Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News

Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News

SPORTS: Crescent dominates triangle track meet

JOYCE — Crescent’s boys and girls track and field teams dominated the North Olympic League Triangle meet on their own track.

The Clallam Bay boys, though, did display their strength in the sprints, winning everything on the track through 800 meters and winning one of the two relay races in Thursday’s meet.

The Crescent boys were too powerful overall, however, winning eight of the 14 events and earning a total of 78.5 points.

The Bruins amassed 63 points, winning five events, while Neah Bay came in third at 20.5, winning one event.

The Loggers captured nine of the 13 girls events, claiming 80.5 total points to Clallam Bay’s 41.5.

The Bruins won four events. Neah Bay came in third with 16 points.

Crescent also won two of the three girls relay races.

No 1B girls participated in the 1,600-meter run.

The top four boys and girls scored official team points in the 1B Triangle meet while 2A Port Angeles also competed in the four-team affair but was not scored as part of the team totals.

“I was pleased with the effort [of our athletes],” Crescent coach Darrell Yount said.

“We really came to the track to compete. Just great performances all the way around.

“Lots of smiles, always good to see this time of the season.”

There were eight double winners in individual events

On the boys side, Crescent’s Martin Waldrip, Quinn-Tin March and Josh Sowder, and Clallam Bay’s Justin Welever all won two events each.

In girls action, Crescent’s Kellie Belford and Jandi Frantz, and Clallam Bay’s Inga Erickson and Jeddie Herndon all were double winners.

Competing under sunny skies made for pleasant conditions for the athletes and a welcome change from the cold and wet that has been plaguing most of the early season meets.

Four-event winners

Finding the sun to their liking, Belford and Frantz came away four-event winners as they competed on Crescent’s two winning relay teams.

Belford captured firsts in the 100 meters (14.41) and 300 hurdles (54.43) — and pieces of two relays, the 4×100 (with Frantz, Lynn Grover and Ryan Lester in 56.34) and 4×200 (with Frantz, Lester and Devanie Christie in 1:58.37).

She hit personal records all the way around and into the state’s top tier of athletes in all but the 100.

Finding herself now the state’s No. 4 long hurdler, Belford raced a great duel with teammate Lester (No. 5 in state), as both dipped to season best times with Lester settling for the state’s No. 3 mark.

Frantz grabbed her four wins in the two short relays and by taking both horizontal jumps, moving into state position No. 4 in triple jump as she bounced more than 30 feet (30-05.50) for the first time this season, and into No. 7 with the long jump at 13-11.

“It is great to see our senior leaders on the girls side taking care of business and finding great success in Kellie Belford and Jandi Frantz,” Yount said.

“Just great young ladies and tremendous athletes.”

Lester grabbed a win from teammate Devanie Christie in the 100 hurdles (18.34 for first, 18.64 for second), with both hurdlers already ranked No. 2 and No. 3 among Class 1B.

Crescent girls also won all three throwing events as Meagan Shamp flew all the way out to a state ranked No. 6 distance of 88-03 with the discus to join teammates’ Christie’s win with the spear (98-00, No. 3 in state), and Shannon Williams shot blast at 30-03.5 (state No. 6).

Winning two events each for the Bruins were Erickson in the 200 (32.21) and the 400 (1:08.86), and Herndon in the 800 (3:43.09) and the 3,200 (18:22.05).

Erickson also was second in the 100 behind Belford.

Clallam Bay also won the 4×400 relay with Kenna Welever, Molly McCoy, herndon and Erickson in 5:13.34.

Unofficial first-place finishes for the Port Angeles girls went to Elyse Lovgren in the 100 and long jump, Ciara Gengtry in the 200, Jolene Millsap in the 800, Willow Suess in the 1,600 and triple jump, and Bailey Reader in the 3,200.

Boys events

The Crescent boys had their hands full with Clallam Bay and their host of speedsters.

With Crescent dominating the throws, hurdling events and 1,600 and 3,200, and scoring well in the jumps, it was the Bruins burning up the track.

Winning the 100, 200, 400, 4×100 and 800, the Clallam Bay sprinters fueled their team to a great team total.

For Crescent, it was Sowder taking both shot and discus, the latter with a season personal record and into the state rankings with his 111-06 blast.

He also had a distance of 39 feet in shot.

“It was great to see big Josh Sowder hit his big throw with the discus,” Yount said.

“A real breakthrough for him, and into a whole new class of competition.

“It’s always very rewarding to put those big barriers (100 feet) in the rear-view mirror and move forward as an athlete.”

The state’s No. 2 javelin thrower, Quenton Wolfer, took his speciality with a conservative 133-10 effort for first on a sore knee.

Holding down the hurdles was junior Quinn-Tin March as he flew to season personal records in both races, leading a Crescent 1-2-3 sweep in the 110s in a state No. 8 time of 18.08.

He also had a time of 46.81 in the 300 hurdles.

Super Crescent sophomore Martin Waldrip pulled off the 1,600/3,200 double as he had a personal record in both.

His times were 4:57.80 in the 1,600 and 11:02.66 in the 3,200.

Crescent’s Donovan Christie won the high jump with a height of 5-10 while the Loggers’ 4×400 relay tam of Beau Bamer, Donovan, Waldrip and Zach Fletcher won in 4:15.41.

Welever led the Bruins with wins in the 100 (11.89) and the 200 (25.58).

Jesse Wonderly won the 400 for the Bruins in a time of 56.79 while teammate Sam Signor was first in the 800 in 2:42.27.

In addition, Clallam Bay’s Casey Randall won the long jump with a leap of 17-10.

The Clallam Bay 4×100 relay team of Jeremy Rock, Wonderly, Randall and Welever won in 48.77.

Neah Bay’s Elisha Winck captured first in triple jump with a distance of 37-08.

Port Angeles boys earning unofficial wins were Tony Dalgardno in the 800 (2:11.98), Peter Butler in the 1,600 (4:55.93), Kyle Tupper in the 3,200 (10:10.12), and Matt Robbins in shot (39-07.75).

The teams take next week off for spring break.

Next up is the big Crescent Invitational on Saturday, April 13.

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