Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Miller Epitomizes Cardinals’ Flair

Rita Balock Correspondent

No wind. No rain.

North Idaho College freshman Sarah Miller liked the change, especially the controlled climate of the indoor track and field season.

Three weeks ago, the Post Falls 800-meter runner became one of two Cardinals who claimed National Junior College Athletic Association All-American (top six) honors at the indoor finals in Manhattan, Kan.

Miller kicked down the stretch and placed sixth with a 2 minutes, 20.6 seconds personal-best time.

Miller’s teammate Michelle Edmonds, a Spokane freshman from Mead High, finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 10 inches.

Miller and Edmonds have since joined the Cardinals outdoor track teams. The 28 men and 22 women make up a record turnout.

“Certainly both on the men’s and women’s sides, we probably have the strongest teams we’ve ever had here in terms of quality and quantity,” NIC coach Mike Bundy said.

Three meets into the outdoor season, four Cardinals have already met qualifying standards for the national championships in Odessa, Texas, on May 18-20.

Edmonds leads the NIC women’s qualifiers in the shot (42-5) and discus (143-0). Bonners Ferry freshman Jennifer Downing also qualified in the discus (129-7).

The Cardinals men’s qualifiers are sophomores Chris Thompson of Sandpoint in the discus (159-2) and Jeffrey Simms of Nassau, Bahamas, in the triple jump (49-4).

Ricks College and the College of Southern Idaho are perennial Region 18 men’s and women’s powers.

“Our region is really strong,” Bundy said. “We can have an extremely good team and still end up third. This could be our best year to make a run at second place.”

Spokane Falls Community College will be the site of the Region 18 meet on May 4-5. First-place finishers advance to the national meet.

This is the first year Miller is training yearround for track. It’ll take a 2:18 in her 800 specialty to prequalify for outdoor nationals.

“That’s what I’m hoping for. (Bundy) said you can take about 2 seconds off your indoor time,” the 18-year-old Miller said. “I’m trying to have faith. A 2:18 sounds really fast. I feel like I can.

“This was the first time I ever ran indoors, too. It’s a lot different than outdoors; no wind, I liked that. The hardest part of running outdoors is the wind, then when it’s raining.”

Miller also learned a lesson in Kansas.

“Probably of all the races we have, it’s the one that requires the most experience,” Bundy explained. “You can make strategic errors in the 800 that can get you in trouble.

“She got boxed in in the preliminary race at nationals,” Bundy added. “She was fourth and had to fade back to sixth to go back and pass some people.”

Miller isn’t satisfied with her indoor performance. “I’ve just got to think positive and just get my head into it,” she said. “Sometimes I get intimidated. I think about the pain, my lungs and my legs. I’ve got to tell myself to keep on going and to endure, just dig down and go.”

xxxx NIC TRACK AT A GLANCE Coach: Mike Bundy Men Top returners: Chris Thompson, sophomore, discus, Sandpoint; Jeffrey Simms, soph., triple jump, Nassau, Bahamas; Ben Nystrom, soph., discus, Bonners Ferry; Sean Edwards, soph., triple jump, Chinook, Mont.; Robert Guier, soph., high jump, Priest River; Jeromy Scheel, soph., distance, Chewelah, Wash. Top newcomers: Reggie Charlton, 400 hurdles-400 meters, soph., Nassau, Bahamas; Mitch Armuth, freshman, shot put, Elko, Nev.; Deon McCalla, fr., sprinter, Kingston, Jamaica. Outlook: Simms and Nystrom are returning national qualifiers. Charlton ran the intermediate hurdles at the 1994 national meet for Independence (Mo.) College, which subsequently dropped its track program. Armuth, a 58-foot shot putter in high school, is NIC’s top freshman recruit. Armuth placed seventh at the recent NJCAA indoor nationals with a shot of 47-9.

Women Top returners: Dusty Mavity, soph., jumps, Kellogg; Rebecca Tollin, soph., 100 hurdles, Ft. Collins, Colo.; Morgan Gardner, soph., sprints, Coeur d’Alene. Top newcomers: Michelle Edmonds, fr., shot put-discus, Spokane; Sarah Miller, fr., 800 meters, Post Falls; Kristen Schermerhorn, fr., distance, Columbia Falls, Mont. Outlook: Mavity and Tollin are returning national qualifiers in the triple jump and 100 hurdles, respectively. Edmonds and Miller top the freshmen class.