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SPOKANE -- Sheila Smith was getting antsy standing by the scorer's tent.
The Southridge girls coach had spent two long days at the 4A/3A Eastern Regional track meet, and she'd done the math in her head. There was no reason for her to hang around Spokane Falls CC any longer.
"I like this place, but I'm ready to be somewhere else -- a park, maybe, or a restaurant," she said.
Stick around, she was told. It'll be worth it.
So she put off heading for the air conditioning and waited around as they announced the team scores in the 4A meet. And she was rewarded by a shriek from the stands when Randy Ryan's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "And in first place with 97 points, Southridge."
It was the first team title at a major meet ever for the Suns program, and it came a week after they lost the CBBN district title by one point to Richland.
"I just look at this as a qualifying meet," Smith said. "But this is awesome for the girls. It's so exciting."
Southridge won it thanks to its dominance in the short distances -- their 800-meter relay broke the regional and Mid-Columbia record, and four Suns earned individual berths, including junior Chelsea Bourque's win in the 100 hurdles, to go with two fourth-place finishes.
Their haul, added to Richland's nine berths -- highlighted by senior Shaniae Lakes' regional-record 39-foot triple jump -- made it a banner day for the Mid-Columbia, which had seven 4A champions and grabbed 22 berths to next week's Star Track XXVII in Tacoma. In all, the CBBN grabbed 30 of 54 berths.
Hanford qualified four girls to the 3A state meet, with senior Taymussa Miller adding a second-place finish in the triple jump to her two wins Friday. Shadle Park won the team title as the GSL took 24 of 36 berths.
4A
Lakes had jumped a school-record 38-81/4 six weeks ago at a league meet, but a hip flexor injury kept her from jumping again until districts last Friday.
Still, she knew she had a big jump in her coming into the day, and she got it on her first attempt. She passed on her final two jumps in order to prepare for the 200 final, in which she finished second in 25.97 to qualify.
"I've been feeling a lot better, and I knew I was going to get it even before I jumped," said Lakes, who also qualified for state as part of Richland's 4x200 relay. "I just felt it, and I was just happy I did."
Kamiakin senior Elise Jepsen, jumping on a gimpy right ankle, went 36-10 on her first try, then passed on her other attempts and still finished second.
Lakes was Richland's only titlist, but the Bombers still made themselves a trophy threat next week by adding 300 hurdlers Martha Sanford (second, 46.10) and Gabby Brower (third, 46.86) and pole vaulter Jessica Christian (second, 11-10) to the trio they qualified Friday.
Sanford also has battled injury problems all year -- in her case, a sprained right ankle -- but ran a season best in the final.
"It's a relief," she said.
Bourque won the regional 100 hurdles title two years ago and placed second last year. She came into the final off her leadoff leg for the Suns' blistering 4x200, which ran a 1:41.76 to break their own area record set in winning the 3A state title a year ago.
The momentum carried into her hurdles final, as she stormed past University's Maddie Fuchs and Kamiakin freshman Khadidja Toure in the second half of the race to win in a season-best 15.08.
"It feels awesome to walk away with three regional titles," said Bourque, who also ran on Southridge's winning 4x100 on Friday. "I never would have thought that when I first came to Southridge."
Also on Southridge's 4x200 were sophomore Andrea Smith, who finished third in the 100 hurdles in 15.47, and senior Kasey McNeill, who took second in the 100 in 12.70. Junior Jenna Wallace grabbed a spot in the 400, taking third in 1:00.34.
Yesenia Ortiz was the lone highlight for Pasco on Day 2, as the senior battled down the homestretch to pass two runners and win the 400 in a career-best 58.75. She was the lone Bulldog to qualify on the second day.
"This is such a hard race to run," Ortiz said. "But as much as I hate it, I love it. I just kicked it in at the end."
State qualifiers and area placers
Team scores--Southridge 97, Mead 94, Richland 90, Ferris 57, Central Valley 451/2, Pasco 401/2, Eastmont 39, University 36, Davis 31, Kamiakin 30, Lewis & Clark 291/2, Eisenhower 28, Gonzaga Prep 27, Walla Walla 231/2, Wenatchee 22, Kennewick 7, Moses Lake 5.
100--Kelsey Lin (Fer) 12.35, Kasey McNeill (Sou) 12.70, Jeannie Nelson (Fer) 12.87. Also: 4, La'Quilla Upton (Sou) 12.98; 7, Yesenia Ortiz (Pas) 13.13.
200--Lin (Fer) 25.37, Shaniae Lakes (Ric) 25.97, Megan Lindsey (GP) 26.47. Also: 4, Upton (Sou) 26.77; 6, Chynna Dickey (Ric) 27.17; 8, Magie Munoz (ML) 27.43.
400--Ortiz (Pas) 58.75, Kit Parker (LC) 59.13, Jenna Wallace (Sou) 1:00.34. Also: 6, Kailee Davisson (WW) 1:02.21.
800--Baylee Mires (Md) 2:14.70, Nikki Dotter (Est) 2:15.67, Amy Thornton (UHi) 2:18.88. Also: 7, Katie Mahoney (Ric) 2:28.77; 8, Maggie Jones (Ric) 2:35.70.
1600--Mires (Md) 4:58.35, Sandra Martinez (Dav) 5:02.34, Annie Pokorny (LC) 5:09.08. Also: 7, Emily Hazen (Ric) 5:24.94.
100H--Chelsea Bourque (Sou) 15.08, Maddy Fuchs (UHi) 15.45, Andrea Smith (Sou) 15.47. Also: 4, Khadidja Toure (Kmk) 15.85; 5, Martha Sanford (Ric) 16.06; 6, Sadie Sparks (Pas) 16.25; 7, Elise Jepsen (Kmk) 16.27; 8, Kendell Gilmore (Pas) 16.57.
300H--Fuchs (UHi) 44.83, Sanford (Ric) 46.10, Gabby Brower (Ric) 46.86. Also: 6, McKhayla Morris (WW) 48.15; 7, Jamie Weisner (WW) 49.31; 8, Danielle Rovira (Pas) 52.41.
4x200--Southridge (Bourque, Smith, Upton, McNeill) 1:41.76 (meet record; old record, 1:42.46, Davis, 2002), Mead 1:43.65, Richland (Sanford, Sydni Jamerson, Shallynn Jackson, Lakes) 1:43.72. Also: 7, Pasco 1:50.35; 8, Moses Lake 1:51.42.
4x400--Mead 3:56.62, Eastmont 4:00.16, Gonzaga Prep 4:01.02. Also: 4, Pasco 4:01.50; 5, Richland 4:04.68; 7, Southridge 4:16.34; 8, Walla Walla 4:18.51.
PV--Tasha Clark (Md) 11-10, Jessica Christian (Ric) 11-10, Emma Vidmar (CV) 11-0. Also: 4, Mackenzie Hall (Sou) 11-0; 5, Katie Smoot (Sou) 10-6.
TJ--Lakes (Ric) 39-0 (meet record; old record, 38-71/2, Katie Kress, Walla Walla, 1996), Jepsen (Kmk) 36-10, Kiersten Green (Md) 36-31/4. Also: 5, Brittany Hill (Sou) 34-61/4; 7, Kayla Chamberlain (ML) 34-51/2; 8, Jordan Loera (ML) 33-101/2.
Dis--Alexa Lindseth (Fer) 130-2, Natalie Kyllo (Fer) 125-5, Jessica Bush (Ike) 122-9. Also: 5, Kelsey Julian (Kwk) 118-9; 6, Arianna Balderas (Pas) 115-1; 8, Adrianna Rodriguez (WW) 111-7.
3A
Miller came into the triple jump as the top qualifier but ended up second by a quarter-inch to West Valley's Kira Lewis, despite going a career-best 36-2 1/4.
"This feels really, really good," Miller said. "To get a 36 really boosts my confidence for state."
Senior Megan Dart shrugged off a sore throat and a slow start to outlean West Valley's Chelsea Nell and grab the second berth in the 400, finishing in 1:00.64.
"It was really cutthroat," Dart said. "I was just thinking that I've got a stronger kick than these other girls and that I can do it."
State qualifiers and area placers
Team scores--Shadle Park 155, Mount Spokane 1421/2, Hanford 1241/2, West Valley 99, East Valley 78, North Central 66, Sunnyside 17, Rogers 6.
100--Chantel Jaeger (WV) 12.41, Afton McKinlay (MtS) 12.77.
200--Jaeger (WV) 25.13, Martha Wagley (SPk) 26.68. Also: 7, Hannah Hatchell (Han) 28.44.
400--McKinlay (MtS) 1:00.24, Megan Dart (Han) 1:00.64. Also: 7, Melissa Queen (Han) 1:05.78.
800--Amy Before (SPk) 2:18.30, Courtney Zalud (MtS) 2:18.80. Also: 5, Megan Dart (Han) 2:27.34; 6, Breanna Daniel (Han) 2:28.63; 7, Marisa Broersma (Sun) 2:36.13.
1600--Zalud (MtS) 5:15.44, Andrea Nelson (SPk) 5:16.12. Also: 4, Erin Hegarty (Han) 5:18.12.
100H--Shayle Dezellem (SPk) 15.22, Joanna Luse (MtS) 15.68.
300H--Dezellem (SPk) 46.33, Tiara Pajimola (SPk) 46.76. Also: 4, Kristine Feliciano (Han) 48.82.
4x200--Mount Spokane 1:45.38, West Valley 1:45.48. Also: 5, Hanford 1:52.38.
4x400--Shadle Park 4:01.71, Mount Spokane 4:11.67. Also: 3, Hanford 4:19.43.
PV--Kaycee Smith (MtS) 10-3, Britta LaVoie (MtS) 9-3. Also: 3, Amy Rovira (Han) 9-0; 4, Katie Herndon (Sun) 8-6.
TJ--Kira Lewis (WV) 36-21/2, Taymussa Miller (Han) 36-21/4. Also: 5, Kara Berlin (Han) 33-5; 6, Veronica Bradley (Han) 33-01/2.
Dis--Melissa Youmans (EV) 124-3, Rachel Damiano (MtS) 121-0. Also: 7, Laura Hughes (Han) 94-5.
