Park boys track & field: Wolfpack off to a good start in quest for state title

In its quest to win the 2012 Class AA State Track and Field state championship, Park senior R.J. Alowonle got the Wolfpack off to a good start.

Alowonle won the triple jump state championship - his first state title in the event and fourth overall - Friday at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Alowonle hit a mark of 47 feet, 11 inches to win the triple jump, beating Apple Valley junior Jordan Charles, who had a jump of 46-01.

Last year four Park athletes came five points away from winning the Class AA state championship, taking third place. This year, the same foursome is hoping to win the whole thing.

To do so, Alowonle and fellow senior D'Monte Farley - who each qualified for state in the maximum four events - may need to win all of their events.

So far, so good.

In addition to Alowonle's win in the triple jump, the future University of North Carolina Tar Heel finished first in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdle prelims (he's the defending state champ in both) and helped the Wolfpack 400-meter relay team - along with Farley and juniors Irving Gutierrez and Dylan Smallidge - run the fastest time in the prelims with a time of 42.19 seconds.

Farley, a University of North Dakota recruit, looked good in his individual events as well. He won the prelim of the 200-meter dash with a time of 22 seconds and was second in the 100-meter dash prelims with a time of 10.75. He also reached state in the long-jump and is the No. 2 seed in the event.

The Class AA state meet finals begin Saturday at 9 a.m. at Hamline and will end at roughly 1:30 p.m.

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