“By MATT JOHNSONStaff reporterFor the first time ever, South Whidbey’s boys and girls track teams are going to have to take a school bus to the state meet.In what was the track program’s most successful day at the races, the Falcons qualified 17 runners, jumpers, and throwers in 17 state events at the 2A bi-district meet in Lynden on Friday. It is the largest team South Whidbey has ever fielded for the state track meet.Along the way, the boys and girls bagged five event wins and third-place finishes in the bi-district team competition.The medals and ribbons started rolling in from the start for the girls. In the first event of the meet, junior Dail Bates sprinted out in the 100 to place fifth and earn her first trip to state. She also qualified in the 200, and in the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, along with teammates Melissa Poolman, Kenady Reuland, and Andrea McGillen.McGillen also found early success, winning the triple jump by a wide margin, then placing second in the pole vault, with a personal-best vault of 9 feet, 6 inches. Freshman Kellie Horn was the team’s only other individual event champion, earning the Falcons’ first district high jump championship since Tiffany Hagood did it in 1998.Caitlin Robinson, another freshman competitor, placed fifth in the high jump, good enough to earn her a place at state as well. Rounding out the field event crew will be Melissa Poolman, who placed fifth in the shot put for her individual state spot.Fielding a smaller distance-running team than anytime in recent years, the Falcons will have one high-endurance athlete at state this year. Senior Jessie Enell, a state competitor in cross country for the past two years, will make her first state track appearance this week, running the 800. She qualified for the event by winning a sprint for fifth place at Lynden.Giswold pacesboys to stateSuccess came to the boys team in at least equal measure. Perhaps a little more equal than others was junior Braden Giswold, who won the 800 and 1,600, and was one-fourth of the Falcons’ winning 4×400 squad. Along with Andy Wills, Brett Perkins, and Brandon Bilyeu, the relay team ran a season best 3:27.20, which ranks them as the best team in the state.Bilyeu and Perkins ran long distances on their own to make it to state in their own right. They placed third and fourth behind Giswold in the 800. Junior Bruce Hymas, who made it into the 3,200 as an alternate, overcame a foot injury to take fourth in the event and to earn his third state trip in three years.In the sprints, senior Jessie Ellison and freshman Andy Wills made the state grade in the 100 by placing fourth and fifth, respectively. The two then got together with Chris Ford and Matt Steiner in the 4×100 relay to run to fourth place and another state berth. On his own, Steiner was fifth in the discus, making him the only Falcon thrower destined for state.The state meet will be held Friday and Saturday on the campus of Eastern Washington University. Competition begins at 10 a.m. Friday and at 9:15 a.m. Saturday. For an event schedule, complete with heat seedings and times, go to on the Internet and follow the links to 2A/A/B state site.Class 2A Bi-District championshipsAt Lynden Christian High School Girls team scores: Steilacoom 121.5, Port Townsend 73, S. Whidbey 67.5, Mt. Baker 65, L. Christian 54, Sultan 52, Lakewood 47, Blaine 42, Vashon 35, Klahowya 34, Meridian 26, Chimacum 20, Nooksack Valley 18, Eatonville 17, Orting 12, Granite Falls 4, Foster 3Individual results100 – 1. Janae Young (St.) 12.02, 5. Dail Bates (SW) 13.02; 100 hurdles – 1. Evans (St.) 15.75, 6. Caitlin Robinson 17.28, 8. Bartlett 17.58; 200 – 1. Young (St.) 25.16, 4. Bates (SW) 27.36; 300 hurdles – 1. Riley (PT) 47.15, 8. C. Robinson 51.82; 400 – 1. Dana Haan (LC) 61.13; 800 – 1. Tretter (PT) 2:25.28, 5. Jessie Enell (SW) 2:27.32; 1,600 – 1. Weyhmiller (PT) 5:22.89, 7. Lisa Depender 5:48.35; 3,200 – 1. Grace Coulter (B) 11:21.53; Shot put – 1. Becky Riddle (B) 34-10.5, 5. Melissa Poolman (SW) 30-0; Javelin – 1. Howard (S) 124-1; Discus – 1. Jewell (LW) 114-4; Long jump: 1. Stephens (V) 16-8; Triple jump – 1. McGillen (SW) 36-2.75, 2. Graham (S) 35-11.5; High jump – 1. Kellie Horn (SW) 5-0, 2. Tessa Haviland (MB) 4-10; 5. C. Robinson (SW) / Chrissy Cervantes (St.) 4-8; Pole vault: 1. Stephanie Ambrose (MB) 10-0, 2. McGillen (SW) 9-6; 4×100: 1. Steilacoom 50.01, 2. Sultan 51.52, 3. S. Whidbey (Bates, Poolman, Reuland, McGillen) 52.15; 4×200: 1. Steilacoom 1:46.17, 3. S. Whidbey (Bates, Poolman, Reuland, McGillen) 1:50.97; 4×400: 1. Lynden Christian 4:13.31. Boys team scoresSteilacoom 100, Mt. Baker 75, S. Whidbey 73, Lakewood 66, Nooksack 56, Chimacum 43, Blaine 42, Eatonville 42, Pt. Townsend 33, Vashon 31, Klahowya 30, Meridian 25, Granite Falls 17, L. Christian 13, Foster 10, Orting 3, Sultan 1. Individual resultsShot put – 1. Bartz (St.) 50-3.5; Javelin: 1. Tyler Mitchell (N) 201-11; Discus: 1. Dan McClane (C) 155-0, 5. Matt Steiner (SW) 132-8; Long jump – 1. Anthony (ST) 21-6; High jump: 1. Wes Holt (N) 6-4; Triple jump – 1. Holt (N) 43-0, 6. Brian Moote (SW) 38-3; Pole vault – 1. McKeehan (L) 13-6; 100: 1. Gillette (ST) 10.94, 2. Rainey (ST) 11.11, 3. Anthony (St.) 11.24; 4. Jesse Ellison (SW) 11.34, 5. Andy Wills (SW) 11.47, 8. Chris Ford 11.91; 110 hurdles – 1. Bernhard (E) 15.74; 200 – 1. Gillette (St.) 22.30, 5. Paul Cooper (MB) 23.4, 6. Wills (SW) 23.41; 300 hurdles: 1. Paul Cooper (MB) 40.58; 400 – 1. Eythor Westman (NV) 50.15; 800 – 1. Braden Giswold (SW) 1:57.81, 3. Brandon Bilyeu (SW) 2:00.78; 4. Brett Perkins (SW); 1,600: 1. Giswold (SW) 4:24.72, 2. Farcy (V) 4:25.92; 3,200: 1. Nathaniel Harrison (M) 9:43.98, 4. Bruce Hymas (SW) 10:01.50; 4×100: 1. Steilacoom 43.94, 4. S. Whidbey 45.24; 4×400: 1. S. Whidbey (Wills, Bilyeu, Perkins, Giswold) 3:27.20, 2. Blaine 3:30.00.1 “