Kentwood TC (WA)

Team Website / NTN Profile

Top Athletes: Alyx Toeaina (throws), Holly DeHart (sprints), Aiesha Goodlow (jumps & hurdles), Megan McNally (distances), Dana Wareham (sprints), Alayna Wachter (pole vault) and Carly Horn (jumps).

Team Strengths: Alyx Toeaina is the big point getter for this squad heading into Nike Track Nationals.  Toeaina is one of the best throwers in the competition, and should provide a big spark for the squad if she can pop a new PR or two.  In addition to Toeaina, jumper/hurdler Aiesha Goodlow, sprinter Holly DeHart and distance runner Megan McNally all have the skills to compete very well in their respective events.

Key to Success: While Toeaina will set the tone for the team in terms of big point getting, the key for this squad lies in how well they perform on the track.  The four athletes competing on the track have put up strong marks, but if this team is to push for a top 6-8 finish, they need to see a few new personal bests come out of this group.

Q&A with Coach Steve Roche

NTN: You have a very strong group of athletes across the board, fielding girls who can compete for very high finishes in nearly every event.  What makes this group of Kentwood athletes a special group to work with, outside of their track and field performances?

Steve Roche (SR): What is most special about these kids is how well they bought in to our team's success.  They all knew they all needed each other if we were going to be successful in every meet we were in.  They are very self-motivated and driven, which makes them very fun to coach.  Besides that, they're a bunch of funny kids that know how to have fun and enjoy being teammates.

NTN: What does it mean for your squad to compete in the first ever Nike Track Nationals, as well as represent the Northwest at Hayward Field?

SR: This is a tremendous honor for our team.  Being a team that only had a total of 13 girls on the team total six years ago, they have become the most successful track and field team our school has ever seen.  To be invited to NTN is definitely a highlight for our team.  To represent the Northwest is extra special since the meet is being held in our region.  Hayward Field is an icon for American Track and Field, we're excited to be the "home team" for this meet.

NTN: Your team is a bit of an underdog heading into the meet.  What are the team's goals looking forward to July 2?

SR: The girls on this team have probably been considered underdogs the whole time they have been at Kentwood.  6 years ago, they had only won one dual meet in a 2 year span, this past year they went undefeated in all of our dual meets and were champions of the Tacoma, Pasco and Lake Washington Invites as well as becoming League Champions for the first time in school history. 

Our goals for NTN are simply to bring our best effort into every event we are in.  The nice thing about being an "underdog" is that you get to surprise a lot of people when you exceed their expectations.

NTN: How has the team been training over the past few weeks, since the Washington State T&F Championships?

SR: It's been going great.  The girls have been training and competing in some local club meets and they seem to still be in really good shape.  Most of the girls on the team are on a local club team of some sort and are getting "fine tuned" for July 2nd at Hayward Field.  They are all very excited to get to compete on the big stage of NTN.

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