CRESTLINE — After an improved girls basketball season, Kyle Strauch will take on head coaching duties for the Crestline track and field teams. Strauch will also coach the sprinters. Long-time coach Bill Christman is still around and coaching the distance runners and pole vaulters.
Joining Strauch and Christman on the Bulldogs staff will be Pat Daugherty and Gary Almanson (sprints, jumps) and Ryan Scribner (throws).
Crestline’s squads are looking to improve on their third- (boys) and sixth- (girls) place finishes last season in the Mid-Buckeye Conference, with the boys losing two important pieces to their puzzle.
Thrower Timmy Tompkins and pole vaulter Andrew Kempf received their diplomas last spring, but with the help of key returning athletes and a crop of top prospects, first-year coach Strauch is optimistic.
“We bring back a lot of experience,” he said. “Most of our athletes can do multiple events and still compete at a high level. Even though we lack depth, we still hope to have both our boys and girls finish in the top half of our conference while competing for a coveted conference title. Hopefully we can advance as many athletes as possible to regionals and get at least one state qualifier out of the two teams.”
Many of the key returning athletes for Crestline participate in the sprint events. Dakota Wireman, Garrisen Almanson, Max Anatra, Davon Triplett, Alex Miller and Kennedy Moore will be back for the ‘Dogs, as well as Caitlin Harley in the distance events. Anatra also does hurdles and Triplett looks to excel in the jumping events.
When it comes to prospects looking to make an impact for Crestline, they have two athletes out this year who currently hold middle school records.
Hannah Delong owns the 400-meter dash record and Ivy Stewart the 200-meter hurdle record. Ethan Clark made the middle school state meet in the throwing events and other prospects include Alec Sipes, Rachel Weyant and Daija Sewell.
“Loudonville and Lucas are the teams to beat on both the boys and girls side in our league,” says the head coach of the Mid-Buckeye Conference competition in 2018. He continues, “the league has a lot of individual talent such as St. Peter’s Alysse Wade who won three state titles last season. Lucas returns Emily Niswander, who was the state runner-up in the DIII long jump behind Loudonville’s Emily Weber who graduated in 2017.”
Crestline will open up their season on the road at Colonel Crawford (with Galion) on Monday, March 26. On Tuesday, April 3, the Bulldogs will play host to the Lucas Cubs in their first home and conference dual.
The 2018 Crestline Lady Bulldogs track and field team
The 2018 Crestline Bulldogs boys track and field team
