Wa-Hi boys, MCC athletes dominate 3A WA state track and field championships

Head coach Eric Hisaw watched his Walla Walla boys roll to the Class 3A boys track and field team title in Tacoma on Saturday.

And Mid-Columbia Conference fans were able to watch local athletes grab no less than eight individual championships.

It was definitely a banner weekend for our top 3A athletes at Mount Tahoma High School.

It starts with Wa-Hi senior Dash Sirmon, who will throw the javelin next year for the University of Washington.

Sirmon won the javelin event with a throw of 216 feet, 3 inches, and he’s ranked No. 3 in the nation. Sirmon also won the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 0.75 inches; and he placed sixth in the discus.

Meanwhile, Blue Devils junior Brody Hartley didn’t win any events, but he placed high enough to score good points for Wa-Hi: a second in the 800, a third in the 3200, and a fourth in the 1600.

On the girls’ side, Hermiston senior Bailey Young — headed to Eastern Washington University — was a double winner in the shot put and discus. Young’s throw of 134 feet, 5 inches in the discus was a personal record.

Hermiston’s Caden Hottman won the boys discus title with a throw of 169-3, and he placed second in the shot put with a PR of 59-9.

Kennewick senior Macy Marquardt, heading to Boise State University this fall, won the girls 3200 race with a PR of 10:25.34. Marquardt also placed second in the 1600, finishing with a PR of 4:58.37.

Southridge senior Jayden Smith finished her prep career by winning the girls high jump with a leap of 5-5. Smith also placed sixth in the triple jump.

Wa-Hi sophomore Dane Gardea was a pleasant surprise for Hisaw, winning the boys high jump with a height of 6-4. Gardea also helped with points by running a leg — along with Diego Jaques, Caleb Morehead and Isaiah Roberson — on the second-place boys 4x100 relay team.

Logan Ashbeck also scored points for the Wa-Hi boys, finishing third in the javelin with a PR throw of 182 feet, 1 inch.

Crystal Kelly helped the Wa-Hi girls’ effort with a third-place finish in the javelin; and Kennewick senior Boone Prock placed third in the boys high jump with a PR leap of 6-4.

The Blue Devils boys won the team title with 66 points, while Hermiston tied for ninth with 22 points.

Capital took the girls team title with 54 points. Hermiston tied for 10th with 20 points, and Kennewick was 15th with 18 points.

2A softball

Othello coach Rudy Ochoa had his Huskies seeded No. 1 in the tournament, and then they rolled through their first three games, beating West Valley of Spokane 6-0, stopping Port Angeles 6-1, and pounding Lakewood 17-3 in the semifinals.

But No. 6 Tumwater got hot, and in the finals, it beat Othello 13-3 in Selah.

Still, it was a great season for Ochoa and the Huskies, who finished second at state and had a 24-2 record.

4A tennis

The Mid-Columbia had some outstanding finishes in this tournament that was held in the Tri-Cities.First, Richland’s Isaac Morrison and Matt Morrison placed second in the boys doubles tournament, only losing 6-3, 6-0 to Union’s Jacob Flentke and James Bertheau in the finals.

The Morrisons entered the finals by winning all three of their previous matches in 2-0 sweeps.

Meanwhile, Richland’s Bryn Neal defeated Sydney Kowalchuk of Rogers of Puyallup 6-3, 6-1, to finish fifth in the girls singles tournament. Neal had lost her opening-round match of the weekend, then reeled off three straight victories.

And Chiawana’s girls doubles team of Gracie Bolson and Sydney Smith went the same route as Richland’s Neal, losing their opener, but then winning three straight matches to finish fifth.

Bolson and Smith defeated Union’s Ina Ding and Lana Saoprasueth 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 for the fifth-place trophy.

2A track and field

Prosser’s Halle Wright, headed to Idaho State University on a women’s basketball scholarship, ended her prep career last week by winning the girls high jump event in Cheney.

Wright cleared 5 feet, 3 inches.

Othello senior Ashley Perez finished second in the girls shot put, and Prosser’s Kambree Blair finished fifth in the girls triple jump.

2B track and field

River View senior Skyln Munson, headed to Clark College in Vancouver to play women’s basketball, had a big weekend in Cheney.

Munson won the girls javelin competition with a PR throw of 133-5; placed second in the 800 meters; and ran a leg (along with Kadyen Anderson, Aliyah Malone and Marina Jimenez) on the second-place girls 4x100 relay team.

Meanwhile, the Lind-Ritzville duo of Sydney Kinch and Myra Miller won events.

Kinch won the girls pole vault with a mark of 10-0 feet. She also placed fifth in the long jump.Miller won the girls discus with a PR throw of 125-5.

River View’s Cody Bush was the top local boys placer, finishing fourth in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 9.50 inches.

NWAC track and field

There were three area athletes who won titles last week at the NWAC track and field championships.

Kennewick High grad Madeline Gebers, competing for Spokane Community College, won the women’s javelin competition with a throw of 141 feet, 2 inches.

Another Spokane Community College athlete, Kamiakin grad Jaxson Nichols, was a winner in the men’s high jump. Nichols cleared 6 feet, 4 inches.

And finally Scout Reagan, a Hermiston High graduate competing for Lane Community College, won the women’s 100 meters with a time of 12.38 seconds.

Reagan also placed second in the women’s 200 meters, with a time of 25.63 seconds.