05-05-2012, 06:45 PM
Saturday's Dixie Regional Tune-Up represents Senior Day for the track and field teams at Dixie Heights. Three girls and a smattering of boys, including the king of Colonels, will be competing on their home track for the final time.
"I'll probably cry," senior sprinter Rachel Wilson said. "We want to do really well in our last home meet."
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Wilson is trying to quicken her clocking in the 100 meters and get it down to last year's personal-best 13.7 seconds. She's been running in the low 14s.
"If I can just get it down a few more tenths of a second, I'll be happy," said Wilson, who also runs a leg on the 400-meter relay team. "And we want to get a school record in the relay. We're about a second off a record they made like 20 years ago."
Senior jumper Jenna Hoffman and senior pole-vaulter Lyndsey Cook also are waving good-bye to their home environs after more than five years.
"It's definitely going to be bittersweet with the seniors," said junior Anna Ochs, a returning state qualifier. "But this is an important meet not only because it's Senior Day."
Cook's father, Dixie girls' coach Ed Cook, sees the field events as opportunities and views the Dixie Tune-up as an important part of a winning process.
"It's set up just like the state meet where the field events go three hours before the track events," Cook said. "We don't do that during the season, so they get an idea of how it goes. Because the meet allows three entries per event and two relays, we get some head-to-head competition which can help us determine our final regional roster."
Senior distance runner Michael Menkhaus' career at Dixie spans the life of the home track itself. This is his sixth year running varsity for boys' coach Steve Saunders.
"He's the only guy in Dixie history who can say he ran his first six years during the track's first six years," said Saunders, who guided the Dixie boys to last season's Class 3A regional championship. "But he's been battling a foot injury and this will be the first time since last year he's run the 3,200."
Menkhaus, the defending big-school 3,200-meter champion, still wears the red and gray T-shirt commemorating the track's opening when he was a seventh-grader. Saturday's meet also closes the home career for five-year veteran Alex Furman and senior Trong Le.
"The shirt says 'A New Beginning,' and I wear it as a cut-off to practice now," Menkhaus said. "I kept it with all my trophies and medals and ribbons. It's kind of heart-breaking in a way knowing this is my last meet at Dixie and I'm not really 100 percent."http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20120504/SPT0302/305040163/
"I'll probably cry," senior sprinter Rachel Wilson said. "We want to do really well in our last home meet."
⢠Enquirer's Recruiting Trail blog
⢠Enquirer high school sports blog
⢠Check us out on Facebook
⢠More prep coverage
Wilson is trying to quicken her clocking in the 100 meters and get it down to last year's personal-best 13.7 seconds. She's been running in the low 14s.
"If I can just get it down a few more tenths of a second, I'll be happy," said Wilson, who also runs a leg on the 400-meter relay team. "And we want to get a school record in the relay. We're about a second off a record they made like 20 years ago."
Senior jumper Jenna Hoffman and senior pole-vaulter Lyndsey Cook also are waving good-bye to their home environs after more than five years.
"It's definitely going to be bittersweet with the seniors," said junior Anna Ochs, a returning state qualifier. "But this is an important meet not only because it's Senior Day."
Cook's father, Dixie girls' coach Ed Cook, sees the field events as opportunities and views the Dixie Tune-up as an important part of a winning process.
"It's set up just like the state meet where the field events go three hours before the track events," Cook said. "We don't do that during the season, so they get an idea of how it goes. Because the meet allows three entries per event and two relays, we get some head-to-head competition which can help us determine our final regional roster."
Senior distance runner Michael Menkhaus' career at Dixie spans the life of the home track itself. This is his sixth year running varsity for boys' coach Steve Saunders.
"He's the only guy in Dixie history who can say he ran his first six years during the track's first six years," said Saunders, who guided the Dixie boys to last season's Class 3A regional championship. "But he's been battling a foot injury and this will be the first time since last year he's run the 3,200."
Menkhaus, the defending big-school 3,200-meter champion, still wears the red and gray T-shirt commemorating the track's opening when he was a seventh-grader. Saturday's meet also closes the home career for five-year veteran Alex Furman and senior Trong Le.
"The shirt says 'A New Beginning,' and I wear it as a cut-off to practice now," Menkhaus said. "I kept it with all my trophies and medals and ribbons. It's kind of heart-breaking in a way knowing this is my last meet at Dixie and I'm not really 100 percent."http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20120504/SPT0302/305040163/