Story lines to be continued at state
To be continued.
That’s probably the best thing about the 4A/3A Eastern Regional Track and Field Championships that concluded at Spokane Falls Community College Saturday afternoon.
The competition can be continued next week, not next year.
That’s because the meet featuring the best of the Great Spokane and Columbia Basin leagues ended the same way the GSL’s District 8 meet did a week ago.
The Shadle Park and Mead girls hooked up in another stirring 1,600-meter relay but a week after the Highlanders ran the second-fastest time in state history, 3:51.70, the Panthers set a regional record of 3 minutes, 52.27 seconds. Their half-second improvement from a week earlier moved them from eighth to sixth in state history.
Not much before that, the East Valley boys ran a state-best 3:22.79 to win the 3A, only to have Central Valley trump that in the 4A race with a school record 3:20.46.
The meets, which qualified three in 4A events and two in 3A for State next weekend in Pasco, also produced other not-yet-concluded dramas.
Can Ashley Hutchinson of Mead, following her mother’s death on Thursday, prolong her amazing focus that produced a regional double in the shot put and discus for another week?
Can Jordan Roskelley of Mt. Spokane, who set a regional record by matching her personal record of 12 feet, 8 inches in the pole vault, get the state all-time mark of 13-0 she narrowly missed on Saturday?
Can Spokane’s deep pool of middle- and long-distance runners, boys and girls, 4A and 3A, continue to do extraordinary things?
Can the much-improved and deeper Spokane sprinters be a factor in individual events and relays?
Can teams that showed strength and depth in the regional carry that to a state trophy?
GSL teams won three of four team races, the Central Valley boys in 4A, the Mt. Spokane girls and North Central boys in 3A, and had the advantage in state qualifiers in all but the 3A girls.
4A
When Shadle Park won the girls 1,600 relay last week the difference was third leg Brianne Brown and that didn’t figure to change considering the junior won the 400 in a state-best time of 56.07. But this time Mead senior Taylor Cook got the baton with a decent lead and wasn’t about to give it up.
“I ran a different race,” she said. “I definitely didn’t go out like a bat out of hell this time. I paced myself.”
That didn’t allow a star-studded battle at anchor to materialize. Mead’s Nikki Codd, who beat a tough 1,600 field and then lowered her state-best in the 800 to 2:11.96, stayed comfortably ahead of Shadle’s Jordan Carlson, who won the 100 and 200.
The 1,600 was most anticipated after the district battle won by Shadle Park freshman Andrea Nelson with Gonzaga Prep’s Theresa Hailey edging Codd. That trio swept the state berths but this time Codd, inexperienced at the distance, ran a much smarter race.
“I’m so used to being able to kick with 400 left,” Codd said of what she did a week ago. “In meets like this you have to hold on much longer.”
Codd didn’t surge to start the final lap and when Nelson did on the backstretch, Codd stuck with her. Coming off the final turn the veteran quarter-miler took control.
The boys’ 1,600 was also a premier event that came down to a four-man race between David Hickerson of Ferris, Tyler Noland of Richland, Sean Coyle of Central Valley and Taylor Nepon of Mead. The final sprint came down to Hickerson holding off Noland in 4:14.35 but it is also notable that Coyle, who shattered the school record in the 3,200 the night before, lowered his school record to 4:15.17 and Nepon finished in 4:15.85 to make state by beating the standard.
Then Hickerson and Noland did a repeat in the 800, with Hickerson adding a second PR of 1:54.20 for the win.
“I just felt good today,” Hickerson said. “I’ve been preparing all week because I knew this would be the hardest competition, harder than state.
On the fast end, Lewis and Clark sophomore Zach Robinson led a 1-2-3 GSL sweep in the 100 that included seniors Andre Jennings of Ferris and D.J. Gaines of Rogers.
“I got kind of luck because Andre’s blocks slipped,” Robinson said. “He came up to me at 10 meters but I got him on the lean.”
After Hutchinson’s emotional win the in the shot put on Friday, she showed her resolve in the discus by throwing more than 120 feet to start, plenty to win, and capping it with a 128-3.
“After I threw the first one in I just knew I had nothing to worry about so I went for it,” she said. “I wasn’t really thinking. I know my form, it’s like muscle memory. Hopefully these next few days at practice will help me with my focus instead of my mind being everywhere else.”
She said talking had helped her and also let everyone else know what was going on so they didn’t feel awkward around her.
“This was a lot better,” she said. “There was no stress, or worrying.”
Her father, Bob, was the surprise presenter of her medal on the awards stand.
3A
A week after just one successful jump at a pedestrian – for her – 11-0, Roskelley was determined and it showed as she easily went 11-0, 11-6, 12-0 and the record 12-8.
“I just kind of worked myself up, got too nervous,” she said. “I needed to get my head in the game but it just wasn’t there. I second-guessed myself and that’s something you just can’t do. (Today) I believed in myself. It took all week to get my confidence back.”
But she was only slightly happier this time around.
“I want 13,” she said. “Good attempts, that’s still not getting it.”
Teammate Sam Damiano was a double winner but going to state in the discus is somewhat bittersweet with her sophomore sister, Rachel, battling her senior best friend Keri Burden for the second berth.
Little Sis won by a foot, but well behind Big Sis’ PR of 127-7.
It’s not surprising East Valley’s 1,600 relay went fast. Leadoff Tim Armstrong won the 110 and 300 hurdles, with a PR of 39.25 in the longer race. Anchor Case Parker won the 200 and 400, with a PR of 48.73 in the 400, second in the state.
An amazing race to watch was North Central in the 1,600. The four entrants dominated in the race that ended in a stretch sprint.
Sophomore Leon Dean (4:21.09) edged junior Steve Hicks (4:21.29) with freshman Alex Avila (4:21.52) getting passed 3,200 winner, sophomore Andrew Kimple (4:21.98).