
Last Updated: 4/3/2014 4:11:59 PM |
By
Aaric Bryan
LAUREL — Like they have been doing all season, RSI’s Adessa Durglo and Jordan Franklin showed their younger teammates how it’s done at the Montana Class A Track and Field Championship.
Durglo, a Mission junior, wrapped up an impressive season in which she won the divisional triple jump title for the third year in a row and put her name in the Mission record books a couple of more times, by placing in the three jumps at the state meet. Franklin, a Ronan junior, put the finishing touch on a groundbreaking season by earning a bronze medal in the high jump and a fifth-place finish in the 300 hurdles.
Durglo achieved the goal she’s been striving for since not reaching the podium in the long jump and high jump at last year’s track meet by placing third in the long jump and the high jump and fourth in the triple jump. Durglo jumped 16 feet, 3 inches to take bronze in the long jump and cleared 5 feet, 2 inches in the high jump, to improve on a school record that she took sole possession of at the Lake County meet.
“That’s kind of what we’ve been working for,” RSI girls’ coach Crystal Pitts said of Durglo’s placing in three events. “She wasn’t satisfied after not placing in the two jumps last year.”
“It’s something that I was working for. I also wanted to compete in the five events,” said Durglo, who also ran the 100- and 200-meter dashes. “It’s really exciting knowing I can make it in all five events. Now, I just want to do better in all of them.”
Durglo just missed out on improving on her fourth-place finish at last year’s state meet in the triple jump. She was sitting in third place with a jump of 34 feet, 6.75 inches, when Frenchtown’s Alyson Heare jumped a quarter of an inch farther to push her back to fourth.
Durglo more than likely will compete in five events at next year’s state meet, but what five events Pitts isn’t sure of. As a sophomore, Durglo set the Mission record in the 100 hurdles and Pitts isn’t sure if she wants Durglo sticking with the sprints or going back to the hurdles.
“These are the things will have on our mind for next year,” Pitts said.
The three medals at the state meet are just one more accomplishment to an already storied career for Durglo. She owns all of the school’s record in the jumps and already owned divisional and state medals.
Durglo was one of the few upperclassmen with experience on the young RSI team and Pitts said she assumed the leadership role this season and did a great job in supporting her teammates.
Franklin finished fifth in the 300 hurdles with a personal-best time of 41.98 seconds. Last year, Franklin was a sprinter, until his coach Jim Benn suggested he try the hurdles. Franklin was unsure if he wanted to be a hurdler, but that proved to be the right move. After putting in a lot of the work during the offseason, Franklin became one of the premier hurdles in the Northwestern A.
Franklin will have to put in a lot of work during this offseason too, if he wants to win a championship in the hurdles. Usually an event dominated by upperclassmen, only one senior placed in the top six in the 300 – Corvallis senior Slater Powell won the race – so the hurdles races should be loaded with talent.
“I expect that Jordan will put a great deal of time into his track and field during the offseason as he plans on attending some camps this summer,” RSI boys’ coach Noelle Decker said. “He really loves track and that seems to be where his focus is.”
Franklin cleared 6 feet to earn third place in the high jump. It’s the same height that he cleared at the divisional meet and a height he is confident that he can clear. Sidney’s Brady Sundheim won with a jump of 6 feet, 2 inches, a height that Franklin cleared earlier in the season, but hasn’t been able to repeat.
“I believe that if he can just get over 6-2 once again it won’t be such a struggle for him mentally,” Decker said.
Out of the 14 RSI athletes at the state meet only four of them had competed at the state before. Pitts said that on a bigger stage with stricter rules, her team responded with some of their best performances of the season.
The girls 400-meter relay team of Mackenzie Trudeau, Christina Williams, Roslyn Hardy and LaGlen Mitchell ran their best time of the season (55.4). Hardy was the only senior on the girls’ team. Victoria Crenshaw took the place of Hardy on the 1,600-meter relay team, which also posted a season-best time (4:32). Williams was the only member of the team that had competed in the state meet before.
Running back-and-forth during the high jump and javelin, Jenny Larsson had a tough time finding her rhythm and finished outside the top six in the events. Throwing 93 feet in the javelin and clearing 4 feet, 8 inches in the high jump.
Eric Malmquist didn’t place in the high jump, but Decker said that just competing in the final meet was an accomplishment for him after sitting out most of the season because of a hip pointer.
“Three weeks ago I wouldn’t have been able to tell you for sure if he would even be healthy enough to compete at the divisional meet and he not only competed, but went to state in the high jump,” Decker said. “He is such a great kid and I can’t say enough positive things about him. He works hard, no matter what he is doing. I look forward to him being back next season.”
The 4x400 relay team of sophomores Riley Dennis, Austin Durglo, Cody Johnson and Marcus Hungerford was disqualified for running 10 strides on the line.
“I would much rather have those things happen now when they are young then later on when we are in contention for a medal,” Decker said of the team that still has two more years together.
Mission’s Nicolai Jensen, who took the place of Durglo in the short relay, was the only relay member who wasn’t a sophomore.
