Subscribe
Joshua Theodore of Wiesbaden extends during the long jump event during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Theodore was one of three athletes to come in to the meet with a 19-foot or longer jump in the previous meet.

Joshua Theodore of Wiesbaden extends during the long jump event during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Theodore was one of three athletes to come in to the meet with a 19-foot or longer jump in the previous meet. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Joshua Theodore of Wiesbaden extends during the long jump event during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Theodore was one of three athletes to come in to the meet with a 19-foot or longer jump in the previous meet.

Joshua Theodore of Wiesbaden extends during the long jump event during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Theodore was one of three athletes to come in to the meet with a 19-foot or longer jump in the previous meet. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Katelyn Schultz of Ramstein, left, and Julia Karcher of Frankfurt International School, right, contend in the girls 800-meter run during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Schultz eventually pulled away from Karcher, who finished second.

Katelyn Schultz of Ramstein, left, and Julia Karcher of Frankfurt International School, right, contend in the girls 800-meter run during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Schultz eventually pulled away from Karcher, who finished second. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Joel Waan of Wiesbaden, second from right, takes the lead in the boys' 300-meter hurdles during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Waan swept the hurdle events, winning this and the 110-meters.

Joel Waan of Wiesbaden, second from right, takes the lead in the boys' 300-meter hurdles during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Waan swept the hurdle events, winning this and the 110-meters. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

David Zaryczny of Kaiserslauten separates from the rest of the field in the boys' 400-meters during a ten-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Zaryczny completed a sweep of the100-, 200- and 400-meter runs.

David Zaryczny of Kaiserslauten separates from the rest of the field in the boys' 400-meters during a ten-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Zaryczny completed a sweep of the100-, 200- and 400-meter runs. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Andre Sterling of Wiesbaden takes the baton as the second leg in the boys' 4x100-meter relay during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. The meet gave coaches and teams a good look at where their squads stand a month before European championships in May.

Andre Sterling of Wiesbaden takes the baton as the second leg in the boys' 4x100-meter relay during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. The meet gave coaches and teams a good look at where their squads stand a month before European championships in May. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Erin Fortune of Black Forest Academy clears the high-jump bar during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Fortune, a junior, is a strong contender to take the trophy at the European championships in May, despite finishing a disappointing third last year.

Erin Fortune of Black Forest Academy clears the high-jump bar during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Fortune, a junior, is a strong contender to take the trophy at the European championships in May, despite finishing a disappointing third last year. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Spriners from six different schools get off to good starts in the 100-meter dash during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. David Zaryczny of Kaiserslautern won the first heat and had the overall best time.

Spriners from six different schools get off to good starts in the 100-meter dash during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. David Zaryczny of Kaiserslautern won the first heat and had the overall best time. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein's Denee Lawrence crosses the finish line first in the girls' 100-meter dash during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Lawrence and Ramstein also took top honors in the 4x100-meter relay.

Ramstein's Denee Lawrence crosses the finish line first in the girls' 100-meter dash during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Lawrence and Ramstein also took top honors in the 4x100-meter relay. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Athletes huddle under umbrellas during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Especially early on, the meet was marked by precipitation and cold, windy weather.

Athletes huddle under umbrellas during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Especially early on, the meet was marked by precipitation and cold, windy weather. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Jada Branch, left, of Kaiserslautern, and Olivia Sealey, right, of Alconbury, contend in the girls' 100-meter hurdles during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Sealey won the race with a time of 17.52 seconds.

Jada Branch, left, of Kaiserslautern, and Olivia Sealey, right, of Alconbury, contend in the girls' 100-meter hurdles during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Sealey won the race with a time of 17.52 seconds. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

Emily Atkinson of Wiesbaden runs the third leg of the girls' 4x800-meter relay during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Wiesbaden finished second in the race behind Ramstein.

Emily Atkinson of Wiesbaden runs the third leg of the girls' 4x800-meter relay during an 11-team meet at Wiesbaden, Saturday, April 23, 2016. Wiesbaden finished second in the race behind Ramstein. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany — Kaiserslautern’s team could be excused for feeling a little off-kilter in Saturday’s 11-team DODEA-Europe track and field meet.

The Raiders were originally supposed to head to Vilseck for the meet, but a bus mixup and poor weather meant they made the shorter trip to Wiesbaden. It didn’t seem to faze Kaiserslautern, which finished second in both boys’ and girls’ overall team rankings, and particularly star sprinter David Zaryczny, who swept the boys’ sprints.

Zaryczny, a senior, said he plans to continue his track career in college next year. He will concentrate on the 400 meters there, but said he will do whatever the coach asks of him. He attributes his success to a mixture of work and talent.

“(It’s) Preparation and training hard, and just having a lot of experience – I’ve been doing track for a long time,” he said. “When you combine God-given talent and work ethic, it makes a good combination.”

Another strong performance came from Black Forest Academy’s Erin Fortune, who won the high jump event comfortably, showing that she is ready to put the disappointment of finishing third in last year’s European championships behind her.

“I didn’t do nearly as well as I wanted,” Fortune said of last year’s finals. “My freshman year I won it, and then my sophomore year I didn’t do nearly as well as I should have. I placed third but I didn’t jump the height I was hoping to jump.”

A strong performance here and also in other jumping events such as the long jump and triple jump, where she finished first and second, respectively - setting a new triple jump personal record - will help her believe she can top the pile once again.

Wiesbaden’s Joel Waan taking first place in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles events, winning the latter by almost a second over second-place finisher Tyrese Loveday of Ramstein.

“I’ve been working hard since the end of last year,” Waan said. “This year I’ve put in so much work with my coaches in the offseason and I’ve had a focus, and my focus is to put the work in.”

Like Fortune, Waan experienced a difficult European championships last year, falling in the finals of the 300-meter race.

“(There was) frustration, I put in so much work last year, came from the bottom,” Waan said of his fall. “It pretty much motivated me to chase after this.”

In the girls’ throwing events, Bitburg’s Elise Rasmussen was in a class by herself. Rasmussen, also a basketball standout for the Barons, beat her nearest competitor in the discus by a staggering 15 feet, and in the shot put by more than three feet.

Especially early on, the meet was marred by cold, wet weather. While the rain slackened after the first few events, it had an impact on the competitors, with many failing to reach the times or marks they’d hoped to meet.

For the boys, Wiesbaden took top honors as a team, scoring 155 points, narrowly edging out Kaiserslautern’s 151. On the girls’ side, it was even closer, with the Raiders missing out on the top team score to Ramstein by a single point, 125-124.

Stoutamire.dan@stripes.com

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now