Members of the FHS boys track and field squad are from left, front row, John Doll, Brady Adams, Carson Shope, DJ Litzke and Devon Litzke; second row, Colin Buchholtz, Jacob Williams, Tommy Dellinger, Kendole Crozier, Raiden Humble and Evan Davisson; third row, Grant Dellinger, Cohen Riley, Christian Roush, Drew Sorg, Maddox Eagon, Jackson Burns and William Jimenez; fourth row, Gabe Bertin, Bryce Nisley, Elton Bailey, Daniel Thomas, Nicholas Johnson and Zeke Gingerich; fifth row, assistant coach Mike (and Vivi) VanWinkle, assistant coach Emily VanWinkle, assistant coach Jon Sorg, Daniel Bailey, assistant coach Jeff Powell, head coach Nate Stewart and assistant coach Ben Shaffer.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Bob Putman)
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Fairbanks’ boys and girls track and field teams have a new head coach this spring.
Former Panther athlete Nate Stewart has replaced Patrick Cotter at the helm.
Returning lettermen for the FHS boys are Raiden Humble-sprints, Maddox Eagon- sprints/jumps, Jackson Burns-sprints, Cohen Riley-sprints, Bryce Nisley-hurdles/sprints and Zeke Gingerich-distance.
Veterans on the girls roster include Rachael Hoover-distance events, Allie Boyd-jumps/sprints, Alexis Wojcehowicz and Evie Reidman-hurdles/sprints, Mollie Thrush-distance/sprints, Elizabeth Phillippo-distance, Emily Vance-sprints/jumps, Kayden Fields-sprints, Kendra Turner-sprints, Riley DeRe-throws, Marik Shaffer-throws, Madeleine Peffer-hurdles/sprints, Claire Baker-jumps and Alyssa Tobe-sprints.
“We have a large group of newcomers to join our letter winners,” said Stewart. “Two who stand out – Carson and Charley Shope – will sprint and run hurdles. They look to contribute to the team early on in the season.”
The Lady Panthers, who won a Division III district title in 2023, will be strong again this year.
“We have great depth and a good amount of 800 and 400 runners,” said Stewart. “The distance squad on the girls’ side is especially strong and looks to put up a good amount of points.
“The strength of the boys team is the number of younger athletes who have joined the team,” the coach said. “They have a great opportunity to create their own path and set a new standard for the boys’ team.”
Stewart said the Ohio Heritage Conference looks to be competitive on both the boys and girls sides of the ledger.
“Our boys look to grow this year and gain great experience from the conference,” said Stewart. “The girls’ goal in the OHC will be to beat the reigning champs (West Liberty-Salem).”
Stewart also feels the Lady Panthers can defend their district crown, as long as they stay healthy.
“Some of our goals are to be as competitive as we can in every meet,” said the first-year head coach. “We want to have a great showing at the conference meet and to get as many events as we can to the state meet for both the boys and girls.”