Track and field athletes representing teams from Southwest Washington claimed 13 titles during the USATF Region 13 Junior Olympics Championships.
The Evergreen Storm Track Team won 12 events and the Flanagan Clan Girls Track Club one during the meet held Friday through Sunday at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley. Region 13 includes top qualifiers from Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.
Athletes who placed fifth or better at regionals are eligible to compete at the Junior Olympics National Championship, to be held July 21-27 in Houston. Scott Slamp, director of the Evergreen Storm, said 15 of their athletes hope to travel to nationals.
For the second time this season, the Storm’s Trey Night set a meet record in the discus throw for boys ages 11-12. Knight won with a mark of 137 feet, 9 inches, which was almost four feet farther than the previous Region 13 meet record. Knight also set a Pacific Northwest Association record for all of western Washington at that meet two weeks ago. At regionals, he also won the shot put with a mark of 49 feet, 1 3/4 inches.
Storm athletes also shined in the boys 15-16 age group. Bailey King won the discus (170-6) and the hammer throw (154-8) and was second in the shot put. Ethan Tonder won the shot put (52-7) and was second to King in the discus and second in the javelin.
In the girls 15-16 division, Savanna Craig won the 2,000-meter steeplechase with a time 7:28.64.
Regyn Gaffney won the 100-meter dash for girls 17-18 (12.13) and 200 (24.96), and teamed with Tamaki Murata, Natalie Davies and Chisom Eke to win the 400 relay.
In the girls 13-14 division, Emily Wilson of the Storm won the 3,000 (11:02) and also anchored the winning 3,200-meter relay (10:19.67) where she teamed with Presley Timmons, Kaylee Merritt and Brooklyn Jackson.
In the boys 13-14 division, AJ Miranda won the boys high jump by clearing 5-7, an improvement of 4 inches over his previous best.
For the Flanagan Clan Girls Track Club of Woodland, Nicole Guthrie won the high jump for girls age 11-12 (4-9). In the 2,000-meter steeplechase for ages 15-16, Jenna Melanson set a Flanagan Clan record with her second-place time of 8:02.87.
Bruce Flanagan, coach of the team, said none of the Flanagan Clan athletes plan to travel to the nationals.
For more results for local athletes at the regional meet, see the Community Sports Scoreboard.
