Stanwood girls’ track and field squad scores well in two meets

Long-distance specialist Jordin Stephenson heads for the finish line in a recent meet. The freshman, a member of Stanwood’s state cross country contingent last fall, has provided valuable depth for the Lady Sparts this spring as well. PHOTO BY JOHN GALBREATH | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS Stanwood’s Lady Spartans captured their own track and field tri-meet on Thursday and then grabbed second place just behind Sehome in the Birger Solberg Team Invitational in Bellingham to finish a fine week of competition on Saturday.

By finishing first, third and fourth in the 800 meter run, first and second in the 3200, first and third in the 4X400 relay, and with high placings in the field events by two or more local competitors, the Sparts accumulated 72 points to Shorecrest’s 65.6 and Edmonds- Woodway’s 48.5 counters on Thursday.

Minna Fields ran away with the 800 by completing the double circuit in 2 minutes, 23 seconds and was joined by teammates Kelsey Haller (2:39) and Megan Wyles (2:40) who held off two other Shorecrest Scotties to take third and fourth, respectively.

Senior distance specialists Natasha Verma (11:35) and freshman Jordin Stephenson (12:03) took the top two spots in the 3200. Stephenson had to sprint the final 200 meters to keep Edmonds’ Betsie Hopper at bay, but that finishing kick accomplished the task at hand.

The 1, 3 finish of the Spartans’ 4X400 relay squads was another major factor that put the local team on top by the end of the day. Riley Henderson, Natalie Bergstrom, Hailey Storbeck and Corinne Teichgrab took the top spot with a 4:18 combined time while Grace Sheridan, Emily Land, Madison Davis and Alexandra Yerigan finished third, 17 seconds ahead of one of the Scots’ foursomes with a 4:30 clocking.

Stanwood’s freshman shot putter, Emily Wayland, had the best put of the day (34-03) while sophomore Kaci Jones had the secondbest heft with a 32-04 distance.

In the discus, Jones was second with a 98-03 flip (second place) and Kyla McGovern, a Spartan senior, took fourth with a toss of 82- 08.

Rachelle Dowrey (2nd, 89-01), Jones (3rd, 88-03) and Teichgrab (4th, 79-08) placed well while battling an unseasonably high wind and a high temperature of 47 degrees.

Meanwhile senior vaulter Daisha Kantola won the pole vault – another event affected by the wind – with a clearance of 7-06.

Madison Davis prevailed in the 1600 with a mark of 5:37. Ninth grader Megan Wyles took fourth with a time of 5:58.

Other second places were earned by Teichgrab in the 400 (62.8), the 4X200 quartet of Brenda Bingham, Gina Bowman, Land and Bergstrom (1:57) and Mc- Call Holm in the high jump (4-08).

Placing third were Land in the 200 (29.9), Bergstrom in the 300 hurdles (52.1) and Stephenson in the high jump (4-06).

Fourths went to Savanna Woods (100 hurdles, 17.6), Kyla McGovern (discus, 82-08), Bergstrom (long jump, 14-11), Stephenson (400, 67.3) and Bingham (300h, 52.4).

Victories by Kaci Jones in the javelin (125-4) and the discus (117-04), the 4X800 team of Madison Davis, Minna Fields, Natasha Verma and Jordin Stephenson (9:55), and Fields in the 3200 (11:18) paced the Lady Sparts’ secondplace showing (96 points) at the Solberg Invite. That total trailed Sehome by a mere 2.5 points. Twentyone schools from northwest Washington participated.

Seconds were earned by Madison Davis (800, 2:25), Emily Wayland (sp, 34-08) in addition to the 4X800 quartet of Brynna Bodle, Kelsey Haller, Megan Wyles and Alexandra Yerigan (10:28).

Taking third were Jones (sp, 33-06), Brenda Bingham (javelin, 110-03) and the 4X400 relay team of Hailey Storbeck, Corinne Teichgrab, Verma and Davis (4:15).

The sole fourth place among locals went to Teichgrab in the 400 meters (1:02). According to head coach Jordan Sneva, the boys’ and girls’ track teams combined to set 41 individual season personal records (PRs) and 11 lifetime PRs.