Woodbury Track and Field Teams Spring into New Season

The Woodbury High School boys track team will have to rely on young athletes this season, while the girls team is looking strong in all phases.

Head Coaches: Jim Scott (boys), Kaycee Moore (girls)

Conference: Suburban East

MSHSL section:  4AA

True Team section:  2AAA

Boys Team

Thanks to graduation, head coach Jim Scott has a lot of open spots in his lineup this spring.

“We’re going to be really young,” Scott said. “We lost 20 seniors, and eight of them were All-State.”

The Royals had state meet qualifiers in five events last year—the 4x800 meter relay, the 4x100 meter relay, the 300 meter hurdles, the 800 meter run and the discus throw. That contingent combined to score 18 team points, good for a tie for 22nd in the final Class AA standings.

But of those state meet participants, only two—junior sprinter Dimeji Iselewa and senior thrower Torsten Rotto—return this year.

After a few weeks of practice, Scott said likes what he has seen from his throwers, particularly Rotto and fellow senior Justin Lindahl, noting that both are very strong in the discus and the shotput.

The Royals face stout competition in both their conference and their section.

“White Bear Lake and Stillwater should be very good because of who they are returning,” Scott said of the teams that finished ninth and fourth, respectively, in the Class AA state meet last year. “Roseville should also be good.”

All three of those teams reside in the Royals’ conference and section.

“We really gear everything toward sections,” Scott said.

Girls Team

Kaycee Moore moves up from assistant to head coach in 2011, and from her new perch atop the program, she likes what she sees.

“I think we’re going to have greater depth than in years past,” Moore said. “I think our girls are really athletic, and they’ll be able to fill in at spots where they’re needed.”

Moore expects leadership and continued success from senior Lauren Domski, who qualified for the Class AA state meet in both the 800-meter run and as part of the 4x200 meter relay team that finished ninth overall. Junior Emily Twohig, another member of that relay team, also returns.

Moore said senior Jenna Kilgore (pole vault), junior Darby Baranick (mid-distance), junior Kat Herzberg (high jump/sprints) and sophomore Ainslee Neu (distance) should be some of the team’s top performers.

The Suburban East Conference should again provide good competition for the Royals.

“Stillwater and White Bear Lake should be very good, and Mounds View always has a top program,” Moore said. And that doesn’t even take into account Roseville, which finished fourth in last year’s Class AA state meet. Stillwater, White Bear Lake and Roseville are also in Woodbury’s section.

Key Meets

April 21: At Woodbury High School, dual meet against Henry Sibley

May 10: At Eagan High School, 2AAA True Team section meet (In True Team meets, each school gets three participants in each individual event and one entry in each relay. The idea is to find the team with the greatest depth, rather than one whose points come from one or two dominant athletes.)

May 24: At East Ridge High School, Suburban East Conference preliminaries

May 26: At East Ridge High School, Suburban East Conference finals

May 31, June 2: At Stillwater Area High School, 4AA section meet

June 10-11: At Hamline University, MSHSL state meet