Pimley Pulls Repeat, Wins Triple Jump Championship

State A track

Jill Pimley’s first encounter with the State A track and field meet looked suspiciously like her old days at the State B.

Let’s see, Friday contained a subpar (for her) performance in the javelin followed by a championship in the triple jump.

Should be more reminiscing today. Right, Jill?

“No, the biggest factor is Megan,” Pimley said of good friend Megan Franza of Cascade (Leavenworth). “It’s a lot harder this year.”

When the WIAA/U.S. Bank championships conclude today, Goldendale’s Pimley will be hard-pressed to win the long jump and 300-meter hurdles, as she did last year for Class B Klickitat.

Waiting in both at Eastern Washington University’s Woodward Field will be Franza, the junior who won four titles at last year’s State A.

Franza had no finals on Friday, but she logged the best times in the 100 and 300 hurdles preliminaries. Her time in the 300 was 44.67, while Pimley won her heat in 46.22.

The A girls contested just four finals during the opening day, and Pimley placed in two.

The junior, who entered with the second-best throw from districts, settled for seventh in the javelin.

She atoned with a meet-record triple jump of 38 feet, 3-1/2 inches. Runner-up Cicely Clinkenbeard of Okanogan jumped 37-5 to also break Jessica Dietz’s 36-11-1/4 mark for Mount Baker in 1990.

”(Clinkenbeard) had a great first jump, so that really set things up,” Pimley said. “I got (the record) on my last jump in the preliminaries.”

Pimley’s efforts helped Goldendale to 15-1/2 points and second place. Defending champion King’s leads with 21.

Other girls A winners were Heather Reichmann of King’s in the javelin (150-10); Julie Nielson of White Salmon in the shot put (43-3-1/2); and Erika Colin of Highland, in the 3,200 (11:29.74).

In preliminaries, defending 100 and 200 champion LaShaunda Fowler of Foster had the best time in the 100. Her 25.01 in the 200 was zippy, but Steilacoom’s Alexis Yeater set a meet record with a 24.95.

Chelan ran the best 400 and 800 relays. Defending 800 champ Hayden Kristianson of Chewelah barely squeaked into the finals (2:24.52).

Defending champs encountered a grab bag in the A boys finals. Josh Henrie cleared 14-6 to defend his pole vault title and lift Nooksack Valley (24 points) into a first-place tie with defending champion Chelan. Chelan’s Eric Boyd, last year’s javelin champ, settled for third as White Swan’s Ryan Deming, the ‘95 runner-up, threw 206-3.

Boyd won the triple jump, at 45-6-3/4.

Defending 1,600 champ Kevin Smith of Ridgefield made his move in the middle, but faded to ninth. Lakewood junior Justin Murray took control on the third lap and won in 4:26.73.

“I thought I had no chance to win,” said Murray. “I thought I could run faster (than districts), but not stay up with these guys.”

Chewelah’s Greg Belzer, second last year, won the shot put. His best of 54-11-1/2 tied with Forks’ Tryllane Poole, but Belzer broke the tie with the second-best throw of 54-6.

Mount Baker’s Joel Perry and Tim Marks of Granite Falls cleared 6-9 in the high jump, but Perry won on fewer misses.

Three meet records fell in prelims.

Defending 100 champ Damon Harris had the best time in that sprint and ran a record 21.7 in the 200. Chelan’s Josh Rogge ran a record 48.8 in the 400.

Cashmere’s Dusty Lane, last year’s 110 and 300 hurdles champ, had the best time in both, including a record 37.63 in the 300.

, DataTimes