Medical Lake record-breaking sprinters Lexi Rolan, Keyhon Ross vie for gold

Gene Blankenship knows he’s a blessed man.

The Medical Lake track and field coach has the best male and female sprinters in school history.

Lexi Rolan is going for repeats as State 1A champion in the 100 and 200 meters. Keyhon Ross, a state champ a year ago in the 200 and on the winning 400 relay and third in the 100, wants three more titles when the state meet begins Thursday and concludes Saturday at Eastern Washington University.

Both broke school records last year as juniors. Rolan has broken the records several times since while Ross hasn’t seen much improvement, especially this year.

Rolan’s records are 12.09 in the 100 and 25.01 in the 200. Ross’ records are 10.74 in the 100 and 21.92 in the 200.

The first month of this season, Ross came down with pneumonia and it took him some time to regain his strength and speed.

“He’s not running as fast as he did last year,” Blankenship said.

For Blankenship’s money, though, Ross is “as exciting a kid as I’ve ever coached.”

Especially when Ross takes the final exchange in the 400 relay. Most of the time he’s well behind the leader when he takes the baton.

“He always has to make up a lot of ground,” Blankenship said.

Ross, who moved from Dallas at the start of his junior year to live with his father, is going for his second title in the relay and the school is seeking a fourth consecutive title.

Most recently, Ross has been battling a hamstring issue.

“There was a time I thought I had pulled it bad,” Ross said. “It was hurting a lot at district.”

Ross will take it easy the three days leading up to state. He’s ranked No. 1 in the state in the 100 and fourth in the 200.

He will give all that his hamstring will allow at Cheney. He just hopes the sprinters don’t have to run into a headwind – which isn’t unusual at EWU’s track.

Ross is weighing opportunities to run at EWU or Montana.

Rolan signed last week to continue running at EWU.

She got within one-hundredth of a second at 25.01 of breaking the district record in the 200 last weekend. The record has stood since 1967.

As far as Blankenship is concerned, Rolan got the record – considering hand-held times were used back in the day and fully automatic timing is used today.

While Ross has been slowed by sickness and injury this spring, Rolan is running as well as she has, Blankenship said.

“She’s very talented, obviously,” Blankenship said. “She has put our girls program on the map. We’ve gotten a lot of attention because of her.”

She cruised to state titles a year ago but will be challenged this week.

Rolan is ranked No. 2 in the 100, one-hundredth of a second behind Harlowe Brumett-Dunn of Seattle Academy, and is ranked No. 1 in the 200.

“(Lexi) is really, really tough,” Blankenship said. “There are going to be two very good races.”

Rolan likely would have been a state qualifier as a freshman, but her season was cut short when she suffered a torn labrum in her hip and underwent surgery.

She ended up tearing it partially her sophomore year but elected to let it heal rather than having surgery again.

Rolan thinks she’s faster because of the surgery.

“The feeling that I know I’m getting better in something I love pushes me,” Rolan said of the motivation to cap her career as a state champion.