Steady Stabl blazes at Riverside meet

Fortunately, Ashley Stabl doesn’t mind being alone.

It’s a good thing, because the way she runs hurdles it isn’t often there are many people around her – at least at the finish line.

That was the case Saturday at the Riverside Invitational, where the Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia senior put on quite a show.

She won the 100-meter hurdles in a meet-record 15.1 seconds, almost a half-second in front of the runner-up, and the 300 hurdles in 44.4, about 3 seconds clear of the competition. Those times are third and second, respectively, in the state – not just B or 2B, but all classifications.

“I like both hurdles equally well,” she said. “I’m starting to like the 300 more. I used to save myself, but now I go all out. It’s my best event, by far.”

Stabl also anchored the third-place T-O/R 800 relay team to a season-best 1:54.6 and was named the female Athlete of the Meet.

A hurdler, Cheney freshman Diondre Moore-Young, was also the male Athlete of the Meet. He won the first two events, the 110 hurdles (15.3) and the 100 (11.4) and was third in the 300 hurdles (43.8).

“It was a pretty good day,” he said. “I didn’t PR, but I won two. I’ve done the 300, like, three times. I couldn’t get my steps down.”

Cheney won the boys meet, piling up 119 1/2 points to 98 for Shadle Park and 75 for Riverside. On the girls’ side, Shadle had 101 points, East Valley 87 1/2, North Central 74 1/2 and Riverside 74.

There were two emotional extremes during one of the few warm, sunny days athletes have had all season.

There was some wind, shown by the St. George’s team tent cascading across the infield, scattering athletes and coaches in every direction.

Just before that, Shadle senior sprinter Jordan Carlson crashed to the track hard after she lost her balance straining – and failing – to out-lean Lakeside’s Gale Nelson in the 100. Carlson left to get treatment for an injured shoulder, reportedly a damaged rotator cuff, and internal injuries, possibly a bruised kidney.

Nothing could detract from Stabl’s day, which came a week after she placed fifth in the 100s and second in the 300s at Pasco.

“I set goals, and reset goals, no matter if no one is pushing me,” she said. “Once I ran hurdles completely by myself and got a PR. I want to beat myself.”

Get someone to push her and she’s close to unbeatable.

She won the State 2B 300s last year and in the 100s was second to Chelsi Freise, who is now at Eastern Washington, where Stabl could end up as a potential heptathlete.

“I haven’t done the shot put or javelin,” she said. “I was going to try the high jump, but then I kind of chickened out. I really don’t like going backward. I’m running the 800 next meet. That will be different. I’ve never run anything longer than the 400.”

She has seven Tekoa school records – every race up to 400 and two relays – but only the hurdles impress her.

“It’s challenging,” Stabl said. “Sprinting, everyone can run. Not everyone can hurdle.”

Stabl, who also played volleyball and basketball, did not start track until eighth grade, a year after her family moved from the Idaho Falls area.

“It was the kind of thing I wanted to do because no one else wanted to do it,” she said of hurdling.

The reason for her success is simple: Linda Lanker.

“She’s been helping me since eighth grade – my junior high coached introduced me to her,” Stabl said of the local coach who helps numerous successful hurdlers. “I haven’t seen her all year. I haven’t any hurdle help this whole year. I’m actually surprised I’m doing as well as I am.”

T-O/R coach Rob Watson is amazed by his star.

“What I was most impressed with, before this year, is she would do the 400 and then turn around and do the 300s,” he said. “Last year at state she was second in the 400 and 15 or 20 minutes later won state in the 300s.

“This year she’ll probably run the 200 instead, but I’ll let her make that decision. She might want to do the 100, but it’s back to back with the 100 hurdles.”

•Three Spokane-area girls teams finished in the top 10 at the 74-team Lake Washington Invitational in Kirkland, Wash. West Valley placed third with 44.5 points, Ferris was fourth with 44 and Central Valley tied for eighth with 23 points. Gig Harbor ran away with the team title with 70 points. Skyline was runner-up with 45. WV’s Ashley Kenney won the discus with a throw of 144 feet, 10 inches and placed second in the shot put with a toss of 39-61/4. Teammate Melissa Mauro won the 300 hurdles in 46.14 and took third in the 100 hurdles in 15.77. CV’s Emilee Deishl won the javelin at 127-6. Ferris’ Kelly McNamee placed second in the 100 hurdles (15.41), third in the long jump (17-61/2) and ran a leg on the third-place 4x200 relay.

•Five local athletes won events at the Quincy (Wash.) Invitational. On the boys’ side, Medical Lake’s Tyler Souders won the 400 in 50.49; Odessa’s Matt Cronrath won the 1,600 in 4:31.52; Odessa’s Scott Strang won the 3,200 in 10:13.45; and Lind-Ritzville’s Cory Whitmore won the high jump, clearing 6-0. On the girls’ side, Coeur d’Alene Charter’s Dominique Billingslea won the 100 in 13.10. Ephrata won both boys and girls team titles.