Lady Brave thinclads run in style at Cashmere

The La Conner High Lady Braves seem to be peaking at the right time.

And not just because they spent Saturday in the eastern Cascade foothills.

It was what they did at the annual Cashmere Invitational, an elite track-and-field event that regularly draws top small and mid-size school entries from around the state, that shows how lofty the expectations can be for La Conner at the upcoming Skagit County Meet.

The Lady Braves, led by gold medalists Emma Lee, Sofie Thulen, and Matty Lagerwey, placed a strong third among nearly 20 teams entered on the girls’ side of the Cashmere trials.

La Conner was outpaced only by King’s and Cashmere. King’s edged the hosts 79.5-77 for the girls’ team title. La Conner was next with 63 points, seven more than fourth place Meridian.

The La Conner boys also gave a good accounting of themselves at Cashmere with a Top Ten finish.

But it was Lee, Thulen, and Lagerwey for whom the numbers added up most quickly.

Lee nearly swept the 100 and 200 meter sprints. She settled for a gold-silver combo, capturing the 100 crown in :13.02, just ahead of Mount Vernon Christian’s Jaiden Hill.

The La Conner sprinter was a close second to Grace Jackson of Cle Elum/Roslyn in the 200. Jackson was clocked at :26.91, Lee at :27.02.

Lee would also team with Thulen, Lagerwey, and Sage Burgmeier on La Conner High’s fifth place sprint relay team. The La Conner quartet turned in a :52.51 finish.

Thulen, like Lee, was a double medalist. She won the 100 meter hurdles at :16.21 and placed third in the 300 hurdles with :48.24, dueling King’s standout Emma Culberson each time.

Thulen edged Culberson by two-tenths of a second in the 100s. Culberson was best in the 300s, though challenged by Thulen and silver medalist Elli Kimes of Cashmere.

Lagerwey collected more gold for the Lady Braves trophy case by defeating runner-up Payton Lunde of Meridian in the long jump. Lagerwey went 16’-9” to clinch the victory.

She would add further to La Conner’s point total with a sixth place effort in the triple jump.

It was also a strong meet for Lady Braves thrower Sarah Hastings. She mined bronze in the discus with a toss of 105’-0”. Her discus throw of 32’-10” nailed down fifth place in that event.

The Braves were led by senior Brady Nelson, a recent Everett Community College track signee.

Nelson was the Cashmere Invitational boys’ javelin champion. His throw of 160’-6” outdistanced silver medalist Dillon Novich of Chelan by more than a foot.

Michael Page placed fourth in the shot put, missing out on a medal by mere inches. His best toss on Saturday went for 43’-0”. Teammate Geoffrey McGaughey matched that finish in the javelin, ending up just three slots back of Nelson.

Versatile Budda Luna chipped in another Top Ten finish for the Braves by placing eighth in the triple jump at 39’-4”.

Luna likewise teamed with Nelson, McGaughey, and Arjuna Adams on La Conner’s 4x100 relay entry that finished seventh in :47.29.

Luna rounded out his busy day with 12th place finishes in the 200 in :25.10 and long jump with 18’-3”.

Freshman distance runner Charlie Cram handled the Cascade air nicely, placing 10th in the 1500 meters and 13th in the 800.

McGaughey clinched 10th in the discus with a 106’-0” throw.

Adams finished 11th in the 300 meter hurdles, Jeffrey Johnson was 12th in the high jump, Sam Smith was 13th in the 400, and Isaiah Sailors was 18th in the 3200.

Coach Peter Voorhees and his charges used the Cashmere trip as a tune-up for the 111th annual Skagit County Championships, set for April 26 and 28 at Rice Field in Anacortes.

Both the Braves and Lady Braves hope to be hitting on all cylinders for that one.