Judge Memorial Catholic High takes State title

SALT LAKE CITY — The Judge Memorial Catholic High School boys and girls track teams easily won the 2007 State Track Championship at Brigham Young University May 18-19.

"We were heavily favored going into the meet," said Dan Quinn, Judge Memorial dean of students and head track coach. "We scored 129 points, and Cedar City High School came in second with 55.5 points. We have won eight state titles in the last five years combining the girls and the boys competitions. The boys won state titles in 2004, 2005, and 2007. In 2006, they lost the championship by two points. Losing the State Championship by two points was really hard. The girls won in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007.

Quinn said this year the boys set a new school record in the medley. The medley is a relay of two 200 meters, a 400 meter, and an 800 meter. The record was 3:36 and Judge boys ran it in 3:32. Colin Boevers and Luke Puskedra set personal best state records. Puskedra set a new state record in the two mile at 9:04.63, and Boevers threw the shot putt 191.6 feet to set his state record.

Quinn said they brought 12 girls to the state meet, and they set four state records and at least 11 personal best records.

"The girls’ meet was exceptional," said Quinn. "Ellie McMillan placed in the long jump, the 100 meter hurdles, and the 300 meter hurdles. She set three personal bests. Her sister, Sam McMillan, set a state record in the one mile, the 800 meter and the medley. Mele Vaisima, a senior, set school records in the discus and the shot putt. Nadine Russell threw the best in her career in the shot putt. So we went first and second in the state. Alexa Dinger had a personal best in the discus and took third.

"Jenna Sliwinski, a junior, set a school record in the 300 meter hurdles by three tenths of a second, beating a record set in 1995. This was the best team effort in my career, and I have been the coach for 12 years," said Quinn.

Quinn explained a track meet, especially a state track meet, is much like a poker game. Each coach looks at his team and compares each student with the other school team members, and decides where he is going to put each student to score the most points.

"Every coach knows the capabilities of the members on the other teams, sometimes more than their own," said Quinn. "I just guessed right and then our team performed great. Dinger threw her personal best right away. Vaisima was struggling a little bit, but on her fifth throw she sat down, said a little prayer to refocus herself, and threw out the state winning mark. Vaisima was offered a full-ride scholarship to Boise State University. Not only was it exciting having a great state meet, but from the state meet, some of the students were able to get college financial aid and scholarships."

Quinn said there are three students who are the pinnacle of the track team and definitely the top athletes. They have received the most recognition because they are leading the nation, not just leading the state. Sam McMillan, Colin Boevers, and Luke Puskedra represent not only themselves, but Judge Memorial very well. They will all go on to college and be very successful.

Samantha McMillan graduated from Judge this year with a full-ride scholarship to Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. She will continue with her running career and plans to study culture and politics in the school of Foreign Service.

McMillan was ranked first in the nation in the one-mile indoor and fifth in the nation in the outdoor mile. She competed in Pocatello, Idaho at the Simplot indoor tournament, the Penn Relay in Philadelphia, and in the Nike Indoor National in Washington, D.C., where she became an All-American placing sixth in the one mile.

"I started to race when I was in the fourth grade and have been around running since I was young," said Samantha. "My father ran for Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa., and my mother ran for Georgetown. I won the mile at the Penn Relays, and my mother won the relay at the Penn Relays when she was a senior in high school. We both received a gold watch. My mother was there, and she cried when I won."

Boevers, a graduating senior, throws the shot putt and discus. He was ranked number one in the nation during the indoor and is now ranked third in the nation in the shot putt and seventh in the discus. His personal best in the shot putt is 66 feet and one-half inch, and 191 feet six inches in the discus.

"I became interested in track through a youth track program," said Boevers. "I was bigger than all the other kids, so the coach showed me the shot putt and the discus. I was kind of a natural at it so I decided to take it seriously. I have a scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and I plan to major in business.

Puskedra’s specialty is the two-mile distance. In May, the junior at Judge, had the fastest high school time in the nation for 2007, as well as the fifth-fastest time ever by a Utah high school athlete. He is ranked third in the nation in the outdoor two mile, and second in the 1,600 meter indoor.

Before competing in the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Puskedra determined he could set a record of 4:13 in the 1,600 meter, and accomplished that goal. He was ranked first in the 3,200 meter after finishing in 9:30.9 at the Carbon Invitational in March. Puskedra ranks second in the 1,600 and first in the 3,200 in the latest Utah High School Track and Field Coaches Association (UHSTCA). He runs cross country with his best time in a 5K a little over 15 minutes.