All Things Are Running Smoothly For Campbell Relay Team

Wednesday - May 12, 2010
By Jack Danilewicz
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The six-man relay team of (kneeling, from left) Jyrelle Umali, Trey-Alan Bantolina, (standing) Jordan Sadowski, Mike Sellers, Tim Friend and Samson Anguay hope to bring home the gold for Campbell at the state track and field championships this weekend at Kamehameha Schools. Photo from Wyatt Tau.

The members of Campbell’s boys four-by-100 relay team don’t worry about results, to hear coach Wyatt Tau tell it. When it comes to race day, much of the work is already behind them, given their fine tuning.

“As I tell my basketball team, the only time you’re pressured is when you are not prepared,“said Tau regarding the relay team, which includes Samson Anguay, Jordan Sadowski, Timothy Friend, Jyrelle Umali and alternates Trey-Alan Bantolina and Michael Sellers.

“These guys put the work in. They don’t feel any pressure. They’re just real good guys, and that makes it easy to work on chemistry. No one has an ego here. It’s been all, ‘OK, coach’and no questions.”

The six runners have high hopes for this weekend at Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama, scene of the state track and field championships. The four-by-100 relay can’t help but stand alone as the signature event for Campbell because it placed a team second to Punahou last season. Only a rough baton exchange kept the team of Daniel Masifilo, Arthur Aiwohi, Christian Abregano-Abcede and Anguay from winning the state championship.


 

“One bad hand-off cost us the state title,” Tau said,“but I think we have a chance again this year.”

The high expectations begin with Anguay, the anchor and lone holdover from last year’s relay team. In the fall, Anguay will join the UH football team on scholarship following a stellar high school career. His athleticism also has always been on display during his track career, and he is looking for a big finish this weekend. He and his teammates recently captured the OIA title.

Friend and Sadowski also were football teammates of Anguay in the fall, while Umali is only a sophomore and the player most likely to be anointed as the “face” of the program for the next two springs.

“He’s the next best thing for Campbell,“Tau said of Umali, who is often in five or six events at a meet during the regular season. “He’s a hard worker who runs as many events as he is allowed. He’s improved tremendously on his speed and his attitude. He’ll be awesome the next two years.


“Timothy is just a strong, strong runner,” he said of Friend. “He’s quiet and a super-nice guy. He gets the job done. Everything with him is, ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no sir.’ He never questions anything. Jordan is laid back - he’s cool - and a gamer. If you ask him to do something, he’ll do it.”

Tau labels Sellers as “our best athlete right now.“Sellers will compete this weekend in the long and high jumps in addition to being an alternate for the four-by-100 team. “This guy does it all. He might not be the fastest, but if he challenged the others in all the events, he would be in the top three in them all.”

Tau also praised Bantolina, whom he calls the work horse.“He does most of our longer events - the 400 and the 800.You have to have a heart to do those events. We don’t have too many guys who want to do it. Trey puts in the work, and then he puts in the work.”

The team is in the fine-tuning stage as it prepares for Friday’s preliminaries. Campbell also took a few days off last week to recharge its batteries, according to Tau.

“We’ve just been hitting the weight room more and doing a lot of plyometrics - short stuff,” he said.

Anguay also will compete, individually, in both the 100-and 200-meter runs this weekend. Tau was hopeful that Sadowski would make the cutoff and qualify in both events.“I’m pretty sure he’ll get in.”

The finals are Saturday, beginning at about 5:40 p.m., with the last event starting at 8:30.

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