Lady Braves win league track title; boys runners-up

The La Conner High girls’ track team made fast work of the five-school NW2B/1B League Championships, while the runner-up Braves were outstanding in the field.

As in field events.

By sweeping almost all the meet’s field events, the La Conner boys clinched second place on the leaderboard.

The Lady Braves, meanwhile, didn’t quite run away with the league crown. But their strong corps of sprinters helped La Conner edge Mount Vernon Christian 140-137 for the team title during trials held Wednesday at Whittaker Field.

Mount Vernon Christian was the boys’ winner, by a 152-140 margin over the Braves.

The league championship meet results followed a familiar format, one that has pretty much repeated itself over the past six weeks or so.

Sprinter Emma Lee, hurdler Sofie Thulen, thrower Sarah Hastings, and jumper Matty Lagerwey were dual gold medalists for the Lady Braves.

Lee swept the 100 meter dash in :12.63 and 200 meter dash in :26.48. Thulen in hurdles captured the 100 at :16.23 and 300 meter at :48.82. Hastings claimed the shot put at 34’-10½ and discus with 114’-2”. Lagerwey was the conference champion in long jump, 15’-6” and triple jump 31’-10”.

They had plenty of help, too, in keeping the Lady Braves atop the scoring column.

Sage Burgmeier won silver in the javelin and shot, and took bronze in the 3200 meters.

Addison Reinstra placed second in the long jump, matching the finish posted by teammate Justine Benson in the high jump.

Brianna Porter mined bronze in the discus and javelin.

In addition to their golds, Lagerwey and Hastings further added to the Lady Braves’ medal count.

Hastings was the 3200 meters silver medalist. Lagerwey won bronze in the high jump.

It was a successful day as well for the Lady Braves’ relay teams.

Lee, Thulen, Lagerwey, and Burgmeier combined to win the sprint relay in :52.73. Lee, Thulen, Porter, and Kayla Hagen placed second in the 4x200, clocking a 1:50.67 finish. Benson, Porter, Reinstra, and Hagen went 4:51.49 to finish third in the 4x400.

On the boys’ side, the Braves thrived in the field events.

Michael Page led a 1-5 La Conner finish in the shot put, letting fly with a winning toss of 43’-6 ¼. Teammates Kaden Murdock and Geoffrey McGaughey won silver and bronze, respectively, finishing just ahead of Brady Nelson and Elijah Adams.

Murdock paced a similar 1-5 effort by the Braves in the discus. Mrdock went 125’-3” to edge Nelson for the gold. McGaughey took third. Jeffrey Johnson finished fourth and Page fifth.

That wouldn’t be the lone blue-ribbon performance for the versatile Murdock. He would also win the 400 meter dash, finishing more than two-tenths of a second ahead of Gabe Taylor and Caleb Twedt of Mount Vernon Christian.

Nelson and McGaughey were the top two finishers in the javelin. Nelson was the gold medalist with a throw of 154’-10”.

Trey Casey and Johnson were likewise atop the high jump standings for La Conner. Casey won the event at 5’-4”.

All-purpose standout Budda Luna continued his superb 2017 campaign by winning league titles in both the long jump with 19’-6”) and triple jump (39’-6”) events.

Luna added a silver in the 200 meters as well.

Freshman Charlie Cram, who has swung between middle and long distance this spring, did so again at the league meet, with equally positive results.

Cram was the bronze medalist at 800 meters, hitting the finish line at 2:18.19. His time of 5:01.47 in the 1600 was also good for third place.

Cram won a third bronze with an 11:07.89 finish in the 3200 meter run.

Arjuna Adams took silver in the 300 meter hurdles at :46.93 and ran legs of the La Conner sprint and 4x400 meter relay squads that placed second in their respective events.

Adams, McGaughey, Luna, and Sam Smith finished the 4x100 in :48.18. Adams, Smith, Murdock, and Elijah Adams were timed at 4:10.53 in the mile relay.

In related notes:

• La Conner thinclads took little time to savor their success at the league championships.

Many competed two nights later against large school foes at the Stanwod Twilight Invitational.

Thulen swept hurdles – the 100 in :16.08 and 300 in :47.86 – while Lee ran a :12.73 to win the 100 meters.

Lee placed second to Imani Greene of Squalicum in the 200.

Lagerwey captured the triple jump with 34’-6” and finished second in the long jump with 16’-7”.

Thulen, Lee, Lagerwey, and Kayla Hagen produced a silver medal finish in the sprint relay.

Thulen, Lee, Lagerwey, and Brianna Porter went 1:50.37 for second place in the 4x200 relay.

Page and Nelson won silver in the boys’ shot put and javelin, respectively.

Luna was second in the long jump, 19’-9 1/4”, third in triple jump, 40’-3”, and fourth in the high jump, 5’-8”.

Cram was ninth in the 1600 meters, at 4:54:38.

• Next up for the La Conner High track teams is the Northwest 1B & 2B District Championship Meet tomorrow, Thursday at Mount Vernon High School. The May 11 event is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.