O’Reilly joins elite
With throwers and jumpers doing their thing on the outskirts of the track at Spokane Falls Community College, it’s hard to say they were inspired by Megan O’Reilly Thursday evening – but the first day of the District 8 championships sure played that way.
O’Reilly opened the festivities by becoming the third-fastest 3,200-meter runner in state history with the fifth-fastest time, 10 minutes, 14.07 seconds.
Only Patty Matava of Bellevue, who owns the three fastest times, including 10:08 in 1982, and Alison Tubbs of Enumclaw, who ran 10:11.94 for fourth on the list, have gone faster than the Mt. Spokane senior.
“I wasn’t disappointed. I really wanted to get the state record but I had a big PR,” said O’Reilly, who ran 10:33 as a sophomore. “I didn’t feel quite as lively in this one as I expected.”
The 3,200 and 400 relays were the only running finals for Greater Spokane League 4A and 3A athletes, along with four field events for girls and three for boys. The top eight individuals and four relays for 4A, and top five individuals and three relays for 3A advance to the regional next weekend in Richland.
The meet resumes today with field events at 3:30.
4A
O’Reilly separated from the field at the start and began lapping runners on her sixth lap. But her bid for the record was doomed when she ran an 80-second seventh lap and 77 on the last.
“That second mile got to me,” she said. “When you’re having just a little bit of an off day, you feel it in the second mile. You can make it through the first mile OK.”
O’Reilly, who will attend Montana, has the 1,600 tonight but isn’t sure how hard she will attack the race.
During O’Reilly’s run, teammate Anna Banks seemed inspired.
The junior improved her personal record by more than 13 feet to win the javelin with an area-best 135 feet, 10 inches.
“I just wanted to make regionals and then the first flight had some monster throws,” said Banks, who also pole vaults. “I took a little time for myself and let it rip. I told myself last night I didn’t need to win, I just wanted to go out and make myself happy.”
She did that with style – and a little help from Wildcats javelin coach Jeanne Helfer.
“She’s really positive,” Banks said of Helfer. “I couldn’t ask for more. She asks a lot of me but that’s the way I am.”
Banks never considered the javelin, but Helfer asked her to throw a softball at the first practice last year. After throwing 180 feet Helfer said, “You’ll be throwing the javelin.”
Rogers junior Sean Adebayo was a surprise winner in the boys long jump. He went beyond his previous best on every jump but won it on his last, soaring 22-10 for an ultimate improvement of 26 inches.
“I wasn’t even planning to long jump today,” said Adebayo, who also anchored the Pirates’ winning 400 relay. “I’ve been resting (a sprained left ankle) the last few weeks, but I felt fine today. I decided I’d rather try it here than not do it at all. Basically, I was just hoping to get to regional.”
The meet ended with the boys 3,200 and junior Dylan Hatcher led an impressive Mead run. The Panthers took six of eight spots.
“The reason there was such a strong Mead presence is ever since we lost in cross country we’ve been on a mission to put the Mead jersey back out front,” said Hatcher, who blasted by Ferris’ Steven Olson to win in 9:30.82.
3A
The javelin was the event for big performances.
North Central sophomore Andrea DePaolo, who was inspired by senior Shantell Haugen last year, threw 120-7 to win.
“I wanted to make it to regional. I thought that was realistic, but I knew I would have to give it my all,” she said, still awed by her 12-foot PR.
DePaolo, who threw 90-2 last year, would have had to PR by 5 feet to advance.
The other big PR came in the javelin, where Cheney senior Bob Wilske, who will compete at Eastern next year, threw 175-6.
He jokingly credited his new knee-high tube socks, which he picked up because “I thought it would look cool.”
The truth is Wilske had modestly bounced his PR 3 feet to 162-3 last week, only to find out that was well short of the 172-0 that East Valley’s Tyler Jolley threw the same day.
“I thought I would be the GSL leader,” Wilske said. “Then I read the newspaper and that fired me up. I really focused up on the way here and Jolley’s here. I don’t get many chances to compete against him. I really wanted to prove I could compete. “
Wilske expects to advance in the shot put, javelin and high jump today and would like to make his goals.
“I think I’ll throw 60 in the shot (this season),” he said. “I think 190 is possible in the javelin. In the disc I think I can get 185. Today the 175 wobbled and just dropped.”
The NC quartet of sophomore Kara Egland, sophomore Katelyn Fiorillo, junior Maneshaia Bruton and senior Anna Walters shattered the school record in the 400, winning in 49.51.