Track team debuts Friday

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Mountain Home Tigers open their 2011 track season Friday with a home meet at Tiger Field against Nampa.

Mountain Home Tiger head track coach Rich Urquidi was pleased with this year's turnout for track.

"The turnout was really good. We have about 90 kids, so we're about where we usually like to try to be," Urquidi said.

"The kids we were expecting to come out are out again, so we have a lot of our returning kids and ninth graders going into 10th grade with some experience. The freshmen that we got out, we got quite a few of them, and being able to watch them practice every day last year, and watch them in some of their track meets, we have some that are going to be able to step up and perform for us, so we're looking forward to that."

Coach Urquidi feels that his boys' squad will continue to make steady progress this year.

"I think our boys will be a lot more competitive this year. They've been working together from sophomores to juniors, and I think as juniors this year, some of those kids -- those relays -- have been together and running, they're going to do really well. And we've had a couple new boys that have come in -- three or four of them -- that we've been watching them practice. They're going to step right in and help us a lot.

"Our girls, I think we're solid all the way around. We did get a pretty big hit from Jessica Liercke being gone. She blew her knee at the all-star (basketball) game -- she tore her ACL -- so she's out. That's going to put a damper on things, but I think we have some girls that are going to step up and do well. But that's a tough loss, being on four events at state for the last couple years and going as a freshman, so I feel bad for her."

Coach Urquidi is looking forward to Friday's first meet of the season.

"We're looking forward to getting out there. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. We've been getting some things done, and I think we'll be all right."

Events get underway at 4 p.m. Friday at Tiger Field.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: