Maughan siblings take to USATF competitions

SEELEY LAKE - The Maughan siblings are no strangers to athletic excellence, but this past summer Seeley-Swan High School senior Caleb, sophomore Sariah and freshman Emily sunk their teeth into competing in track and field competitions outside of Montana.

The three siblings moved to Spokane in May to live temporarily with family members to train with the Spokane Speed Academy. They competed in a variety of large track meets in the Pacific Northwest to prepare them for the USATF Region 13 Junior Olympic Championship and the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships.

The Spokane Speed Academy was founded by Coach Cecil Jackson of Texas and a 25 year military veteran. Their training schedule with the Spokane Speed Academy often times had them training Monday through Friday, competing on Saturday and resting on Sunday.

"It's a lot harder [than training in Montana]," said Sariah. "They really know what they are doing there."

The Spokane Speed Academy goes deeper than workouts. According to the Maughans, they also learned about the key components and importance of warm ups, technique and stretching.

Outside of training, the Spokane Speed Academy gave the Maughans the opportunity to have new athletic experiences by competing on a larger and more competitive scale, as well as meeting new people throughout the summer.

"It gave them the opportunity to see different cultures," said Lisa Maughan, the siblings' mother. "They competed with kids they didn't know and developed new friendships."

At regionals in early July, Sariah competed in the 4x800 relay, 4x400 relay and the 800 meter where she had a personal best with a time of 2:18.22. Caleb competed in the 4x400 relay and had a personal best in both the 800 meters and 400 meters with 2:08.34 and 53.98 respectively. Emily ran in the 100 meters, 200 meters and the 400 meters. She set a new personal record in the 400 with a time of 1:00:08.

At USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Sacramento, Calif. on July 22-28, Caleb competed in the 4x400 relay. His team placed 24th with a time of 3:33.84. Sariah competed in the 800 meters, the 4x400 relay, and the 4x800 relay. Sariah's 4x800 relay team finished fifth at nationals with a combined time of 10:10.69, securing them a spot on the podium.

Moving forward, the siblings have their eyes set on breaking school records in track and competing in volleyball, basketball and football before this year's track season.