Track & Field: NK takes battle of top track teams SLIDESHOW

Sequim earns 14 first-place finishes but host Vikings earn sweep

By Michael Dashiell • May 5, 2015 8:09 pm
Brendon Despain races to first place finishes in both 1
Brendon Despain races to first place finishes in both 1

It was a regular season Olympic League meet but had plenty of flavor of a postseason battle.

The host North Kitsap Vikings earned wins in both boys and girls team scores but got a challenge from their purple-and-gold brethren from Sequim. NK’s boys edged Sequim 73-72 while NK’s girls topped Sequim 85.5-64.5

In the process, North Kitsap’s boys (8-0-1) handed Sequim (10-1) its first loss while the undefeated North Kitsap girls (10-0) did the same for Sequim’s girls (11-1); NK’s and Sequim’s boys both knocked off previously undefeated Bremerton (8-2).

On the girls’ side, Sequim junior Waverly Shreffler posted a dominant effort with with in the 400 meters (60.14) and 800 meters (2:30.14), and helped Sequim’s 4×200 relay (with Gretchen Happe, Emma Beeson and Mercedes Woods) and 4×400 relay (Happe, Woods and Heidi Vereide) take top honors as well.

Woods and Vereide went 1-2 in the 200-meter race. Vereide, a senior, posted a win in the long jump (15-1.25) and was second in the triple jump (31-3.25). Cheryl Armstrong posted a personal best in the shot put of 30 feet, 1.75 inches to take first place, while sister Alyse Armstrong was second in both the high jump (4-8) and pole vault (8-6, a personal best). In her first meet of the season, junior Rylie Roberts took second in the javelin (89-1).

On the boy’ side, Sequim senior Josh Cibene topped the field with a personal-best 13 feet, 9 inches in the pole vault — the fifth-best mark in 2A (according to athletic.net).

Sequim’s Oscar Herrera continued his dominance in the hurdles, winning both 110- and 300-meter hurdles with marks of 15.75 and 40.94, respectively.Brendon Despain also was a double winner for Sequim, taking first in both 1,600 meters (4:42) and 3,200 meters (10:13). Alex Barry won the javelin with a 176-foot, 4-inch throw, and was second in the triple jump (40-2.25).

Sequim High senior Miguel Moroles won the 200-meter sprint with a personal best mark of 23.73 and set a PR in the 100-meter sprint (11.58) to place second.

Taking second-place finishes for Sequim were Austin Adams in the shot put (41-9.5), CJ Daniels in the 800 meters (a season-best 2:10.15), Sequim’s 4×100 relay team (Herrera, Moroles, Quinton Johnson and Jason Springer) and, in his first meet, Chris Whitaker in the discus (122-2).

 

Shining in Shelton

With most of the Sequim squad in Sequim for senior prom, the Wolves brought just three boys to the High Climber stadium for the Shelton Invitational, but still managed to come home with four medals and earn a tie for sixth place.

Junior Jackson Oliver showed why he’s one of the top high jumpers in the state with a leap of 6 feet 4 inches, for a first-place finish, edging Bremerton’s Christopher Rowe and Black Hills’ Gerald Riley.

Cibene posted a pole vault effort of 13-6, second only to Joey Weiler of RA Long.

Herrera took second in the 110-meter hurdles to Woodrow Wilson’s Trevon Powe and placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles, behind three athletes from bigger schools.

South Kitsap’s boys claimed top honors with 70 points while North Kitsap, Bremerton and Sequim tied for sixth with 31 points.

 

Looking ahead

Sequim athletes compete at the Olympic League championships May 9 in Poulsbo, with junior varsity championships slated for May 11 in Belfair.Top athletes compete at the May 16 subdistrict meet in Bremerton, aiming to qualify for the May 22-23 West Central District meet hosted by Belfair’s North Mason High.

The class 2A state finals are set for May 28-30 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.