Sasquatch teams lead

Ron Whitley led a 1-2-3-4 sweep of the discus and the Community Colleges of Spokane men and women jumped out to first-day leads at the NWAACC track and field championships Thursday at Spokane Falls CC.

With Whitley winning the discus (153 feet, 5 inches) and Jon Smith the hammer (178-10), the Sasquatch men scored 52 of their 113.5 points in the day’s two throwing events to take a 24-lead over Lane. Lynnea Braun’s winning javelin throw of 164-11 led the CCS women, whose 94 points were 34 ahead of Mt. Hood.

In the day’s top performance, Clark freshman Janae Larson set an NWAACC meet record in the women’s 10,000, lapping the field twice to win in 36 minutes, 35.42 seconds – more than 4 seconds better than the 10-year-old mark of Spokane’s Erika Colon.

Besides Whitley, Smith and Braun, the Sasquatch put six other individuals atop the awards stand – the most unlikely being long jumper Deonta Edwards. The freshman from Colorado came into the event with the 11th-best qualifying mark – 20-21/4 – then popped a 22-8 winner to lead a 19-point CCS bonanza.

The Sasquatch men also got victories from Mark Moeller in the 10,000 meters (32:16.14) and Tyler Rapp in the 3,000 steeplechase (9:58.61). Other Spokane women’s winners were Chanel James in the long jump (18-21/2), Karen Owens in the steeple (11:57.14) and Corissa Hutchinson in the shot put – her 43-61/2 toss on her last throw and a better second-best mark breaking a tie with Mt. Hood’s Adrian Davis.

•Whitworth’s hopes of a high finish at the NCAA Division III championships in Oshkosh, Wis., took a blow when senior Ben Spaun pulled a hamstring and struggled to 16th place after the first day of the decathlon. He is expected to finish the event today.

Freshman Elizabeth Mattila was eliminated in the 400 intermediate hurdles, despite running a career-best 1:02.37 for fourth in her heat.

Colville’s Caitlin McGrane of Puget Sound is 11th in the heptathlon after the first day.