Kiona-Benton senior Whitney Leavitt knew her college decision might disappoint her older brother Barry.
Leavitt considered joining Barry at Washington State, where he is a hurdler and leads off their 4x400 relay.
But Eastern Washington offered more money and a stronger teaching program, luring the six-time state champion sprinter to Cheney.
"I wouldn't say he was sad," said Whitney, who signed with EWU on March 25. "But he thought I was going to WSU. My parents, though, just wanted me to be happy."
Leavitt so far is happy with her performances on the young season. She has won the 100 and 200 meters all three years at Ki-Be, and her marks in her first two meets -- a hand-held 12.2 seconds in the 100 and a 26.48 in the 200 -- have her on track to better her career bests of 12.13 and 24.78, respectively.
She's hoping to improve upon her season marks Saturday at the Cashmere Invite. Then comes her biggest test of the season the following weekend -- the 48th Pasco Invite, where she is the reigning 100 champion and suffered one of her rare losses in the 200 final, finishing second to Benson's Kayla Smith, the Oregon 6A titlist in the 100 and 200.
"I'm nervous for it, but it's a good invite to run in," said Leavitt, who was named Outstanding Female Athlete of the meet. "There's people from Oregon, all around the state, who run there. It shows me where I'm at right now."
By state, Leavitt hopes to have broken 12 seconds in the 100 -- only three girls in area history have done that, with Celeste Stutheit's 11.86 for Richland in 1993 the area record -- and be in the mid-24s in the 200. She's only two-tenths off the area record of 24.58 set by Bree Skinner of Pasco in 1998.
Note
With spring break past, the CBBN returns to its dual-meet schedule today with four meets. The marquee meet has the Pasco and Southridge girls squaring off at a four-team meet at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima. ... The 83rd Davis Invitational at Zaepfel highlights Saturday's invite schedule. Also on tap are the inaugural Ryan Moberg Invitational in Walla Walla, named for the DeSales pole vaulter who died last year while practicing during spring break, the Royal Invite and the Umatilla-Heppner Invite.
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Richland swimmer Bratton making waves
Richland swimmer Bratton making waves
Though her family has a pool at its house, Lisa Bratton
doesn't hop in as much as she once did.
"I find I've been using it less and less because I'm in (another) pool training so much," she said. "I just want to be dry."
When Bratton does get in the water, however, she leaves the competition in her wake.
Top swimmers prep for Mukilteo Invite
Top swimmers prep for Mukilteo Invite
The King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way will provide an early taste of state-caliber swimming during Saturday's Mukilteo Invite.
The Mid-Columbia will have plenty of representatives in the Olympic-sized pool. Richland, Moses Lake, Walla Walla, Hanford, Kennewick, Kamiakin, Southridge, Sunnyside and Prosser are bringing swimmers to the Mukilteo Invite, held at the same facility as the WIAA state championships in November.
"We wanted to give our girls some good outside competition to prove their times and swim indoors," said Richland/Hanford coach Kathy Piper, who
estimated 25 teams would participate.
Seattle's Meyers running for history (w/ race-by-race preview)
Seattle's Meyers running for history (w/ race-by-race preview)
PASCO -- Fifty-two years, 297 races. Some 245 individual champions, 45 of them repeat titlists, and seven of those three-timers.
But not once a four-time individual state cross country champion in Washington.
That likely will change today.
State-qualifying swim times heating up
State-qualifying swim times heating up
Looking at the times of Mid-Columbia swimmers less than a week into the season, one might think the girls state championships in Federal Way were just around the corner, not two months away.
At Saturday's Eastern Washington Jamboree in Prosser, Hailey Rankin of the host Mustangs swam the 100-yard butterfly in a state-qualifying time of 1 minute, 2.32 seconds.
That night, more state qualifiers rolled in at the Richland Twilight Jamboree. Hanford senior Melissa Merrill qualified on her own in the 50 freestyle, then helped the Falcons achieve state-qualifying times in the 400 free and 200 medley relays.
Major cross country meets coming up
Major cross country meets coming up
With back-to-back premier events in the cross country world the next two weekends, different teams are using the big meets for different reasons.
For elite teams -- like the Kamiakin boys (ranked second in the state 3A) and girls (ranked third) -- it is a chance to pit themselves against the Northwest's best at Sunfair this Saturday at Franklin Park in Yakima and the Richland Invite the following weekend.
Likewise for the top individuals, with some of the best boys in the nation lining up for Kamiakin's Anthony Armstrong to challenge.
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