Spokane area track standouts show promise in early meets

Hailey Christopher is used to clearing a high bar.

The Central Valley senior has been an integral part of the Bears girls basketball team that won two state titles in three seasons and capped their second Big Gold Ball by winning a mythical national championship.

Oh, and the University of Idaho-bound basketball player finished second in the high jump at last year’s state Class 4A girls track meet, clearing the same 5-foot-6-inch height as the state champion, Madison Peffers of Camas, who cleared the height on her second attempt; Christopher on her third to set a school record.

The two standout jumpers each have a personal best mark of 5-6, and Peffers has already cleared that height this season. Christopher, while helping the basketball team win a national tournament after winning the state basketball title this spring, has cleared 5-4.

No one is predicting that the state Class 4A meet will see anyone challenge Mary Moore’s state high jump record of 6-1. But it’s a good bet that to win state this season it will take something better than 5-6.

Already this season eight jumpers have cleared 5-4 or better, including Camas freshman Lucy George. Peffers is the lone jumper to clear 5-6. As the temperatures go up, so will the high jump bar.

Lewis and Clark senior Anna Rodgers is healthy for the first time since her freshman season, and that should translate into an exceptional final high school season. She already is the school-record holder in the 100 meters (11.90 seconds), the long jump (19-1¼) and was a member school’s best 400-meter relay (47.75).

Already this season she has posted a 12.03 in the 100 and 25.00 in the 200. She shares the state-best mark of 18-10½ in the long jump.

Central Valley’s Molly McCormick has a Top 10 time in the 100 at 12.55 and LC’s Maya Lebar ran 25.20 in the 200.

Samara Nelson of CV owns the best Class 4A mark in the shot put, throwing 41-4, 10 ½ inches better than her nearest competitor. Her 126-10 discus mark is the third best in the state so far this year.

At East Valley, girls coach Shane Toy is excited about Genesis Wilkinson and the shot put.

The junior, herself a basketball standout, threw 37-feet-7 as a freshman and never quite equaled that mark as a sophomore. Already this season she is about to break 40-feet for the first time, throwing 39-6½ Saturday, the fourth-best mark in the event in the state so far this season.

Mary Carbee of Sehome has the state-best mark at 43-0. Pullman’s Mayyi Mahama has thrown 40-3¾ and Blaine’s Maharani Prasad 40-3½.

Toy expects big marks from Chloe Chalfant, who placed second in the javelin last year at 145-3.

“She just started throwing last week and threw 129-11,” the coach said – pointing out that she set the mark at a meet in Clarkston and her mark was wrongly listed as 127-0. “She has the potential to throw over 150-0.”

Anna Sharp of Clarkston has a personal-best mark of 137-2 in the javelin, setting up what should be a battle for the Great Northern League title. Paige Shimkus of Lakewood has the state standard at 144-6.

West Valley’s Annika Esvelt ran the 3,200 in 11:38.17 for a personal best mark at the Pasco Invitational Saturday, putting her among the top six in Class 2A at that distance and the GNL’s best time.

The Eagles LaTrouchka Duke, a sophomore, already has cracked the Top 10 in both sprints. She ran 12.75 in the 100 meters and 26.80 in the 200. Both marks ranked No. 10 in the state.