“Name that Year” is designed to put your knowledge of Tracy and its newsmakers of the past to the test. Each week, we will publish a news item that ran in a past edition — maybe it was a major event, or a story about a Tracy resident — it’s up to you to determine in what year that particular news item hit the pages of the paper:
• A SEASON-BEST PERFORMANCE PROPELLED THE PANTHER 4X800 METER RELAY TEAM TO A STATE CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR TO CLOSE OUT THE SEASON.
Freshman Rebecca Gervais nipped Katie Gewerth of Cedar Mountain at the finish line by .04 of a second to give the Panthers the championship.
“It was an incredible performance by four very determined young ladies,” said Coach Steve Jones. Laura Zwach, Kristen Sweetman, and Jillian Tholen are the other team members.
The photo-finish win was even more thrilling because it was unexpected. The Panther foursome came into the state meet with the seventh best time among nine teams.
In the championship race, the Panthers exceeded their best time by 21 seconds and broke the school record they set last year by six seconds.
“We had faith that Becca could hold her off,” said Zwach. “She’s a runner that doesn’t let people by her.”
Saturday’s competition marked the third-straight state appearance for a Panther 4x800 meter relay team. A year ago, Zwach, Sweetman, Tholen, and Gervais earned fifth-place medals at state. Before that, Zwach, Sweetman, her sister Melissa, and Jenna Boerboom competed at state in the 4x800 relay.
Zwach led off with her best leg of the year, a solid 2:27. She handed off to Tholen in about seventh place, but with the team in contention. Tholen passed three runners on the first turn to pull close to the lead pack before handing to Sweetman. The junior responded with her best split of the season to pass three runners.
Gervais took the hand-off close to Gewerth. Cedar Mountain’s anchor. After keeping pace with Gewerth for the first 1.2 laps, Gervais made her move in the last 150 meters.
• Last week’s answer: The year was 2010 when the Tracy Library Board offer to buy the former Coffee on Third building as a new library site was accepted.
