by KELLY FRIESEN
Journal editor
Humboldt Collegiate Institute athletes walked out of Moose Jaw with their heads held high on June 7. The school finished with four top-five finishes at the Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association's provincial track meet.
In the junior girls category, Mackenzie Semko led the way with a second-place finish in discuss while Angela Baran captured fifth place in the 3000-meter. Tanner Gerwing stood out among midget boys with a third-place finish in the 400-meter and Dylan Stadnyk shone in junior boys with a fifth-place ribbon in shot put.
Humboldt track coach Tom Schwinghamer knew going into the track meet that these four local athletes would thrive in Moose Jaw.
"They are all very hard working kids who are very competitive and very determined," said Schwinghamer. "I personally work with Tanner (Gewing) and Angela (Baran) and they have a competitive spirit; they don't want lose and they always want to lead."
The strong showing is a testament to how Schwinghamer feels the year went in general.
"The season went really well," said Schwinghamer. "Our numbers were high like they normally are; we were around 50-55 kids to start with. I believe we had 52 at our pre-district meet and about 42 to our districts and 20 that went on to provincials."
Albeit there was a little bit of rain and wind, the weather permitted for the most part.
"I've been going to provincials for about 25 years and I don't think I've been to one where it hasn't rained on us at least once," said Schwinghamer. "The little rain didn't really bother us and the wind wasn't too bad."
The Horizon School Division captured 21 medals in total. Students across the region snagged five gold, 12 silver and eight bronze medals.
