La Conner thinclads open season in fine fashion

The La Conner High track teams got out of the blocks in style last week.

The Braves had a literal field day in their season home debut, while the Lady Braves made mad dashes that nearly had them sitting atop an eight-school field.

The La Conner boys, with Kaden Murdock and Brady Nelson winning two field events apiece, edged Mount Vernon Christian 129-114 for the team title.

Grace Academy, with 96 points, finished third.

The Lady Braves, meanwhile, placed a close second to Mount Vernon Christian, 165-144, in their half of a fast-paced mid-week meet at Whittaker Field.

Friday Harbor clinched the team bronze award on the girls’ side, totaling 115 points.

Murdock edged teammate Geoffrey McGaughey in the shot put, going 40’-0”. McGaughey topped out at 39’-1.5”.

Murdock’s 119’-0” toss in the discus was nearly six feet longer than that of his closest competitor, Ethan Hess of Grace Academy.

Nelson captured the javelin crown with a best toss of 153’-11”. McGaughey again clinched silver with a 140’-9” effort.

Nelson and Braves teammate Jeffrey Johnson went 1-2 in the high jump contest.

Budda Luna added to La Conner’s gold medal count with a first place finish in the long jump, hitting the sand at 19’-11”.

Freshman Charlie Cram led La Conner runners by placing first in the 800 meters with a 2:19.31 clocking, a half-second better than Concrete’s Charles Parent.

Cram added a strong second place finish in the 1600 meters at 5:07.61. Russell DeVries of Mount Vernon Christian was the winner in a time of 5:02.21. Levi Gott of MVC was third, leading a large group about 10 seconds behind the leaders.

Emma Lee and Sarah Hastings were dual winners for the Lady Braves.

Lee swept the 100 and 200 meters. She hit the tape at 13.32 in the 100. Her 200 time was 28.41.

Lee also joined teammates Matty Lagerwey, Kayla Hagen, and Sage Burgmeier to run away with the mile relay. Their combined time was 4:38.36.

Hastings won both the shot put and discus. She recorded a 32’-4” toss in the shot, nearly five feet better than runnerup Hanna Rensink of Concrete. Hastings and Lady Braves teammate Brianna Porter vied for the discus gold, with a 90’-8” Hastings throw proving the difference.

Lee wasn’t the only Lady Brave relay team member to excel in solo events.

Burgmeier aced the field in the javelin with a toss of 91’-6”. Lagerwey outdistanced her foes in the long jump with a 16’-8” leap. Hagen prevailed in the triple jump at 27’-9”.

La Conner freshman Justine Benson tied Friday Harbor’s Zoe Wegemer for top honors in the high jump.

La Conner head track coach Peter Voorhees, while praising his charges afterward, was equally generous in his salute to the meet’s many volunteers.

“One of my goals as a coach,” he said, “is to host high-quality meets without tapping into these athletes’ parents or coaches, thus allowing parents to support their kids while they compete, and coaches — both home and visitors — to coach.”

The La Conner track teams resume action at Concrete tomorrow, Thursday, afternoon. They return to Whittaker Field March 31 for the much-anticipated Clash of the Conferences Meet.