The Future Is Now for Monahans
        by Craig Craker, Staff Writer~~ Odessa American, March 16, 2008

Lady Loboes get victories from three sophomores.

Expectation were muted this season for the Monahans girls track and field team.

After the West Texas Relays, things may have changed a bit.

The Lady Loboes finished third in the team race and a trio of sophomores won events.

"I feel like we're coming on," Monahans head girls coach Chris Simpson said. "We are getting a lot of younger kids scoring points for us."

Kati Holly won the high jump, Kali Lewis won the triple jump and Margie Vidana won the 300-meter hurdles.

Lewis also was second in the high jump and holly was third in the triple jump as the three sophomores combined to score 48 of the team's 114  points.

The Lady Loboes are lacking in the seniors department, having just five on the team, but with so much youth scoring points, it didn't matter much Saturday.

"Leadership is what we need," Lewis said. "Next year we will have a lot more seniors, so that will help."

Lewis picked up the triple jump as a freshman and had only won the event once, but she leapt 32 feet, 9.25 inches, to easily beat Meagan Maynard of the Midland High JV.

"I honestly don't know what was different,: she said . "I just work on it a lot."

It doesn't hurt to have Holly , a state qualifier in the high jump as a freshman, as a teammate to push her.

For Holly, Saturday's jump of 5-6 was her best since she went 5-8 the first meet of the season.

Her fist 5-8 mark is second-best in the state behind Midland High's Victoria Lucas and has her lined up to advance to another Class 3A meet also is at Ratliff Stadium.

The only thing lacking Saturday for Holly was direct competition.

She cleared 5-6 on her second attempt and then went after the meet record of 5-8, but missed three consecutive times at 5-8.25.

For Vidana, Saturday's win was just another in her long march back to the regional meet where she cam up just short of a state berth a year ago.

Vidana won the 300 hurdles in 49.46 seconds, besting Midland High JV's Savannah Morales' time of 50.09.

"I just felt like I needed a win," Vidana said. " I was worried about getting over (the hurdles) smooth. I'm quick, but getting over clean is what's been holding me back.

Keyed by Priscilla Gould, Junior 2008