3A bi-district track: Walker’s leaps lead River to girls title

SUMNER – Ellie Walker popped off the high jump mat like it was filled with springs. On her face, a look of pure joy.

Seconds earlier, the Columbia River sophomore’s legs were the springs that launched her over a bar set 5 feet, 5 inches high.

There was a reason for Walker’s exuberance. Ahead of her lay a Class 3A District 3/4 championship in the high jump and a trip to the state track and field meet. Behind her was a season that hadn’t lived up to her expectations.

Saturday, Walker harnessed adrenaline and confidence to leap three inches higher than she had all season.

Ninety minutes later, Walker won the 100 meter hurdles. She led Columbia River to the girls bi-district team title over 18 other teams stretching from the Puget Sound to Southwest Washington.

Walker had been in a slump in the high jump. She hadn’t come close to matching her personal best of 5-foot-5, which she cleared at this same bi-district meet last year. She scraped her way into the bi-district meet by clearing just 4-foot-10 at districts on May 13.

“Probably a little lack of focus,” Walker said. “My mind was on something else. … (Confidence) is everything. You just have to believe in yourself.”

Walker took more than 20 leaps during the high jump competition. But her legs were still energized enough to win the 100 hurdles in 15.21 seconds.

“I was just on,” Walker said. “It was just adrenaline.”

Prairie freshman Kaylin Sperley is also running with confidence. But she got her swagger long before she finished second in the 100 meters and fourth in the 200 meters Saturday.

Sperley never ran organized track before this year. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t fast.

“When I was a kid, I could always beat the boys,” she said. “That was fun because you’re a girl racing against guys. And when you actually beat them, it gives you a lot of confidence to come here and race against these amazing athletes.”

Sperley’s time of 12.29 seconds in Friday’s preliminaries is the second-fastest 100 meter time among 3A athletes. She just missed winning Saturday’s final, finishing one-hundredth of a second behind Central Kitsap’s Keyera Gaulden, who won in 12.48 seconds.

Sperley has spent much of the season working on starting fast and exploding out of the blocks.

“There’s still a lot to work on,” She said. “It’s still my first year.”

The top five finishers in each event at the two-day bi-district meet advance to the state meet Thursday through Saturday in Tacoma.

Columbia River senior Austin Blankenship qualified in both distance races. He finished third in the 3,200 Saturday one day after placing fifth in the 1,600.

River senior Jacob Ringold qualified for state by finishing fourth in the triple jump. He also qualified in the long jump Friday.

River’s Brooke Willaims finished third in the long jump one day after placing second in the triple jump.

Two Prairie pole valuters advanced to state. Aleksandr Salfetnikov placed third and Michael Schmidt placed fifth.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Class 3A District 3/4 Championships

At Sumner

Day 2 Finals

Winners and local state qualifiers

Team scores – Auburn Mountainview 56, Central Kitsap 53, Bonney Lake 49, Wilson 47.5, Sumner 45, Capital 45, Lakes 41.5, Peninsula 38.5, Lincoln 38.5, Kelso 36, Auburn 33, Columbia River 30, Mount Tahoma 23, Shelton 23, Foss 22.5, North Thurston 19, Prairie 19, Hazen 16, Kennedy Catholic 10, Enumclaw 9.5, Auburn Riverside 7.

100 – 1, Trevon Powe (Wilson) 11.01.

200 – 1, Trevon Powe (Wilson) 22.23.

400 – 1, Ilijah Hudson (Mount Tahoma) 49.68.

800 – 1, Bennett Hillier (Bonney Lake) 1:53.23.

3,200 – 1, Christian Rotter (Auburn Mountainview) 9:34.20; 3, Austin Blankenship (Columbia River) 9:39.20.

400 relay – 1, Wilson 43.71; 4, Columbia River (Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jacob Ringold, Jacob Bystry, Nathan Kunz) 44.08.

1,600 relay – 1, Bonney Lake 3:25.11.

110 hurdles – 1, Trevon Powe (Wilson) 14.31.

300 hurdles – 1, Josh Riley (Sumner) 38.74.

Discus – 1, Trevor Jensen (Auburn Mountainview) 157-7.

Triple jump – 1, Ryan Chase (Capital) 45-9; 4, Jacob Ringold (Columbia River) 42-0.

Pole vault – 1, Trent Beavers (Kelso) 13-6; 3, Aleksandr Salfetnikov (Prairie) 13-0; Michael Schmidt (Prairie) 12-6.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Class 3A District 3/4 Championships

At Sumner

Day 2 Finals

Winners and local state qualifiers

Team scores – Columbia River 73.50, Kelso 71, Central Kitsap 69, Sumner 62, Enumclaw 62, Hazen 54, Prairie 39.5, Peninsula 38, Capital 37, Kennedy Catholic 36, Wilson 32, Auburn Riverside 32, Auburn Mountainview 29, Auburn 18, Bonney Lake 14, North Thurston 12, Lakes 9, Mount Tahoma 9, Lincoln 3.

100 – 1, Keyera Gaulden (Central Kitsap) 12.48; 2, Kaylin Sperley (Prairie) 12.49.

200 – 1, Keyera Gaulden (Central Kitsap) 25.54; 4, Kaylin Sperley (Prairie) 26.20.

400 – 1, Morgan Greene (Wilson) 57.47.

800 – 1, Emma Sjolund (Sumner) 2:16.92.

3,200 – 1, Lauren Pierson (Capital) 11:11.92; 5, Jamie Ferris (Prairie) 11:31.00.

400 relay – 1, Central Kitsap 50.19; 4, Prairie (Kaylin Sperley, Claire Papworth, Cherita Daugherty, Mercedes McLeod) 50.62; 5, Columbia River (Grayson Burke, Madeline Wevers, Allison Frank, Taylor Hallquist) 50.64.

800 relay – 1, Enumclaw 1:44.89; 4, Columbia River (Taylor Hallquist, Madeline Weavers, Brooke Williams, Grayson Burke) 1:46.16.

1,600 relay – 1, Sumner 4:00.31.

100 hurdles – 1, Ellie Walker (Columbia River) 15.21.

300 hurdles – 1, Rebecca Thareek (Auburn) 45.42; 5, Lindsay Asplund (Prairie) 46.71.

Shot put – 1, KC Moulden (Enumclaw) 43-11.

Javelin – 1, Mariah Horton (Kelso) 129-3.

High jump – 1, Ellie Walker (Columbia River) 5-5.

Long jump – 1, Brittni Williams (Auburn Riverside) 17-4.5; 3, Brooke Williams (Columbia River) 16-5.75; 4, Tiarra Ringold (Columbia River) 16-3.5.