Track opener produces notable finishes for Medical Lake
The Medical Lake track team ventured to Richland Jamboree looking for some answers, and decent weather.
They got at least a little of each.
The Cardinals earned one win, by default, as the only school entering a 4x100 relay team composed of Grant Greenhall, Urijah Taylor, JJ Johnson and Pedro Sandre. There was no time recorded.
Medical Lake’s 4x400 team of Nicholas Henry, Zach Lewis, Victor Long and Jeremiah Windle finished fourth in a time of 4 minutes, 4.09 seconds. Mead won the race in 3:36.41.
Notable efforts from a team that is largely rebuilding after a heavy hit from graduation included Pedro Sandre’s 11.89 second personal record and an eighth place in the 100 meters.
“Our sprint team is going to be pretty good, actually, considering all the people we graduated last year,” Blankenship said. He credited assistant coach Davie McNiel with the work to rebuild that part of the team.
Mason Williams ran well in the 800 meters, with a 2:09, good for eighth. His 4:46.72 in the 1,600 landed him sixth.
“Pretty much, I was pleased with our performances,” Blankenship said. “I thought our distance runners should have run a little faster.”
Joel Kiki cleared 11-feet even for a No. 9 finish in the pole vault.
Jaxyn Farmen had a pair of runner-up finishes in her jump events with a 16-foot, 2-inch in the long jump that trailed the 16-11 of Richland’s Redden McCall. Farmen’s 34-02.5 was just behind the 34-10.5 of Mead’s Kate White in the triple jump.
“Kayla Branch PR’d by a long way in the triple (jump),” Blankenship said of her 31-08.5. Branch earned her way into the top-10 club at Medical Lake.
Maris Tuck was 10th in the 3,200 meters at 13:46.09.
While Blankenship said the field event performers were disappointed with their day, the girls got a notable effort from Reilly Allen in the pole vault. Her 7-6 earned a three-way tie for eighth. Ellie Acord tied for sixth in the high jump with a 4-04 effort.
Over 1,000 athletes competed in this traditional first meet of the season for many schools. Eight schools sent teams.
And as for the warm and dry climate in Richland, “We go down there hoping for good weather, (but) we don’t ever really draw it,” Blankenship said. Midday was nice but the morning and afternoon “were terrible.”
Medical Lake heads to Wenatchee this Saturday for the Ray Cochrum Relays starting at 11 a.m.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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