Patrick Gibson at Balboa
Patrick Gibson placed 24th at Foot Locker National in San Diego.
Tom Bradley of Blaine topped patrick Gibson, who finally returned to action after a long lay-off, with a time of 15:21 but Sehome dominated in the team race.
Emily Pittis ran 18:25 to lead Sehome to the NWC. Squalicum finished second but its leader Brittany Gappa was forced to miss the race.
Brittany Gappa
Sehome took both team races and Brittany Gappa topped Emily Pittis in the 2.6 mile race at lake Paden. Conner Johnson of Sehome won the boys' race but patrick Gibson was notably absent for Squalicum.
Sehome won the Meet but Squalicum's Gina Flint (45-07 in the Shot) & Brittany Gappa (10:9 in the 3200M) soared in their events.
Patrick Gibson of Squalicum won the 200M in 9:13 and Brittany Gappa of Squalicum topped Emily Pettis of Sehome 11:00 to 11:05. In the Field Gina Flint of Squalicum went 42-05 in the Shot.
Marina Roberts of Kingston had the best ti,e of the girls, while Sehome freshman Emily Pitts impressed. Patrick Gibson won the junior boys' race with a best of the day of 10:16.
Sehome began the track season with victories against city rivals Bellingham High School & Squalicum.
Squalicum thrower Gina Flint esstablished a new school record in the discus with a mark that is best in the state for the new season.
PASCO — Squalicum distance runner Bronwyn Crossman can finally add an accomplishment to her successful high school career: state track champion.
The senior led wire to wire to win the girls’ 3,200 meters at the Class 3A State Track and Field Meet on Friday. Crossman’s winning time of 10 minutes, 59.37 seconds was less than a second better than runner- up Natty Plunkett (10:59.70) of Bellevue Newport.
“It feels really good,” said Crossman, a two-time state cross country champion.
“It wasn’t as fast as she wanted to run, but she had to hold off (Plunkett) at the end,” Squalicum distance coach Tim Irvin said in a phone interview. “Our goal was to win and she won.”
TACOMA — The Sehome boys’ track and field team is establishing a dynasty in the 1,600-meter run.
The Mariners’ Colin Flynn took first place and teammate Mason McHenry was second as Sehome scored 18 quick points in the team race at the Class 2A State Track and Field Meet on Friday at Mount Tahoma High School.
In the discus, Sehome added 12 more points as Nick Lohse was second with a throw of 156 feet, four inches, and Nelson Westlin was fifth at 150-08.
That made 30 points after two events for the Mariners, who finished the first day of competition with that total as they attempt to defend their state championship. Cheney is second with 15 points.
The Sehome girls, also trying to defend their state title from a year ago, scored eight points Friday. Senior Brittany Todhunter took fifth in the shot put with a throw of 39-3.75.
PASCO — Ferndale’s Tanja Bjornsson medaled in four events to lead Whatcom County entrants at the Class 3A State Track and Field Meet on Saturday at Edgar Brown Stadium.
Bjornsson’s top finish was on the Golden Eagles’ 4x200 relay, which placed second in a school-record time of 1 minute and 42.93 seconds. Also on the relay were Haley Locker, McKensie Clark and Chantel Green.
“We had a good final session,” Ferndale coach Ted Genger said in a phone interview. “(Bjornsson) had the best state meet.”
Bjornsson finished fourth in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles with times of 15.10 and 45.66, respectively. She also was a part of Ferndale’s 4x100 team that included the same runners on the 4x200 squad. The 4x100 team placed sixth in 49.68.
TACOMA — The Sehome boys’ track and field team took care of business, and the result is another state championship for the Mariners.
Sehome used its typically strong contingent of middle-distance runners and throwers to score 54 points and win its second consecutive state title at the Class 2A State Track and Field Meet on Saturday at Mount Tahoma High School. Foster was second with 42 points.
The Mariners girls had a banner second day after a slow start on the first day of competition. Sehome scored 42 points and finished in second place behind Burlington-Edison, who took the state title with 52.5 points. The Mariners won the 2007 state championship.
Lacey Montgomery and Breanna Olason led the way for the Blaine girls’ track and field team on Wednesday in its 86-58 win over Mount Baker at Deming.
Burlington-Edison’s Danielle Nordlund won two events and ran on two winning relay teams to lead the Tigers over Lynden and Mount Vernon in Northwest Conference girls’ track and field action Wednesday at Lynden.
Shayne Moore led an all-around impressive day by the Blaine boys’ track and field team in its 114-30 win over Mount Baker on Wednesday at Deming.
Lynden dominated the sprints Wednesday to earn the Lions a split with Burlington-Edison and Mount Vernon in Northwest Conference boys’ track and field competition at Lynden.
BELLINGHAM — On a day that often felt more suited to penguins and polar bears than high school track and field, local athletes provided a good measure of heat Wednesday at Civic Stadium.
The persistently cold springtime weather did not take a much-needed hiatus, but the defending Class 2A state champion Sehome track teams are approaching lateseason form. The Mariners swept city rivals Bellingham and Squalicum in both boys and girls competition; the Sehome boys defeated Bellingham and 110-34 Squalicum 92-49. Squalicum topped Bellingham 88-47 in the third dual meet.
Haley Locker won the 100 and 200 meters, and Tanya Bjornsson took both hurdles races Wednesday to lead the Ferndale girls’ track team in a three-way meet with Bellingham and Meridian.
Mikaela Yeomans and Molly Scoles each won two events as the Mount Baker girls’ track team defeated Anacortes and Lynden Christian in a three-team track meet Wednesday at Lynden High School.
The Mount Vernon girls’ track and field team needed a strong final leg in the 4x400 to get past Squalicum with a 74-73 win at Mount Vernon on Wednesday.
Annie Moore won three events to help lead the Sehome girls’ track and field team to wins over Lynden and Blaine at Civic Stadium on Wednesday.
Individually, Moore won the 800 meters with a time of 2 minutes, 17.63 seconds and the 3,200 in 12:19.1. She also anchored the winning 4x400 team that included Alex Marcus, Lauren Bruce and Mimi Kreiger in its winning time of 4:17.64.
Sehome girls win second straight title
DOUG PACEY The Belling Herald
Sehome is on the verge of a becoming Class 2A cross country dynasty.
The senior-less Mariners captured their second straight state championship on Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
“This is the cherry on top of the season,” said sophomore Annie Moore, who placed second with a time of 19 minutes, 11 seconds.
Bronwyn Crossman can have a strong meet even while not running at full strength.
Crossman led the Squalicum girls’ cross country team to a win against Bellingham, Burlington- Edison and Nooksack Valley on Wednesday at Cornwall Park.
SILVER LAKE — The Squalicum girls’ cross country squad did something on Saturday at the Mount Baker Invite no other team could lay claim to: the Storm placed four runners in the top 20.
But that wasn’t enough to win the meet at Silver Lake Park. Squalicum finished a distant fourth to Veradale Central Valley.
The Nooksack Valley boys’ cross country team scored one of its best finishes ever at a large meet, taking second in its classification at the Seaside (Ore.) Invitational. The Pioneers girls’ team matched the boys with their own second-place showing.
“It was a very difficult course,” Nooksack Valley coach Rhonda Smith said in a phone interview. “All three courses have humongous hills and sands, but our kids really ran well. This is really an event where it’s just about getting out and running.”
The event, which had more than 80 schools and 2,500 runners participate, placed two runners from each team on each of three courses. The finish of all six runners, who drew which course they would be running (easy, moderate or difficult), was combined for team scores.
Bellingham’s Becca Friday set a new course record to highlight an all-around effort for the Red Raiders against Mount Baker, Sedro-Woolley and Lynden Christian in a cross country meet on Wednesday at Lynden Christian High School.
Friday won the girls’ meet with a record time of 19 minutes, 37 seconds, erasing the previous high mark of 19:43. Her teammates Hannah Jensen and Celeste Cassidy came in second and third to lead Bellingham to a team win. Lynden Christian’s Michelle Steiger was fourth and Mount Baker’s Sierra Briske finished sixth.
Bellingham’s Becca Friday set a new course record to highlight an all-around effort for the Red Raiders against Mount Baker, Sedro-Woolley and Lynden Christian in a cross country meet on Wednesday at Lynden Christian High School.
Friday won the girls’ meet with a record time of 19 minutes, 37 seconds, erasing the previous high mark of 19:43. Her teammates Hannah Jensen and Celeste Cassidy came in second and third to lead Bellingham to a team win. Lynden Christian’s Michelle Steiger was fourth and Mount Baker’s Sierra Briske finished sixth.