Swift Is Good, Hopes To Be Best With Strong Arm

Valley Christian School’s girls track team finished seventh with 42 points during last week’s Wilbur-Creston Invitational.

Conspicuously absent was Danielle Swift, whose presence might have nearly doubled the Panther point output and placed Valley Christian among the top four.

Swift instead was pitting her talents in three events against the best in state at the concurrent Pasco Invitational.

In her specialty, Swift threw the javelin 128-2 to place third. She also had a school record 111-9 discus throw and 31-2 shot put.

Her javelin effort was a personal and school record. The discus toss equalled her school record set earlier this year and put her closer to a State B title.

“It was a great day but not everything I wanted out of it,” she said. “I’m happy but still not satisfied. There’s so much more.”

Swift said she thinks she has a 135-foot javelin throw and 120-foot discus toss left before season’s end.

“I did it in practice,” she said. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Pasco produced another wealth of superb track performances, including by University’s Craig Allen, who cleared 6-foot-11 in the high jump, missing a school record 7-1. Titan Jeff Hollenbach neared his season best two days after he established it, putting the shot 55-9-1/2.

Central Valley’s 1,600 relay team raced to a 3:24.1 victory, a performance matched by the girls who raced to a 4:04.09 win.

Ryon Triplett was second in the pole vault and the Bear 400 relay team took sixth.

University sprinter-jumper Adrienne Wilson won the long jump at 18-4, nearly to feet farther than second placce, was third in the triple jump, less than two inches away from first, and was fourth in the 100.

“I’m having a bit of trouble with my technique now but we’ll get that taken care of next week,” she said, of her jump effort. “I know I can do better if I get my form down.”

Valley distance runners did well, WV’s Heather Harmon third and CV’s Sandra White fourth in the 800 and WV’s Jessica Riehle sixth in the 1,600.

Whitney Schmaljohn was fourth in the 400 for CV and West Valley freshman Staci Adams ran 47.92 in the 300 hurdles to place sixth.

Carmen Evans and Teresa Dixon led Valley Christian’s effort at Wilbur-Creston, including parts in the team’s 400 relay win.

The boys team was fifth with 51 points, Jeremy Hayek winning the high jump and placing third in the long jump. Valley Christian’s 1,600 relay team was second and J.J. Gass was second in the discus.

EV girls tennis keeps winning

Defending Frontier League tennis champion East Valley girls reached the midpoint of the season with a perfect 5-0 record.

Included were wins last week over closest challengers Clarkston and West Valley.

“Somebody had to get the league lead and I guess it was us,” said coach Aaron Alteneder.

Altender said the team could just as easily be 2-3, but has been able to win close individual matches.

“I really think we upset Clarkston,” he said.

The score was 3-3 and it was threating to rain. Number four singles player Daphne Willmschen had won her first set but lost 6-1 in the second.

“When you lose the second set it’s usually a sign of things to come,” Alteneder said.

But Willmschen rallied and the Knights came home a winner.

No lead is safe in GSL

There are no sure things in Greater Spokane League baseball and University High coach Don Ressa is glad of that.

His team won two of three games last week and got help from around the league to be part of a virtual fiveway tie for first place approaching the mid-point of the season.

With upcoming games at Central Valley on Friday and against Ferris at Seafirst Stadium on Tuesday, Ressa and the Titans won’t rest easy.

“What’s fun about this league is you can’t say there’s an easy day,” the prescient Ressa said prior to the season. “Everybody’s well-coached.

“Baseball is different,” he continued. “The bottom of the pile can beat the top guy. All you need is a good pitching effort.”

The Titans hosted another of the leaders, Shadle Park, on Wednesday. CV was only two games behind the leaders when the week began and faces three of the leaders - Mead, Gonzaga and U-Hi - in succession.

, DataTimes