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North's Hodges on comeback trail MT file photo North Medford's Emily Dunn, left, and Brittany Hodges exchange the baton in a recent track meet. Dunn and Hodges are expected to rack up a lot of points for the Black Tornado at the SOC district track and field meet, which begins today. Tornado sprinter seeks four victories at SOC district meet By DON HUNT Mail Tribune The younger Hodges has been relatively healthy since suffering a badly sprained ankle while playing basketball in February. But given her history of injuries the past two years - her ankles, hip and Achilles tendons have all failed her at one time or another - her father and coach can't help but fret. Brittany Hodges figures to be among the top point-getters at the Southern Oregon Conference district meet, which begins today at 11:30 a.m. and winds up Saturday at Bowerman Field. She'll be a solid favorite in the 200 and 400 meters and will run on the Black Tornado's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that are also favored to win. But it was at this same meet last year that Brittany Hodges pulled the Achilles tendon in her right leg while warming up for the 400. "I wish I could just relax and watch her run, but there have been so many things happen to her that I hold my breath every time she's out there," Mark Hodges says. "She's been through a lot." The Achilles injury caused Brittany Hodges to miss the summer track season for the first time in several years. And her latest mishap - the severe ankle sprain - caused her to miss about a month of late winter and early spring training sessions that are invaluable to sprinters. She has also stepped off the track a few times this spring at the slightest sign of a recurrence. "We've been more careful with her than we've ever been," Mark Hodges says. "She's not in the kind of shape she'd like to be in, but she's the healthiest she's been since last year's district meet. "How fast can she run? We'll find out real soon." Brittany Hodges has yet to match her lifetime best of 56.33 seconds in the 400, which she accomplished at last year's district meet, but she did run a personal best of 25.58 in the 200 at the Grants Pass Rotary Meet on May 4. Her times in each event are the third-best in the state. "It was encouraging to run that fast 200, especially since I didn't feel very good that day," Brittany Hodges says. "I'm not as confident as I was last year because of all the training I've missed, but at least I'm out there running." Hodges will team with fellow sprinter Emily Dunn and hurdler Rosana Medina to rack up a ton of points in the sprints, hurdles and relays, but the Tornado suffered a major setback this week when it learned that Sarah Rountree won't compete in the district meet because of an inflamed right foot. Rountree has the fastest time in the state in the 100 hurdles (14.95). With Rountree sidelined, Roseburg and South Medford figure to slug it out for the girls title. The Indians are projected to score a whopping 90 or more points in the field events, while South Medford will lean heavily on hurdler Heather Frigaard, sprinters Kaylyn Knutson, Amber Stevens and Natasha Wright, jumpers Teri Silva and Whitney Grant and shot-putter Hope Berkey. "We're going head-to-head with Roseburg in most of the field events - that's where the meet could be won or lost," says South Medford coach Bill Rowan, whose girls are seeking their first district crown since 1998. "Every field event is critical." On the boys side, South Medford and Klamath Union are considered the favorites, with Grants Pass close behind. The Panthers boast a killer sprint corps headlined by Jonathan Klenke and Andres Reed, who are favored to finish 1-2 in the 100 and 200, and Dan Hilgendorf, who owns the SOC's second-fastest time in the 400 and the third-fastest in the 200 behind Klenke and Reed. Shaun Olson should chip in with big points in the 800 and 1,500 for the Panthers. Klamath Union is led by its dandy distance duo of Lauren Jespersen and Jacob Gomez, who figure to dominate the 800, 1,500 and 3,000. Final events scheduled for today include the boys pole vault, long jump, high jump, discus and 3,000, and the girls discus, long jump, javelin and 3,000. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.