Winners Get Some Great Pr

B track and field

Monday, Stacey Brewer of Klickitat was more concerned with her ability to walk than winning a state high school championship in the triple jump.

After severely spraining her ankle stepping into a hole, Brewer didn’t walk until Wednesday and still couldn’t run Thursday.

But on the first day of the State B Track and Field Championships at Eastern Washington University Friday, the senior sailed to a personal record of 36 feet, 3 inches and claimed the state title.

”(The ankle) feels great now,” she said. “I feel no pain whatsoever. I wasn’t going to let my ankle intervene in anything I was going to do.”

After the first day of competition, Crescent, the defending champion, led the girls with 25 points. Naselle is second with 20. Bickleton leads the boys with 18 points, and Seattle Lutheran is close behind with 15.

Boys

St. George’s Whit Spencer continued his spectacular postseason shot-putting. After setting a PR by more than 2-1/2 feet at districts, Spencer improved by another foot to win the event, heaving the iron ball 47-10.

“I’m putting all my emotions into it,” said Spencer of his late-season surge. “That’s the only thing I’m doing different.”

Spencer, who will compete in the javelin and discus today, led the way as the Panorama League took three of the top four spots in the shot. Jeff Ayers of Springdale was second, throwing 45-10-1/4, and Chris Wilson of Republic, who boasts a personal best of 55-2, could only come up with a fourth-place throw of 44-8-3/4.

When Nate Carlson of Pateros won the state title in the 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 28.44 seconds, he was racing against his father as well as against the rest of the field.

The sophomore, who finished seventh in state a year ago and had the best qualifying time in the 800 Friday, finally achieved his lifetime goal by beating his father’s time in the mile. Howard Carlson ran a 4:48 while at Pacific Lutheran, which puts his son well ahead of his father’s pace.

Todd Meadows of Bickleton took first in the high jump at 6-6. Meadows came close to clearing 6-7, but blamed the miss on bad timing. Meadows, out of school with the flu the past week, hadn’t jumped for several days.

Meadows’ teammate, Reagan Grabner, took second in the 1,600 at 4:29.62, giving the Pirates their three-point lead over Seattle Lutheran. Grabner also had the third-best qualifying time in the 800 meters.

Ten of Seattle Lutheran’s points came from Carl Lull, who took first place in the long jump at 22-11-3/4. Lull, fighting tendinitis in one knee, hit his best mark early in the preliminary jumps then sat out the finals to save himself for today’s 110 and 300 hurdles.

Friday, Lull had the best qualifying time in the 110 hurdles and was second in the 300s.

Girls

Vanessa Wilhelm, who has signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma State University, scored 18 of Crescent’s 25 points.

She won the javelin with a 140-10 mark. Her nearest competitor, Jody Klein of South Bend, was 18 feet behind at 122-10.

Wilhelm, who is suffering from shoulder tendinitis, also placed second in the discus at 124-09.

Naselle gained a lot of its points from Rachel Haataja, who won the discus with a personal best of 127-05, and Brooke Ralston, who won the 3,200 in 12:13.74.