Friday, May. 09, 2008

Covenant, Faith Capture Track Titles

By Zach Warner

Staff Writer

When it comes to track programs, local private schools Colleyville Covenant and Grapevine Faith know a thing or two about winning.

In fact, domination and dynasty are terms that could be attached to sentences describing just how strong the Cougars and Lions traditions have become in recent years.

So when Covenant and Faith’s participation in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) state track meets last weekend yielded yet another championship or set of championships for both programs, it came as no surprise to the teams’ athletes, their fans or the competition.

After all, both schools came into the season expecting to win it all once again.

"The kids know it takes a lot and they know what’s expected of them," said Covenant track coach Dennis Harris, whose girls team captured its fourth consecutive state title and whose boys have won three in a row. "We have high expectations."

At the TAPPS championships May 2-3 at Baylor University in Waco, the Cougars came away with the boys and girls trophies in the Class 3A division, while Faith’s boys won the title for the second year in a row in the 4A division. The Faith girls finished fifth at state.

"We felt, barring any crazy surprises, that [the boys team] could defend," said Chris Hogan, the Lions track coach who is also the school’s football coach. "The week before state, [one-mile and two-mile runner] Andrew Hale went down with a hamstring injury, and we thought that might be the quirky injury that could have an ill effect at state. But we still won comfortably."

Since Harris took over Covenant’s track program five years ago, the Cougars teams quickly turned into a TAPPS powerhouse. This year, the girls ran away with the crown, holding a 130-77 advantage over second-place Halletsville Sacred Heart. The boys won the title with a lead of 40 points (136-96) over runner-up Fort Worth Calvary.

The Covenant girls won seven events (Julia Stallard, long jump and 200; Sarah Gotcher, triple jump; Kourtney Squires, 100; and 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays) and finished in the top three in four others. The Covenant boys won four events (Alex Adams, shot put and discus; D.J. Welch, 300 hurdles; and 4x400 relay) and finished in the top three in 10 more events.

"The girls are always pretty phenomenal," Harris said. "Our sprints and jumps have been very strong. They really performed well in many areas.

"For the boys, we’re always strong in the throws and the sprints," he said. "We lost a lot of sprinters from last year, but we had others that took their place that stepped up and did a great job."

There’s a reason why Covenant’s boys finished 1-2-3 at state in the shot put and discus and the girls also had a medalist in the discus in Gotcher. The Cougars throwers are coached by Adam Setliff, a former Olympian who has done a phenomenal job, Harris said.

Adams, a senior on the team, set the national high school record in the discus this season that wasn’t broken until late this spring. Adams is headed to Illinois State on a scholarship, as many of the Covenant throwers also have scholarships lined up as a result of their success.

Faith’s boys looked sharp in TAPPS 4A, earning a repeat title with a 153-99 point margin over second-place Cedar Hill Trinity at last weekend’s state meet. The Faith girls collected 50 points to finish fifth, but it was in a much closer race, as first-place Waco Reicher won with 86 points.

The Lions boys won five events (Greg Wright, pole vault; Alex Nerney, high jump and 110 hurdles; Nathan Jordan, 300 hurdles; and the 4x200 relay) and finished in the top three in seven more. The Faith girls took gold in one event (Ashley Kowaleski, pole vault) and finished in the top three three more times. Kowaleski and teammate Kirsti Wallace finished 1-2 in the pole vault.

"They really put in the time and the effort," Hogan said of his teams. "It showed. We won the [boys] state championship going away."