Saco Track & Field 2016

The Saco Panthers track team was a pretty young squad with all of their members being freshmen last season.

Head Coach Barry Malone will once again coach Saco with assistant coach Tanya Funk.

The 2015 team was led by Bailey Funk, who was a two event performer at the State C Meet in Laurel last year.

Funk tied for fifth place in the pole vault by clearing 8-feet in the pole vault and she placed eleventh in the triple jump with a length of 31-10.25.

She was impressive in other events as well posting a personal best of 14-5 in the long jump, 14 seconds in the 100 meter dash and 66.94 in the 400.

“She’s got a lot of speed and that speed also helps her out in the jump and pole vault,” Coach Malone said. “I’m trying to work her into doing a couple of the other shorter sprints. She could easy make it into divisionals in five events.”

Challise Young is another athlete returning and will take on all three throwing events this season. Last year she posted a throw of 22-9 in shot put, 59-6 in discus and 60-3 in the javelin throw.

“She’s been working on leg speed because in throwing events all body parts have to work in motion,” Coach Malone said. “Hopefully she can get some throws out there and qualify for divisionals.”

The girls team will lose a solid pair of athletes in Jada Sudbrack who was a strong long jumper and hurdle runner and Alana Malmend who won a couple of high jump events throughout the 2015 season.

Chris DePuydt is already showing great signs of growth not only in height but also in speed and jumping ability.

“I’ve seen a change in him this year,” Coach Malone said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do track-wise.”

He nearly carved a full second off of his best 200 meter time from 2015 at this year’s first meet with a new personal record of 27.44; last year’s best was 28.10.

He also posted a new personal best in long jump after clearing 16-3 last weekend.

DePuydt also proved to be strong in the 100 and triple jump events last season.

Chandler Pippin is the last returning sophomore. Pippin showed solid speed in the 100, 200 and 400 races. He posted a 14 second run in the 100, a 30 second run in the 200 and a time of 66.42 in the 400.

Pippin also fared well in the jumping events with a personal best of 13 feet in the long jump and 32-1 in the triple jump.

Freshman Josh Salveson saw his first high school track action this season in Glasgow last Saturday. Salveson ran a 14.43 in the 100 and a 30.43 in the 200.

Salveson also participated in pole vault and cleared 7 feet. He posted a long jump of 11-7 as well.