Kirkwood, Leavitt both double up

TACOMA -- Mid-Columbia athletes won seven individual titles and the Kiona-Benton girls won the school's first state meet trophy in 30 years at the state 1A-2A track and field meet Saturday at Mount Tahoma High.

The Mid-Columbia haul included double wins by Othello's Courtney Kirkwood and Kiona-Benton's Whitney Leavitt. Kirkwood won her third straight 2A javelin title and the 100-meter hurdles. Leavitt won the 1A 100 and 200 for third straight year.

Prosser's Cade Wandling, the 2007 state champ in the 100, moved up to the 400 to win his title this year. He also anchored the Mustangs to their second consecutive championship in the 4x100 relay.

And Jessica Casper of Connell ended a season of frustration against SCAC rival Katherine Lotze of Ki-Be by winning the 1A 100 hurdles in 15.26 seconds.

"I'm pleased with my career," Kirkwood said after collecting her javelin medal. "I guess you can't do much better than three state titles."

Kirkwood won the javelin by 15 feet with a season-best throw of 151 feet, but she was pressed hard in the hurdles, defeating CWAC rival Kayla Standish of Ellensburg 14.79 to 14.91. Her winning time ties Kirkwood for seventh on the all-time Mid-Columbia list.

Wandling, who lost the chance to defend his 100 title with a false start in the subdistrict meet, stunned defending 400 state champ Colton Dunn of Hockinson with a meet-record 48.38.

"This is better than winning anything I've ever done," said Wandling, who moved into second place on the all-time area list, behind only Tim Sullivan's 47.66 for Pasco in 1985. "Anyone can run 100 meters, but not everyone can run 400 meters."

The Mustangs had to overcome a fair amount of adversity to win the 4x100. Second leg Cody Bruns had a very sore hamstring prior to the race, and Prosser was running for only the third time with new third leg Jake Gonzales. Then the Mustangs botched the first handoff when Bruns nearly had to stop to get the baton. If that wasn't enough, Wandling then had to hold off Selah's Brett Blanshan, the state leader in the 100, on the final leg.

"I wasn't worried (about Blanshan)," Wandling said. "He's only beaten me once."

Leavitt powered away from a talented field in both the 100 and 200 to win in 12.11 and 24.78, respectively.

"I am so relieved," she said after her 200 victory, which moved her into fourth place on the all-time area list. "I just focus on getting a good start and then beating everyone around the corner. It's getting a little easier. But every morning my nerves come back, until I run my first race."

Leavitt's first race Saturday was the 4x200. She anchored the Bears with her second sub-24.0 leg in two days, blasting through the field to get her team into third place in 1:47.62.

Casper had not beaten Lotze all season, but the two SCAC East rivals have never been separated by more than a couple of feet.

"When I woke up this morning, she was the first thing on my mind," Casper said. "I beat her yesterday, in a different heat, so I was confident. But this meet has been a sort of curse for our family."

"I'm a little disappointed," said Lotze, who placed third. "But I've got next year. They are both seniors."

Ki-Be coach Jim Perry was extremely pleased to bring home the third-place trophy, especially since the Bears had only five girls in the state meet, all of whom won medals.

"I really thought we had a chance to be in the top four," Perry said. "In a perfect world we would have first. But I think we squeezed every point we could out of this group, especially with all these young kids. I think we have 43 points returning."

The Bears finished with 58 points, just eight behind team champion Chewelah.

Royal's Blair Collins added a second-place finish in the 100 and a fourth in the high jump to the long jump title he won Friday. He also ran a leg on the Knights' second-place 4x100 team. Royal's Lydia McCubbins medalled for the second time, placing seventh in the 1,600. Teammate Ciera Miller placed eighth in the 400.

Ki-Be's Jose Marcial was fourth in the 3,200.

Connell medalists included Reid Empey (fifth in the 800), Kieosha Avery (sixth in the javelin) and Spencer Hadley (sixth in the shot). Hadley won the javelin Friday.

Wahluke's Lalo Mendoza had the best qualifying time in the 1A 110 hurdles, but he hit several hurdles Saturday and faded to seventh. Burbank's Tim Maine placed eighth in the 400.