Prairie City Panther track and field seniors are, from left, Amaya Zweygardt, Garrett Hitz and Teri Cobb.

PRAIRIE CITY — Panther trackster Amaya Zweygardt is getting a little help from fellow senior teammate Garrett Hitz, as she adds a new event to her list this season: the pole vault.

Hitz is returning state 1A pole vault champion, having earned the top spot at University of Oregon’s Hayward Field last season with a mark of 13-3.

Zweygardt, Hitz and Teri Cobb are leading out as seniors this year.

Head coach Joe Weymouth has been head track and field coach for 10 years with 27 years, overall, coaching sports.

“We’re small, but have a lot of good individual competitors,” he said. “We’ve actually taken state with three boys before, several years ago.”

Pointing at the new asphalt and bright striping, Weymouth said, “This year, what’s exciting is the new track.”

The Panthers will host the Saturday, April 30, Prairie City Small Schools Meet and the Thursday, May 5, High Desert League Meet — a twilight meet a week before the district championship.

“We’re all appreciative to the new track facilities,” he said.

The track and field are located at the athletic complex on 12th Street.

Weymouth works with the runners on the team and has assistance from Joe Hitz for pole vault and Kieley Williams with jumping events. Kerry Foster is the junior high coach and also assists the varsity team.

“I really love working with kids and seeing them progress,” Weymouth said. “It’s a lot of fun. The junior high track and field team members are also quick learners.”

He said new members of the varsity team include junior Wyatt Williams, sophomore Dorran Wilson and freshman Haley Pfefferkorn.

The varsity team has been at practice since early March.

“I’m just getting back into the track mode,” Garrett Hitz said. “I have a goal of beating the 1A state track record in the pole vault.”

Hitz is on his way to that goal after winning second place at the Don Walker Invitation in Nyssa last week — finishing in first was a 3A athlete from Emmett, Idaho.

Hitz also competes in javelin, hurdles and high jump.

He and Zweygardt have been competing in track since sixth grade.

Zweygardt said she’s “learning all the basics” of pole vault.

She had a good first-ever mark of 6-0, tying with four other athletes for ninth place at last week’s meet.

She also competes in the long and triple jump and the 100-meter dash.

“My goal is always state track,” she said.

Cobb, involved with track since her freshman year, said she thinks the season will be great.

“At practice, I’m throwing better than the past couple weeks,” she said last Thursday.

She competed at Friday’s meet with an all-time best throw of 30-01.50 in shot put, finishing eighth out of more than 80 competitors.

Her other events include javelin and discus.

“Everyone seems to be doing good at their events,” she said of her team.