U-Hi’s Allen, Ferris’ Smith Navigate Wins

While Craig Allen was going up, Jennifer Smith was going around.

They arrived in the same place.

Though both started the day with similar goals and opposite expectations, both became champions by establishing impressive personal bests at the 35th Annual Pasco Invitational at Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Allen, a senior from University, won the high jump when he cleared 6 feet, 8 inches. Then he had the bar moved to 6-11, which he bounded over on the first attempt, giving him the state lead and a PR by an inch before he missed three times at 7-1.

“I’ve been dreading this meet all year,” Allen said. “The surface here is not very good. My best before this was 6-4. I seem to do better on bad surfaces. My old PR was at Gonzaga. It must have something to do with not expecting anything and relaxing.”

Smith, a Ferris junior, failed to reach her goal but was satisfied after winning the 3,200 meters by more than 30 seconds in a state-best of 10 minutes, 51.3 seconds.

“I’m very happy, that’s about a 17-second PR and a school record,” she said. “I was trying for a 10:40 but I try to shoot for a higher goal. Sometimes people set their goals too low.”

It was also a good day to be from Mead as the Panthers won both the boys and girls titles despite each having just one individual champion.

Jason Fayant won the boys’ 3,200 and the Panthers scored in 14 of 18 events to roll up 70 points, 25 ahead of Pasco. Central Valley won the 1,600 relay in a state-best 3:24.1 to finish seventh with 23 points.

Autumn Wood captured the girls’ 300 low hurdles (45.41) as Mead scored 51.5 points. Ferris was second at 40. University tied for seventh with 23 points and CV, again with a state best of 4:04.09 to win the 1,600 relay, was tied for ninth with 22 points.

JaWarren Hooker of Ellensburg and Chelsie Pentz of Central Kitsap were voted the outstanding performers. Hooker, a junior, smoked the field in the 100 (10.68) and 200 (21.82). Pentz, a junior, won the 200 (25.24) and 400 (57.57).

Girls

Ferris also got a win from Kristen Parrish in the 800 and in a new event, the distance relay, which featured legs of 1,200, 400, 800 and 1,600 meters (the Mead boys also won the event).

Parrish cut 30 seconds off the state-best time she ran two days earlier, destroying the field by 6 seconds in 2:16.5.

Adrienne Wilson of University won the long jump at 18-4, more than 18 inches ahead of the field.

Boys

Allen was surprised his day ended with a personal best considering the high jumpers only got two run-throughs before the competition began.

“That’s why I started at 6-2 instead of 6-4,” he said. “In the beginning I felt kind of weak but (Chris Rushing, runner-up at 6-6) kept pushing me. “It’s the first time I felt like I had real competition.”

Fayant’s run was impressive. He pulled away from state cross country champion Issac Hawkins of Ferris to win the 3,200 by 5 seconds.

“I’m very pleased with that,” the junior said. “That’s exactly where I wanted to be, let someone lead for six laps and take it from there. I was a little surprised, I expected someone to be on my shoulder the last 100. Ultimately I’d like to go under 9 minutes by the end of the year. This gives me a little more confidence. I wasn’t really going for time, I was going for the win.”

Chewelah senior Greg Rainier won the discus (167-9) and Pullman junior Ricardo Colon (23-1) won the long jump, but … . “A win’s a win, no matter what,” said Belzer, whose best is 183-4. “It just wasn’t there, I guess. I was pretty psyched up for today. I thought there would be better throwers. I guess they had the same day I did.”

Said Colon: “I got first place but I really wanted to get 24 (feet). I know I’ll get it, maybe next meet.”

Colon scratched by an inch on a leap of 24-5. , DataTimes