Puckett and Hopkins sizzle at track meet
They should have refunded admission to the couple of handfuls of daring fans who paid to attend the District I Meet of Champions and sent the track and field participants home.
That is, until about halfway through when the near-30 mph headwinds subsided, allowing the final half of the running events to be competed in relative calm compared to the first three hours of the frigid meet Thursday afternoon at Post Falls High School.
When the wind subsided, college-bound sprinters Nick Puckett of Timberlake and Lacy Hopkins of Priest River took advantage with record-breaking efforts.
Puckett broke meet records in the 400- and 200-meter runs and Hopkins dashed the 400 mark. Puckett posted a time of 49.29 seconds in the 400, breaking the time of 49.82 set by Chris Person of PR in 2004. An hour later, he timed 22.63 in the 200, eclipsing the mark of 22.73 he tied last year.
Earlier against a stout headwind, Puckett won the 100 in 11.56. He figures he could have sliced five-tenths of a second off the time in milder conditions.
With the three wins, Puckett was easily the male athlete of the meet. Hopkins, meanwhile, added a win in the 200 (26.23). She was matched as a double winner among the girls by Coeur d’Alene freshman Kinsey Gomez, who won easily in the 1,600 (5:27.25) and 3,200 (11:33.46) and Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy jumper Sabrina Ewing, who had wins in the long (15-7 1/2) and triple jump (35-4). Her vault in the triple jump matched a meet mark.
Puckett, who made an oral commitment Wednesday to continue running at Montana State University, had his eyes on the 200 and 400 records.
“I’m happy I broke both records,” Puckett said. “I just wanted to run a smooth 200. My legs were tired from the 400. So I just concentrated on being smooth and running it right.”
Puckett was more than satisfied with his 100.
“That would have been a lot faster with no wind,” he said. “I’m really pleased with an 11.56 into the wind. It’s nice to come out here and run with the big dogs. There were bragging rights on the line.”
Puckett didn’t think it was a coincidence that the wind tapered just in time for the 400.
“It was like someone from up there (heaven) was saying, ‘All right Nick, I’m going to give you your chance (to break the record) but you have to do your part, too.’ I put what coach (Brian) Kluss has (taught) me to work. I knew that I was probably going to do it.”
Hopkins is headed to Boise State where she will concentrate on being a heptathlete and doing mostly events she has yet to attempt. She signed a letter of intent three weeks ago.
“It was a lot of fun to get the meet record,” Hopkins said. “Earlier in the season I was only running 60 flat. I was getting really frustrated. I know that I’m improving and I’m looking forward to going even lower.”
The meet brings together the top athletes in the region regardless of classification. It serves as a tuneup for state-qualifying meets next week.
Until late in the meet, though, most athletes were just trying to survive and not do anything that would jeopardize their seasons.