Athletes bring home medals from state meet

Athletes from local high schools earned medals at last week's state Class 2B track and field meet at Eastern Washington University, Cheney.

Naselle Comet senior Kyle Burkhalter won the championship in the high jump with a mark of 6'2". The effort came after he had injured a shoulder and scratched out of the triple jump.

Comet teammate Tylor Nortrup, a junior, tied for third in the pole vault with a mark of 11'. The two finishes gave the Comets 15.5 points, good enough for 18th place in the team standings.

In the girls division, the Comettes' 1600m relay team of Jodi Christie, Haleigh See, Nicole Tarabochia and Nicole Laney finished 15th in the preliminaries and didn't qualify for the finals. Their time was 4:40.62.

Junior Jasmine Bingham claimed four medals to lead the Wahkiakum Mule contingent.

Bingham finished second in the 100m, 12.93, and third in the 200m, 26.39.

The Mule girls 400m relay team of Abby Burns, Whitley Wirkkala, Sarah Doumit and Bingham finished second, 52.15, and the 800m relay team of Burns, Valle Ledtke, Wirkkala and Bingham also finished second at 1:48.04.

Doumit placed third in the high jump at 5'1", and she placed 13th in the triple jump at 31' 2.25". Ledtke placed seventh in the 400m, 1:03.58. Wirkkala placed 12th in the 300m hurdles at 52.31.

The Mule girls finished fifth in team standings with 38 points, the highest total of a team from a public school in the girls meet.

For the Mule boys, Walker Riley placed fourth in the 800m run in 2:00.75. He was also part of the 1600m relay team of Jon Murphy, Bryce McClain, Mike Weiler and Riley which placed seventh in 3:38.45. The 400m relay team of Murphy, Alec Sealund, Riley Prestegard and Riley muffed a handoff and didn't place.

The top eight finishers in each event earn medals.

2B State Track & Field

May 23 & 24, Cheney

Girls: 1. Tacoma Baptist 60, 2. NW Christian (Lacey) 57, 3. La Salle 52.5; 4. Riverside Christian 39, 5. Wahkiakum 38 . . .

Boys: 1. Lind-Ritzville 73, 2. Riverside Christian 57, 3. (tie) St. George's and Tacoma Baptist 45, 5. Toutle Lake 37 . . . 18. Naselle 15.5 . . . 28. Wahkiakum 7 . . .