Chewelah Pair Sweep 800 Races

A track

Something about Chewelah must bring out the best in 800-meter runners.

“We tried to talk Hayden (Kristianson) into running the 800 last year and she wouldn’t do it,” said Chewelah senior Chris Frizzel.

That was last year. This time around, Chewelah owned the 800 finals during the State A/B track and field championships at Eisenhower High.

After Frizzel won the boys 800 in 1 minute, 57.6 seconds on Saturday, he predicted that Kristianson would outkick Katie Kneeshaw of Colfax for the girls title.

Kristianson, fresh from a win in the 400, made Frizzel look like a blooming genius. Trailing Kneeshaw by a stride with 150 meters to go, she put on a torrid sprint around the Zaepfel Stadium track to win in 2:18.92. Kneeshaw, also second in the 800 last year, ran 2:20.35.

“(Frizell) really helped me with the strategy,” Kristianson said. “This is just the sixth time I’ve run this race.”

Kristianson anchored the Cougars’ meet-ending 1,600 relay that finished runner-up in 4:08.44. Eight points from the relay allowed Chewelah to finish fifth in team standings, with 32. Champion King’s scored 73.

Chewelah’s boys tied for third with King’s, at 32 points. Chelan won the boys title with 58 points. Greg Rainer of the Cougars earned eight points by finishing second in the discus at 159 feet, 3 inches.

Girls

As opposed to Friday, Northeast A girls had a cool start on the hot, cloudless day. Amie Poteet of Medical Lake, who opened Friday with a win in the 3,200, settled for seventh in Saturday’s 1,600.

Kristianson altered the NEA’s tide by cruising in the 400. Her blue-ribbon time of 58.05 was nearly 1 second better than the field. Kristianson was quick to point out, however, that her friend LaShaunda Fowler of Foster - a double winner in the 100 and 200 - was disqualified for jumping the gun during 400 preliminaries.

Others who finished in the top four were Laura Widman of Colfax, third in the high jump at 5-6, and Michele Carrara of Newport, fourth in the discus at 116-9. Widman also took seventh in the 200 and ran on the fifth-place 1,600 relay team. Those results vaulted the Bulldogs into a tie for 11th with 20 points.

Boys

Frizell finished second in the 800 last year and left Yakima with the notion that he held back too long.

This time he assumed a first-lap lead and turned back a charge from two Port Townsend runners.

“I had to go to the front because I’m not a good sprinter,” Frizell said. “There are guys out there who can beat me.”

Senior David Yonkers had a big hand in Riverside’s 27 points and its eighth-place showing. Yonkers finished second in the 110 and 300 hurdles, and ran legs on Rams relay teams that placed third (3:27.75 in the 1,600) and fourth (44.10 in the 400).

“This is my fourth time here, so it’s nice to get some hardware,” said Yonkers, runner-up in both hurdles to Cashmere’s Dusty Lane. “I knew Dusty would be great, so I came to PR. I didn’t get it in the highs (14.99) but I did in the lows (39.4).”

Scott Edinger of Colfax took fourth in the 300 hurdles in 39.65.