Mead Clinches Twice; EV Boys Reach Peak

Prep track

Forget the wind, rain and cold of the spring. Area track and field athletes certainly did.

On a warm, overcast afternoon, Greater Spokane League girls set three league records and tied another as the four weeks of triple dual track meets came to an end Thursday.

The Mead boys overwhelmed Central Valley to win their 13th league title and run their dual meet winning streak to 129.

The Mead girls capped a third straight perfect season and ran their string to 27 straight dual meet wins.

In the Frontier League, the East Valley boys overwhelmed Clarkston to win their first championship since 1988, while Ricardo Colon of Pullman took over the state lead in the long jump by soaring 23 feet, 8 inches at Cheney.

The West Valley girls also kept rolling along, but still need to win at Cheney to secure their their fourth straight outright Frontier title.

GSL girls

At Gonzaga Prep, University, which swept the Bullpups and Rogers to finish second in the league, lowered its state-best in the 400 relay to a league record 49.1 seconds. The quartet of Katherine Hough, Lora Auch, Heather Silvey and Adrienne Wilson came back to lower the GSL record in the 800 relay to 1:45.3, a half-second faster than Mead had run a week earlier.

Wilson also broke her one-week old triple jump record by 8 inches, leaping 35-9.

Hough set GSL marks in the 100 (11.9) and 200 (24.9) a week ago. Both were wind-aided, but there is no provision in the record book for wind.

At Mead, Panthers standout Autumn Wood tied her league record of 44.8 in the 300 hurdles.

She also anchored the 1,600 relay team than ran what would have been a GSL record of 4:00.3 if the Panthers hadn’t run a 3:59.5 last week.

Mead swept Central Valley and Shadle Park despite wins by CV’s Whitney Schmaljohn in the 100 (12.7), 200 (25.9) and 400 (58.7).

Suzanne Hoppe of Ferris had a short-lived league record after she went 35-2 in the triple jump at Hart Field. She helped Ferris sweep North Central and Lewis and Clark.

GSL boys

U-Hi junior Craig Allen high jumped 6-10, a quarter-inch short of the league record. Teammate Terry Coy also lowered his area best in the 110 high hurdles to 14.7.

The Titans swept by Rogers and Gonzaga Prep.

Mead’s John Parry went 14-feet in the pole vault, tying the best by a GSL vaulter this year.

Mead’s Skiy DeTray, a longdistance standout, posted the best 800 time by a GSL runner (1:54.6).

Brian Buchanan of the Panthers upped his area best in the shot put to 55-9 and teammate Beau Chandler took the lead in the javelin at 178-9.

Mead’s 400 relay ran 43.3.

The Panthers outscored CV 103-43 to secure their league title.

Ferris swept LC and NC to finish second in the GSL. Dana Harper matched his area-best 22.2 in the 200.

Frontier boys

Rob Shogren won three events to spark EV to a victory at Clarkston.

Shogren won the 100 meters (11.6), 200 (24.1) and 300 hurdles (41.4) as the Knights rolled up 99 points to 46 for Clarkston.

Joel Baldwin won the 110 and 300 hurdles (16.2, 43.6) to help West Valley to a 104-40 win over visiting Colville.

At Cheney, Pullman’s Chad Schwendiman won three events and was second behind Colon in the long jump, but it wasn’t enough as the Blackhawks won 83-60.

Sam Holmes won both hurdles (16.0, 42.8) and the Blackhawks used their depth to pick up the win.

Schwendiman won the 200 (22.8), 400 (51.2) and triple jump (40-5).

Frontier girls

Kaci Stansbury won the shot put (40-) and discus (129-2) and WV won every event to wrap up at least a tie for its fourth straight league title with a 101-39 win over Colville.

Heather Harmon won the 800 in a personal-best 2:21.4 to take the league lead.

Star Olson captured the long jump (16-7) and triple jump (34-3) to spark EV over Clarkston 99-41.

Jeanette Zimmer coasted to easy wins in the 800 (2:23.2) and the 1,600 (5:44) to propel Cheney to a 76-62 win over Pullman.