CdA’s Seaman adds state title in girls shot put

MERIDIAN, Idaho – Madison Seaman made sure her final throw in a Coeur d’Alene uniform was the best of her high school career. Seaman notched a personal best and captured a state championship for the second consecutive day Saturday, winning the shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 101/4 inches at the Idaho 5A track and field state championships at Rocky Mountain High School. “I just wanted to go all-out on the last throw of my high school career,” said Seaman, who will attend Lynn Community College in Oregon on a throwing scholarship next school year. “To get two (personal records) in two days, I’m pretty happy with that.” Seaman won Friday’s discus with a 5A state record-tying throw of 148-7. Her two victories helped the CdA girls capture a second-place team trophy, their second in as many seasons after snapping a 20-year state hardware drought last year. CdA finished with 71 points. Mountain View won with 106 points and Lake City was third with 70.5. Coeur d’Alene also got a big contribution from senior Morgan Struble, who successfully defended her 300-meter hurdles title and broke her all-class state record in 42.84 seconds. “It really feels good to defend my title and to better myself by so much,” Struble said. “It’s good to go out on top.” Struble added a second-place finish in the 100 hurdles. Capital senior Jade Childs – the daughter of former NBA player Chris Childs – won in a state-record 14.15, while Struble finished in 14.40. “I’m so proud of the kids,” CdA coach Linda Lanker said. “To have three gold medals, new state records and so many young kids step up and score points for us, it was huge. And we’re proud of Lake City, too. Anytime the north can come through and win trophies, it’s awesome.” Lake City junior Leanne Asper had a huge day, winning the 800 and anchoring her team’s victory in the 4x200 relay. She also took third in the 200 and anchored a third-place finish in the 4x400. Asper’s big day helped the Timberwolves secure third place, their first state trophy since 2005. “I’m thrilled to see us back on the awards stand,” Lake City coach Kelly Reed said. “Leanne was phenomenal all day long and we got big performances from a lot of kids out there.” In the 800, Asper emerged from the pack and pulled away in the final 200 meters to win in 2:17.16. “I wanted to start my kick at 300 (meters), but I couldn’t find my way out,” Asper said. “But going around the corner, I found a gap to swing wide and I knew I had it. I still had a lot of adrenaline pumping from winning the relay.” The Timberwolves dominated the 4x200, finishing one-tenth of a second off the state record in 1:42.71. The team of Carly Garcia, Maddison Ward, Alissa Jolliff and Asper beat the field by more than 2 seconds. Lake City junior Brittany Pope added a runner-up finish in the high jump, clearing 5-2. The defending champion, Meridian senior Andi McBride, jumped 5-4 to win. “I was happy with how I jumped,” Pope said. “I’m excited for next year, too. Nothing is set in stone, but I feel like I’ve put myself in a good position (to contend for a title).” Lake City’s boys got third-place finishes by Nick Gosselin in the 400 and the 4x200 relay team. Coeur d’Alene’s top finisher was Mike Dunton, who placed fourth in the 800. Rocky Mountain ran away with the team title, scoring 133.5 points. Lake City was seventh with 34 points and CdA finished eighth with 29.5.