Inspired Mead takes 2nd

PASCO – When all was said and done after the final race at the State 4A track meet on Saturday, it was Nikki Codd’s day and Ashley Hutchinson’s team.

Inspired by Hutchinson’s resolve to compete at a high level in the days after her mother Julie’s unexpected death nine days ago, Codd led Mead to a second-place finish.

“We were all inspired, we’re not just running for ourselves,” Codd said. “We wanted to honor Julie and Ashley.”

Codd did her part by finishing second in the 1,600 meters, winning the 800 two hours later and anchoring the Panthers’ winning 1,600 relay 70 minutes later in the final race on the sunny, muggy 80-degree day.

Lest they considered letting up, there was their friends and rivals from Shadle Park hot on their heels every time they turned around.

Both teams placed every one of their entries, notably going head to head in all three relays.

Mead’s win in the finale of the three-week showdown of the meet-finale race relay gave the Panthers 55 points, 14 behind Gig Harbor and one ahead of Bellarmine Prep. Shadle, which started the 1,600-relay showdowns with the second-best time in state history two weeks ago, used the eight points to finish fourth with 48, the first girls track team trophy in school history.

“It was an excellent day,” Highlanders junior Jordan Carlson said after finishing fourth in the 100 and 200 and anchoring two of the three relays. “It was a fun day to compete.”

But there was no real storybook ending, Hutchinson, the shot put winner Friday and regional champion in the shot put and discus, in the two days after her mother died, was seventh in the discus.

“Not so hot,” Hutchinson said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m going to go to the Meet of Champions next weekend.”

The last nine days proved to be about more than competition for Mead’s Dori Robertson, a long-time coach.

“What’s really cool is I’ve been here before and it’s stressful on a team, but there was no (nitpicking) with these girls,” Robertson said. “They’re so close anyway, but what showed the last two weeks is the amount of caring.

“The shirts they made (for Ashley), that’s not us telling them what to do. They were heart-broken the first day, but Ashley wasn’t around to see it. The next day they had a plan. They were rocks, but Ashley was a rock, too.”

Gig Harbor made it a sweep at state, winning the boys title with 49 boys, four up on Lake Stevens. The Greater Spokane League didn’t fare well, with no champions and no teams in the top 10.

Girls

A midday mile isn’t exactly a great way to start a busy day, especially for a newcomer to the event racing against veterans.

But Codd hung with the leaders, paced by Bellarmine Prep junior Nichole Cochran and Kesslee Payne, a Gig Harbor senior. When they took off on a blistering final lap, she stayed with them. Codd blasted by Payne at 200 meters and chased Cochran, the 3,200 winner, to the wire, finishing .26 behind with a 6-second personal record of 4 minutes, 56.20 seconds.

“I ran it smart,” said Codd, who appeared spent. “I knew it would be tough. All three of us are 800 runners. I knew they had speed – I didn’t think it would be an easy kicker’s race. I’m getting there.”

Codd was the heavy favorite in the 800, but the question was how much she would have left. The first lap was relatively slow and Codd was badly boxed in.

“Coming around I was, ‘Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no! This isn’t fair,’ ” she said. “All of a sudden there was an opening.”

She surged and the pack split, but as she hung behind two other runners she appeared boxed again with 200 meters left.

Another opening appeared and Codd was gone, sprinting home to lower her state best to 2:11.04.

In addition to Carlson, Shadle’s Brianne Brown was third in the 400, Brynn DeLong fourth in the 300 hurdles, plus freshman Andrea Nelson was fifth in that 1,600.

For Mead it was pole vaulter Tonya Turner getting fourth and a reminder that freshman Jazmine Redmon was sixth in the long jump Friday.

The Panthers were fourth in the 800 relay, Shadle was eighth. The Highlanders were seventh in the 400, Mead sixth.

But when Codd got the baton with a second on Carlson, there was no way the Panthers could be denied.

The other top finish for the GSL was Lewis and Clark’s Eleanor Siler getting second in the 400 and Ferris’ Kelly McNamee getting her second medal with a sixth in the 300 hurdles.

Boys

Ferris senior David Hickerson was the GSL’s top performer, finishing third in the 1,600 and the 800.

“I’m satisfied – top three, there’s not too much better than that,” he said of a 1-second PR in the 1,600 and getting close to one in the 800. “I still felt great. I felt like I could have taken the (800). I was expecting a bigger kick so I guess I’d have to say, yeah, the mile might have hurt, but it’s tough to expect more.”

Shadle’s Brandon Walker was fifth in the 110 hurdles and seventh in the 300s. Garfield junior Stephone Jordan won both.

Central Valley’s state-best 1,600 relay team was fourth, 2 seconds back.