Mules head to state track meet

It’s time for 2B State Track and Field in Cheney at Eastern Washington University this weekend and seven students are headed over today to represent Wahkiakum High School. The event will be held May 29-31.

It’s a young group with one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen. Sophomore Gunnar Blix is the lone boy on the team and he will be competing in the shot put and discus. Shelbie Abbot, a junior hurdler, will be an alternate for the relay teams, as the girls will be competing in the 4x100 and 4x200. Sophomore Tyra Elliott qualified for the 400 and sophomore Rory Heywood qualified for the high jump. The two are also on the relay teams.

Rounding out the group and running in the relays as a regular or an alternate are sophomore Grace Peacock and freshmen Cheyenne Barton and Shona Heywood.

At the 2B District 4 Championships in Raymond last Thursday, the boys team earned 17 points and came in 12 out of 16 teams. The girls earned 23 points and came in 12 out of 16 teams as well.

Austin Burns ran an 11.96 in the 100 and finished in seventh place. The 4x100 relay team of Burns, Nevan Bingham, Carl Kolditz and Ryan Quigley placed eighth with a time of 47.92. Gunnar Blix placed fourth in the shot put and second in the discus with distances of 45’3” and 131’6” consecutively. Koby Cothren threw the javelin 132’0” and took ninth place. Quigley cleared 5’6” and placed eight in the high jump.

In the girls’ competition, Grace Peacock and Tyra Elliott placed seventh and eighth in the 100 meters with times of 14.02 and 14.26, consecutively. Peacock ran the 200 meters in 29.15, finishing in eighth place. Tyra Elliott finished the 400 meters in 1:05.25 and placed third.

The 4x100 relay team of Peacock, Shona Heywood, Elliott and Rory Heywood finished in fifth with a time of 55.27. The 4x200 relay team of Peacock, Rory Heywood, Cheyenne Barton and Elliott placed third with a time of 1:53.99.

Rory Heywood placed sixth in the high jump, clearing 4’8”.