Young Parshall tracksters show promise at state meet
Young Parshall tracksters show promise at state meet
By MARVIN BAKER
EDITOR
Of the three Parshall track and field athletes placing in the state Class B track meet in Bismarck on Saturday, the top performer is only a seventh grader.
Alexis Woods set a new school record in the 400-meter run and finished second, roughly a half-second behind Rikki Schmidt of Napoleon. Woods ran the race in :59.71. Kara Johnsrud of Watford City was a distant third.
“If the race had been 10 meters longer, she would have won it,” Parshall head track coach Harlan Johnson said. “She was just a little short.”
Perhaps Johnson’s biggest surprise is how well Woods, for her young age, performed under pressure in a statewide event. “She’s only a seventh grader,” he said a couple of times.
Woods has done well all season long so Johnson wasn’t surprised when this young runner placed second. He coached her in cross country last fall and knew then she had the tools to do this well. He just assumed she wouldn’t do it in her first year of eligibility.
