Gsl, Big Nine Sort Out Berths For Star Track

Track

The fine line between happiness and heartbreak remains razor-thin when the Greater Spokane League and Big Nine divvy up State AAA track berths.

Eight records were broken and another was tied as the two leagues finished the two-day Eastern AAA regional meet to determine the 51 state entries for both boys and girls.

The top three in each event, including relays, advanced to Star Track XIV next weekend at Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma.

The GSL had a slight edge in state qualifiers, a bonus considering the Spokane schools only had one entry to state to the Big Nine’s two before they were pooled. GSL boys had a 27-21 edge and, for the first time in the three-year history of the regional, the girls came out on top, 29-22.

The GSL girls also had the most broken hearts, with the fourth-place finisher in 11 of 17 events. The Big Nine boys were fourth 10 times. This was also the first time no athletes who finished below automatic qualifying met the state qualifying standard in any event.

In the team races, the Mead boys had 140 points, 69 ahead of Pasco, and the Mead girls had 104, 35 more than Pasco.

Boys: With 11 entries, the Mead boys put themselves in position to make a run at their third straight state title. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they had four fourth-place finishes, including two by distance runner Morgan Thompson. The junior was fourth in the 3,200 (1.09 seconds) and the 1,600 (3.4 seconds).

Mead’s Matt Sturm led the way by winning the 100 (11.04) and 200 (22.06, tying the meet record) and anchoring the winning 400 relay team (43.11) on Friday. Teammate D.J. Miller won the triple jump (45 feet, 4-1/4 inches) after finishing second in the long jump a day earlier; Jason Fayant, who won the 1,600 on Friday, was second in the 3,200; and John West was second in the 100 and ran on the relay team, although he was a disappointing fourth in the 200.

Ferris junior Isaac Hawkins is going in two events, switching places with Fayant in the distance races. He won the 3,200 wire-to-wire.

“There was some cautiousness,” he said. “I didn’t want to end up on lap six or seven and be dead. I expected them to be pushing me, but no way will I take this for granted. They’ll be attacking with a vengeance at state.”

Central Valley senior Ryan Triplett won the pole vault with a meet record 14-3. He tied with Jake Mitchell of Walla Walla, but won on fewer misses. Gonzaga Prep junior Ryan Turner is also going after clearing 14-0 when the event was resumed Saturday after being suspended because of a storm Friday night.

Craig Allen of University upped his regional record in the high jump to 6-10. He barely brushed the bar off with his hand on one attempt at 7 feet.

Girls: Some were good and some were lucky.

Carrie Sanders upped her personal best big-time, throwing the javelin 139-8 to finish second behind Mead’s Allison Beatty. Sander’s a CV senior, entered with a PR of 123-11. A district champion as a freshman, Sanders played softball last year.

“I thought about being aggressive more than anything,” Sanders said of her big second throw, which broke the school record. “I didn’t focus on anyone else. They’re all my friends, whatever happens was meant to be.”

U-Hi senior Syd Perno, the shot put leader coming in with a career-best of 40-1, barely hung on for third at 36-3, making state by 1-1/2 inches.

Then there was the triple jump.

Entering the finals, Jamie Wakefield was third at 35-5-1/4 and Julie Schroeder was fourth at 35-5. Then Schroeder, a freshman from University, pushed her personal best to 35-9-3/4. Wakefield, a Mead junior who missed going to state in the long jump by 3 inches Saturday night and had a PR of 35-9, blasted a 36-1 on her last attempt.

Meanwhile, University senior Adrienne Wilson added a PR in the triple jump, a second-place 37-3-1/2, to the one she had in winning the long jump Friday.

Mead’s Autumn Wood was upset in the 300 hurdles, the event she leads state, and didn’t advance in the 100 hurdles. She has been ill for a week and lost 10 pounds. She’s still going on two relays, along with Jen Dunford and Abbie Hornstein, who went 1-2 in the 100.

CV’s Whitney Schmaljohn made it in the 200, 400 and 1,600 relay.

With nine entries, the Mead girls should contend for state. The Panthers had two fourth-place finishers, Wakefield in the long jump (by 3 inches) and Katie Pollock in the 1,600 (.21 seconds). Pollock, like Wakefield, made it in another event.

Ferris could also challenge after Kristen Parrish (1,600) and Missy Blackshire (800) won in near state-best times. Jenny Smith was second in the 1,600 and 3,200, and Parrish was second in the 800.

District 7-A

Dominating weight events and distances, Chewelah won the boys team title at the District 7-A meet at Central Valley.

Senior Greg Rainer won the discus (172-3/4) and javelin (160-3) and finished second to teammate Greg Belzer’s winning throw of 51-6 in the shot put to guide the Cougars to 180.5 points. Asher Ernst of Chewelah won the 1,600 (4:32.3) and teammates David Yarnell (9:47.29) and Neil Small (10:17.79) went 1-2 in the 3,200.

Newport finished second, with 154 points, behind winners J.T. Trainer, pole vault, 12-6; Justin Meyers, high jump, 6-2; Daniel Minnich, 400, 51.85; and Jake Van Dyke, 300 hurdles, 42.22. The Grizzlies also won the 1,600 relay, in 3:33.90.

Colfax’s Anthony Haynes won the long jump (21-3/4) and 100 (10.79) and finished second in the 200.

Junior Michele Carrara won the javelin (117-7-1/4), discus (116-11-1/2) and shot put (37-7) to lead Newport to the girls title with 162 points. The Grizzlies also won the 800 relay.

Defending state champion Hayden Kristianson won the 800 (2:20.78) and ran legs on the victorious 400 and 1,600 relays to help Chewelah to 134 points and second place.

Laura Widman won the high jump (5-2) and 200 (26.68), and placed second in the shot put to guide third-place Colfax to 99 points.

The top two in each event advance to the Friday-Saturday State A meet at Eastern Washington University.

District 9-B

Nate Perrins won the long jump (21-2) and triple jump (40-1/2) to guide Tekoa-Oakesdale to the boys title at the District 9-B meet at Washington State University.

Sean Crooks, Friday’s high jump winner, added a second in the triple jump, while Brian Wise won the 300 hurdles (44.0) and was runner-up in the 110 hurdles (17.1) for the Nighthawks, who scored 110. Runner-up Waitsburg scored 89, led by Hondo Pesina’s wins in the 100 (11.2) and 200 (22.9).

Waitsburg scored 94 to edge St. John-Endicott (88) in the girls team race.

Kelly McCaw won the 100 (13.0) and 200 (27.3), and her champion Cardinals took the 400 (52.8) and 800 (1:54.7) relays. Tricia Lamb of SJE, second to teammate Andee Schmick in Friday’s long jump, captured the triple jump (36-3-3/4) and 100 hurdles (15.5). Schmick was second in both events.

The top two in each event advance to the Friday-Saturday State B meet at EWU.

, DataTimes