While the weather was bad, the results for the Cheney High School track and field teams from last Saturday’s Van Kuren Invitational proved to be pretty good.
The Blackhawks boys and girls both finished fourth out of 52 teams competing at Spokane Falls Community College that ranged from Washington’s 2B classification up to Idaho 5A Mountain View; setting a number of season and personal best marks in the process. The boys’ 60 points trailed only Idaho 3A Timberlake, Washington 3A Shorewood and meet champion Mountain View while the girls’ 39.25 points was behind Northeast A League Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls), Shorewood and Mountain View.
“That was the most rain I’ve seen at an eastside meet in my life,” Cheney boys head coach Derek Slaughter said. “It was not a sprinters day, obviously, with the weather.”
Cheney’s boys captured three first-place finishes, two by sprinter Camden Verstrate. The senior won the 100 and 200-meter dashes with times of 11.10 and 22.37 seconds. He was joined atop the medal platform by fellow senior Jacob McGourin, whose throw of 161 feet, 6 inches gave him first in the discus.
Jeremy Blom was second in the weather-shortened pole vault with a vault of 9-06. Other top-10 finishes went to Julian Torres in the steeplechase (fourth), Ryan Riekmann in the javelin (fourth), McGourin in the 100 (sixth) and Hyrum McCombie in the shot put (sixth), setting a new PR of 44-06.50 in the process.
Cheney’s 4x100 relay team of Bryden Esquibel, McGourin, Jaheem Peele and Verstrate was second in 44.57, with the 4x400 team of Verstrate, Parker Rogers, Torres and Peele third in 3:42.74.
Slaughter also singled out efforts by seniors Dawson West and Aiden McCrum. West is “getting back into high jump form,” and posted a season-best leap of 5-08 for 15th, while McCrum turned in a PR of 2:11.76 for 17th in the 800.
“He’s been working his butt off to get there,” Slaughter said of McCrum. “He’s the type of kid you want to coach every year.”
Girls’ head coach Emily Stralser was equally excited about her team’s performance, especially given the conditions.
Sophia Van Wormer posted the Blackhawk girls’ only first-place finish, capturing the pole vault with a mark of 10-06. Hunter Holsten was second in the with a throw of 36-02.25.
“She’s (Holsten) a little disappointed,” Stralser said of the junior’s finish. “I keep telling her, ‘if you consistently hit 36 (feet), you’re going to pop a big throw pretty soon.”
Cheney’s efforts on the track were led by Maddie Warren, who finished second in the 200 in 27.24. Stralser said the junior had a strong meet, especially coming back from some shin pain, finishing well in the 200 and running strong legs in the relays.
“Getting close to a personal best (in the 200) for sprinters was great, since they don’t do well in the rain and cold,” Stralser said of Warren.
Other top-10 finishes for the girls came from Jade Gere in the 1,600 (10th, PR of 5:51.63), Kaitren Fisher in the 300 hurdles (ninth), Makayla Miller in the pole vault (tied for eighth) and Emma Pepperd in the long jump (seventh).
In the relays, the 4x100 team of Sydney Reagan, Warren, Sara Graham and Van Wormer was fourth, the 4x200 team of Van Wormer, Reagan, Jaela Thornburg and Warren was third and the 4x400 team of Alexia Batchelor, Thornburg, Graham and Warren finished ninth.
The meet was moved from Cheney to Spokane Falls CC this year due to restrictions from construction at the high school. Slaughter said it will likely take place at the community college one more time in 2020.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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