Top 10 moments in Pasco Invite history

PASCO -- Here are the top Pasco Invite performances

There have been a lot of great performances in the last 49 Pasco Invitational track and field meets.

This Saturday's 50th edition should be no different.

But before new memories are created, let's look at some of the best.

Meet director John Crawford, who has been to every one of the Invites except the first three, gives his take:

10. Pasco's Ron Howard

From 1968-70, Pasco product Ron Howard dominated in the boys triple jump.

As a sophomore in 1968, Howard leaped 42 feet, 8 3/4 inches in the new event. He went to 43-5 as a junior, and as a senior he won three events, both hurdles and the triple jump again, and was named the meet's Outstanding Athlete -- the first time the award was presented.

Howard would go on to be an NFL player with the Cowboys and Seahawks.

9. The 1989 girls meet

Prosser's Kelly Blair, who would go on to compete in the Olympics, won three events in the high jump, long jump and 100 high hurdles. She also placed fifth in the 300 low hurdles to give Prosser 33 points in the team race.

Camara Jones of Mountain View won the 200 and 400 meters, and ran the anchor on the winning 800 relay team to give the Vancouver school the team title at 54 points.

But it was Dory Reeves who was named the meet's Outstanding Female Athlete by setting records in the discus and shot put -- all after taking her ACT test in the morning at Columbia Basin College.

8. Girl hurdlers

Start with Kennewick's Pam Board, who was the meet's top female athlete in 1982, winning the 300 hurdles. She did it again in 1983, and for toppers she anchored the winning 1,600 relay to give the Lions the team title.

Add in Walla Walla's Seville Broussard, who in 1993 was the meet's top athlete for winning both hurdles and the high jump.

And finish with Rainier Beach's Ginny Powell, who won the female top athlete of the meet award for four straight years, 1999 to 2002.

Powell won both hurdles and was a part of two winning relays as a freshman; two hurdles and a relay as a sophomore; one hurdles and two relays as a junior; and a hurdles and one relay title as a senior.

7. Becca Noble

The Rogers of Spokane standout won the 400 meters in 54.93 seconds for a meet record in 2004. The next year, as a senior, she was even better, setting the record again in 54.40 seconds and winning the 200 (24.70) to take the top athlete award again.

6. Ja'Warren Hooker

From 1995-97, this Ellensburg standout dominated in the sprints.

He won the 100 as a soph, and was named the top male athlete of the meet as a junior when he won both the 100 and 200 meters.

But as a senior in 1997, Hooker was dominant. His 10.44 time in the 100 was an all-time state best, and his winning time of 21.40 in the 200 was a meet record.

5. Rick Riley in 1966

The Ferris standout blazed around the Edgar Brown Stadium track, running the 2-mile in 9 minutes and 1 second -- at the time the third-best run in that event in high school track history, in the nation.

Only track greats Gerry Lindgren and Jim Ryan had better times.

4. Vince Goldsmith, 1976

Vince Goldsmith wasn't big by shot putter standards, just 6-feet, 215 pounds.

But the Mount Tahoma athlete calmly walked into the ring and shattered the meet mark in the event with a toss of 64 feet and 1 inch. The old mark was 59-2 3/8.

"I'm not as tall or as stocky as most shotputters," Goldsmith told the Herald at the time. "I get across the ring quickly, though, and have the momentum when I release."

3. High jumpers

When you think of the high jump at this meet, two names come to mind: Rick Noji and Corrisa Yasen.

We'll get to Noji later.

But Yasen, from Coeur d'Alene, cleared the bar at 6 feet in 1991 to tie what was at the time her own mark and the best in the nation. Throw in her win in the 400 meters, and Yasen was named the meet's top female athlete.

She came back in 1992 and won the high jump and long jump.

2. Tacoma stars

The Pasco Invite has always been blessed with great male athletes. For some reason, though, Tacoma has provided many of the best ones.

In 1973, Lincoln's Keith Tinner was named the meet's top athlete after he won the 440-yard dash in 49.0 seconds, and two other titles. In 1974 he won both the 220 and 440.

In 1977 and '78, Wilson's Aaron Williams won top male athlete honors. In 1977, he set records in the long jump, 110 hurdles and long jump. He also won the 180 low hurdles for four victories. In 1978, he set meet records in the high hurdles, low hurdles and triple jump to become the first-ever athlete to win back-to-back top athlete awards.

In 1981, Wilson's Calvin Kennon won three events, including a state record 46.88 seconds in the 400 meters. Kennon's win in the 100 and his anchoring of the winning 1600-meter relay team garnered him the top male athlete honors of the meet.

1. The 1985 meet

Franklin's Rick Noji gave the crowd a thrill in the high jump.

He was just a 5-8 kid. But he cleared the bar for a record of 7 feet, 2 inches to get the crowd on its feet. But Noji wasn't the only star.

The host Pasco boys won their first Pasco Invite team title with 53 points, thanks to two relay wins and Tim Sullivan's 400 meters victory.

Pullman's Timm Rosenbach, a future NFL quarterback, set a nation-leading mark of 225-1 in the javelin; while Woodinville's John Quade became the national leader in the 800 with a winning time of 1:50.83.

Kamiakin's Brenda Harding won the 400 and 100 hurdles, and she anchored the winning 1,600 relay team.

This story was originally published April 14, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Top 10 moments in Pasco Invite history."