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Richland senior Galia Deitz wouldn't have minded spring waiting one more week to arrive.
"I love the cold and the rain," she said, standing under an umbrella to escape the near-triple digit temperatures baking Fran Rish Stadium on Saturday for the 4A/3A Eastern Regional track and field championships.
When Deitz stepped out of the shade and onto the track, though, she put on a dominant display -- victories in the 4A 100- and 300-meter hurdles (15.10 and 45.22 seconds, respectively) and the second leg on the second-place 4x200 relay, helping the Bombers win their third consecutive team title.
"It was a good weekend," she said, smiling.
All in all, another 44 athletes from the Mid-Columbia would agree with Deitz's assessment. They earned berths to next weekend's Star Track state championships at Edgar Brown Stadium, joining 28 qualifiers from Friday's action.
Deitz was one of three champions for the Bombers, along with Katie Mahoney's surprise win in the 800 and Shaniae Lake's school-record triple jump. Walla Walla senior Shanie Bushman cleared 12 feet in the pole vault, becoming only the 18th girl in state history to reach that mark.
Kamiakin's boys and girls each finished second in the 3A team standings -- the boys to North Central, the girls to Mount Spokane.
Senior Jason Feser cleared a career-best 6-8 to win the high jump, then lost out to teammate Patrick O'Neill on a tiebreaker in the triple jump. The Braves made it a clean sweep of the triple jump as Elise Jepsen won the girls title. Southridge's girls produced a pair of champions -- freshman Andrea Smith won the 400 and ran the second leg of the winning 4x200, whose time of 1:42.64 is fourth-best in area history.
Walla Walla was the top area 4A boys team in fourth place as the CBL won only four of 17 events -- including Peter Gilbert of Pasco holding off a trio of runners in the 800.
4A girls
Deitz led wire-to-wire in both hurdles races, winning by more than a half-second in each. She'll be joined in the 300 hurdles by teammate Martha Sanford, who held on to finish third and grab a state berth.
"I was really excited to run today," Deitz said. "When it's this hot, though, you don't have a plan. I just wanted to finish as fast as I could."
Mahoney emerged from a pack of five runners to win the 800 in a season-best 2:21.31, surging ahead around the final curve and holding off a hard-charging Janette Rodriguez of Pasco and Bombers teammate Maggie Jones, who earned the other two state spots.
"I just wanted to sprint because after this, I didn't have to do anything else," Mahoney said. "I figured I might as well give everything I had."
Lakes came up big at regionals for the second straight year, improving upon her career-best set at regionals a year ago by 14 inches with a winning jump of 37-6 -- No. 4 all-time in area history.
Teammate Lindsay Roberts grabbed the final spot on her last jump, going 36-01/4 and edging out Bushman by a quarter-inch.
Bushman, though, can console herself with her 12-foot vault, which she cleared on her third attempt after area leader Jessica Christian of Richland missed on her final try. Bushman brushed the bar, but it bounced harmlessly on the standards as she exulted on the mat.
"I was shaking a little bit on the runway, but I just had to focus and jump the same as I always do," Bushman said.
Pasco junior Yesenia Ortiz qualified for state in the 100 (third, 12.69) and 400 (third, 59.51), and Richland junior Kiley Johnson took third in the 1,600 (5:13.07).
3A girls
Smith bounced between different events the first half of the season before settling on the 400.
"It's not just about sprinting, but also about endurance," she said. "I wanted to try it, and I ended up loving it."
In the final, she took the lead early and held off Mount Spokane's Afton McKinley to win in a season-best 59.36. Hanford's Megan Dart, battling a foot injury, took third in 59.80.
Smith came back a couple hours later to help the Suns win the 4x200 in dominant fashion, improving almost 2 seconds on their previous season best.
"We had to have more confidence in our marks and in each other," said sophomore Chelsea Bourque, who also qualified for state in the 200 (third, 26.39) and 100 hurdles (second, 15.23).
Two other relay members also qualified in the 100 -- junior Kasey McNeill (second, 12.76) and sophomore La'Quilla Upton (third, 12.87).
Jepsen was a little disappointed in her winning jump (36-1), which she got on her second attempt in the prelims.
"I know I have a 37 in me," she said. "Hopefully, I can pop it at state."
Teammate Allyssa Thompson, the winner of Friday's long and high jumps, was aced out of a triple jump berth when Hanford's Taymussa Miller went 35-10 on her final attempt.
Kamiakin senior Olivia Johnston also qualified in two events, taking third in the 100 hurdles (15.47) and second in the 300s (area-best 44.19).
"That was my goal, to qualify in both hurdles," she said. "Now, we'll see what we can do next week."
Sunnyside senior Claire Schilperoort qualified in the discus (second, 108-2), and Hanford freshman Erin Hegarty followed up her win Friday in the 3,200 by taking second in the 1,600 in 5:22.20.
3A boys
The CBL dominated the jumps both days, thanks in large part to Feser, who qualified for state in all three.
His winning high jump came on his first attempt after he cleared 6-7 on his second try to beat teammate Greg Stapleton. Southridge's Stephen Swanson took third to also qualify.
Feser's miss at 6-7 was his first since his first jump of the day at 5-10.
"I seem to do that a lot," he said. "I wasn't loose on the first jump, but then I got into it and felt a lot better."
He walked away from the triple jump thinking he had a second title, but O'Neill got the better of him by a half-inch on their second-best jumps after both posted a best of 43-1. Kennewick's Robert Jessop took third, going 42-2 1/2 on his final attempt.
Southridge junior Andrew Gonzales, like Hegarty, came back after qualifying in Friday's 3,200 to earn a second berth by taking second in the 1,600 in a season-best 4:20.48.
"I had some doubts in my mind about not making it," he said. "But once I was in the race, I was able to stay focused. I'm so glad I'm able to go in this for the first time."
Southridge senior Josh Antonson took second in the shot put (51-11), and a trio of Hanford athletes also advanced -- junior Josh Bland in the 400 (second, 49.97), sophomore Joe Clements in the 110 hurdles (third, 15.79) and junior Kyle Wagar in the javelin (third, 173-6).
4A boys
Gilbert improved upon his career-best in the 800 by almost 2 seconds, winning in 1:55.60 to become the first Bulldog to capture a boys regional title since Leon Jackson won the 100 in 2003.
He raced from the lead most of the way but found an extra gear with 150 meters left, getting some separation from the pack and then holding on the final few meters.
"I thought I'd taken it out too fast, but I found out I had more in me," Gilbert said. "I saw that group behind me in the corner of my eye, and I was not going to lose when I was that close to going on."
Richland junior Steven Piippo, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL, earned state berths in three events -- the 100 (third, 11.43), 200 (second, 22.69) and running the third leg on the 4x400 (second, 3:26.52).
"As soon as I got cleared to walk after surgery, I told myself I was going to state this year, no matter what it took," Piippo said. "I thought I had a shot to make it in both. They were close, but I made it."
Teammate Jonathon Miller cut it close but got back to state in the triple jump on his final attempt, going 43-11 to move into second.
Moses Lake senior Tad Harman, who won the discus Friday, took second in the shot put with a throw of 53-4, getting edged out for the title by Lewis & Clark's Alex Shaw for the second straight year.
Walla Walla got three runners through to state -- Jordan Ness in the 400 (third, 50.56), Kyle Eaton in the 110 hurdles (second, 15.50) and Michael Najera in the 300 hurdles (third, 40.25).
