South Whidbey will be well represented at this week’s 1A tri-district track and field meet after 17 athletes qualified at the 1A District 1 championships.
The sole Falcon to win their event was senior Kale Reichersamer, who claimed first place in the triple jump on the first day of the meet, May 14, at Lynden Christian High School. Only the top five in each event qualified for the next round of postseason meets that includes schools from Kitsap, King and Pierce counties in addition to District 1 teams from Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish and Island.
South Whidbey’s boys team placed third overall, and the girls team placed fifth out of nine teams. King’s won the boys and girls team titles.
Both the boys and girls teams qualified in the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays. South Whidbey’s boys 400-meter relay of seniors Jordan Parrick, Reichersamer, Nick French and sophomore Tanner Lobdell secured second place in 44.73 seconds. The Falcon boys 1,600-meter relay of Lobdell, senior Brandon Asay, junior Cole Zink and sophomore Evan Mellish placed third in 3:36.38, a fraction of a second off the squad’s best time of the season.
The girls 400-meter relay of senior Madi Boyd, senior Maia Sparkman, freshman Bailey Forsyth and freshman Anna Leski cruised to a fourth-place finish in 51.43 seconds. It was their best time this season. Following in the save-the-best-time-for-last spirit, the 1,600-meter relay of Boyd, senior Jaime Rodden, Leski and senior Mackenzie Hezel ran their fastest time of the season in 4:10.93 for fourth place.
South Whidbey will compete in the 1A tri-district championships, a two-day event on Thursday, May 22 and Saturday, May 24 at The King’s School in Shoreline.
Here are the other Falcons who qualified for the tri-district meet:
Girls: 200 – 3, Sparkman, 26.92; 800 – 2, Rodden, 5:26.01; 100-meter hurdles – 5, Forsyth, 17.38; 300-meter hurdles – 5, Allie Vanbenschoten, 50.38; discus – 5, Hailey Simchuk, 90-7; javelin – 3, Hezel, 109-4; long jump – 3, Sparkman, 16-5.75.
Boys: 100 – 3, Lobdell, 11.43; 800 – 2, Zink, 2:01.66, 5, Mellish, 2:05.96; 110-meter hurdles – Parrick, 16.66; 300-meter hurdles – 3, Parrick, 43.57; javelin – 2, French, 178-9; pole vault – 5, Andy Madsen, 11-00.
