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Running after 3rd CVC title
by Norv and Mary Coblentz · Sports · March 16, 2011
The 2011 West Branch girls’ track team will be trying to win the Cedar Valley Conference championship for the third consecutive year.
Last year’s team was competitive in all their meets, CVC champs, and sent 11 girls to the state track meet in 11 events.
This year’s team has four senior athletes: Natalie Slach, Anna Bruns, Jordan Arp, and Erin Laughlin. The team’s managers, Amber Milder and Rita Jones, are also seniors, and have been managing the track team for four years.
Slach is a short-distance runner, running the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter races. Bruns is a distance runner, competing in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter runs. Arp runs the 400-meter run and the 800-meter run as well as the 400-meter hurdles. Laughlin runs a variety of distances, from the 100-meter dash to the 800-meter run.
“We expect all of these girls to be good leaders and score lots of points for us,” West Branch co-coach Carol Lumpa said.
All four seniors have state meet experience. Other returning state qualifiers are Jen Pohlman, Kaylyn Tadlock, Mariah Elliott and Heather Poula.
“Other returning letter winners which are all looking strong are Jenny Blaalid, Courtney Bruns, Lindsey Bruns, Sarah Fischer, Lexi Luneckas, and Kelli Vaughan,” Coach Lumpa said. “Newcomers to the team are Lexi Baylor, Amber Eggers, Ann Owen and Shannon Laing.”
Coach Lumpa will co-coach the girls’ team for the second year with Scott Kelly. Kelly was an assistant coach at West Branch for six years. Lumpa was an assistant coach at Iowa City High for six years and an assistant at West Branch for seven years. They are assisted by Harlan Ferguson, coaching the hurdlers, and Ray Woods and Dan Zuniga, coaching the shot put and discus throwers.
Teams to beat in the CVC include Mid-Prairie, Regina, and Tipton.
“The girls are working very hard and have expectations to be competitive in all of our meets,” Coach Lumpa said. “We are going to go after our third Cedar Valley Conference championship in a row and will try to get as many girls and events to state as possible.”
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