Track & Field: Sequim sends 24 to district meet SLIDESHOW

Published 12:42 pm Wednesday, May 20, 2015

North Kitsap ruled the day in the team standings, but another team in purple and gold is sending a big contingent to districts next weekend, too.

Sequim’s track and field squad saw 24 athletes earn a total of 29 berths to the West Central District meet next weekend after strong finishes at a sub-district meet May 16 in Bremerton.

“The main objective today is to advance, to put themselves in a position to advance to state,” Sequim coach Brad Moore said. “I think we did that.”

Sequim’s boys, led by three individual wins and a winning 4×400 relay team, came within a half-point of a sub-district title but fell to North Kitsap, 121-120.5.

Miguel Moroles is a sub-district champ in the 100-meter sprint with an 11.45-second mark. Oscar Herrera won the 110-meter high hurdles (15.23) by less than a half-second better than Kingston’s Garrett Rouser, and took second to Rouser in the 300 hurdles later in the meet.

Alex Barry had little problem winning the javelin; his throw of 182 feet, 4 inches was nearly 40 feet better than the runner-up.

“He’s still throwing line-drives,” Moore said. “Once we get him in a slightly taller position, he’s going to crank it.”

Barry also advanced in the triple jump with a fifth-place finish.

Barry and Moroles joined Logan Habner and Kane Stoddard in winning the 4×400 relay to cap the meet. Their 3:27.27 finish is the fifth-best mark among 2A teams (according to athletic.net).

Habner was a surprise in the discus, Moore said, as he took second place with a 116-4 effort, a personal best by more than three feet. Teammate Chris Whitaker was third at 115-2.

SHS junior Brendon Despain finished second in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races to Peter Butler, pushing the Port Angeles senior in the longer race to within a quarter of a second. Sequim teammate Mikey Cobb was third in the 3,200.

Jackson Oliver was second to Bremerton’s Christopher Rowe in the high jump. Oliver cleared 6 feet, 4 inches on his second try and had three attempts at 6-6 — the Sequim school record held by Jayson Brocklesby — but just missed on the third attempt.

Sequim’s Austin Adams advanced with a third-place finish in the shot put (40-8.5). Jason Springer advanced to districts in the 100-meter sprint and helped Sequim’s 4×100 relay team (with Barry, Herrera and Moroles) take second place.

Moore said he got a pass for Sequim senior Joshua Cibene, who’s been battling a lower back injury but has one of the top pole vault marks in the state, to advance to districts despite not competing at the sub-district tourney.

On the girls’ side, SHS junior Waverly Shreffler came away with Sequim’s only first-place victory, but it was an impressive one. The junior topped the field in the 800-meter race by eight seconds with a 2:21.05 finish, a personal best by nearly a second. She holds the fourth-best mark in the state in that event.

Shreffler joined Gretchen Happe, Megan Breckenridge and Heidi Vereide to place second in the 4×200 relay, and along with Breckenridge, Vereide and Mercedes Woods helped the 4×400 relay also place second.

Alyse Armstrong advanced to district in two events, taking second in the pole vault (8-6) and third in the high jump (4-8). Her sister Cheryl added a third-place finish in the shot put with a personal best of 31 feet 2.25 inches, and also advanced with a fifth-place throw in the javelin.

“That’s a nice mark for her,” Moore said of Armstrong’s shot put effort.

Also earning district spots for Sequim were Woods in the 400 (fourth) and Vereide in the long jump (14-9.5), Emma Beeson in the 400 (1:06), Katelyn Rogers and Mattie Clark in the 100-meter hurdles (third and fourth), Emily van Dyken in the pole vault (8-0) and Sequim’s 4×100 relay team of Beeson, Woods, Telicia Busby and Sophie Radford, who placed fifth.

North Kitsap won the girls’ sub-district team title with 163 points, followed by Olympic (99), Sequim (89.33) and Port Angeles (80.16).

The West Central District meet is set for May 22-23 at North Mason High School in Belfair.

The top six athletes in each event qualify for the class 2A state meet, scheduled for May 28-30 at Tacoma’s Mount Tahoma High School.