Eighth-grader Melissa Mauro blasts league field records

While season-long track team leaders finished off the Spokane Valley Middle School Activities League season with titles in the Vern Fox All-League meet, it was Centennial eighth-grader Melissa Mauro who made the biggest splash.

Mauro, equaling her season’s best, obliterated the league high jump record by three inches with a leap of 5-foot-4.

By way of comparison, the height is just three inches under West Valley High School’s record. It would have placed her at least fifth in every state high school meet this year and would have won both the state Class 1A and B meets.

But that wasn’t Mauro’s only league record. During preliminaries of the 65-meter hurdles, she lowered the mark to 10.08, and won the finals in 10.5.

Coupled with victory in the 200 (27.3) and second in the long jump (15-4 ¼), she accounted for more than half of the Falcons’ 74 second-place points in Class A girls.

“To be honest,” wrote her parents Sue and Joe Mauro in an e-mail, “at first we didn’t realize how great these achievements are. With all the excitement and encouragement from others, it has sunk in.”

Mauro has done club gymnastics, volleyball, soccer and softball and plays AAU basketball.

“Her true passion is basketball,” wrote her parents. “Melissa said that her goal is to be dunking the basketball by the time she’s a senior. She loves to jump.”

Evergreen completed an unbeaten season, winning the girls meet with 138 points and setting a record of 53.3 in the 400 relay.

The unbeaten Grizzlies Class B girls beat Mountain View 135.5 to 77.5, Justine Bowman setting a 1,600 record of 5:36.3 and (turbo-style) javelin mark of 118-7. Horizon’s Alex Aldecoa set the 800 record of 2:32.1.

Evergreen’s Class A boys beat Centennial 103-70 to complete its unbeaten season and Greenacres edged Centennial 88-86 for a perfect B title.

Wes Nolen from North Pines set the A boys javelin record with a whopping 204-5 throw, Greenacres’ Brad Whitley ran 57.5 in the 400 and Centennial’s Richard Keroack timed 2:18.06 in the 800 for Class B boys marks.

Horizon’s Alissa Hawley won the 400 and javelin in Class A girls. Chelsea Moore won the 100 and 200 for Greenacres in Class B.

Evergreen’s James Adams (hurdles and 400 over teammate Conner Janhunen, 55.1 to 55.2) and Bowdish’s Vince Speight (11.5 and 24.1 in the 100 and 200) were Class A double boys winners.

North Pines’ Nathan Smith in the sprints and Mountain View’s Eric Start in the shot put and hurdles were B double winners.

Complete results will be in Thursday’s Valley Voice.

In other spring sports East Valley won eighth grade baseball and Horizon was 10-0 in seventh grade. Horizon also went unbeaten in girls tennis.

Womach wins President’s Cup

Liberty Lake Ladies 18-hole club golfer Dorothy Womach is the club’s 2004 President’s Cup champion.

Womach’s three-round 216 total was good for a two-stroke win over first flight champion Billie Etter. Runner-up in the flight was Jean Hatcher with 225.

The duo also tied for fewest putts during the competition, with 87 each.

Reiko Takamori was second flight winner at 228 over Cathy Whitley‘s 233. Penny Wasser won third flight, 231 to 238 over Marie Nelson. And Linda Dreher shot 223 to win fourth flight. Jan Krogseth was second with 238.

Golfers close in Liberty Lake 9-hole play

There was not a great deal of difference among the leaders of weekly Liberty Lake Ladies 9-Hole Club play.

Joyce Jacobs won first flight with low gross 53, while Deanna Hauser shot 55 in second flight and Ethel Rankin had 57 in third.

Net winners during the weekly outing were Elaine Tai in first flight with 39, Joanne Ruddell in second with 38 and Alice Vaughn in third with 42.

Janice Smith had a chip-in on the first hole.

Trailhead golfers in action

The weekly gathering of Trailhead Ladies Club golfers produced another solid round for Betty Grassl.

Grassl shot 47 to win Flight A and Carolyn State netted 29.

B flight went to Iness Walth with 5, while Wilma Capaul netted 35. Bev Johnson shot 62 to win C flight and Sandi Hatcher had net 27.

No-handicap golfer Harriet Carbon shot 67 while Dee Elder and Joy Russell had chip-ins.