La Conner High track teams delivered standout performances at two multi-school meets last week — and outran the rain, too.
“We beat the rain, that was great,” La Conner Head Coach Peter Voorhees chuckled afterward.
The Braves also outpaced many of the nine schools competing in Wednesday’s NW2B/1B meet in Mount Vernon.
The La Conner girls totaled 125.5 points, trailing only host Mount Vernon Christian (158) in team standings. Coupeville clinched third place on the girls’ side of the meet with 114 points.
Two sets of La Conner sisters — the Jenkins’ and McCormicks — reigned in several contests.
Eighth grader Faith Jenkins won the 100 meters, hitting the tape in 12.6. Freshman Nora McCormick captured the 100-meter hurdles with a 16.5 clocking.
Faith Jenkins, Nora McCormick, freshman Kiana Jenkins, and junior Maeve McCormick combined to win the 4×100 (51.7) and 4×200 (1:49.6) meter relays.
Maeve McCormick also ran a leg of La Conner’s second place finish in the 4×400. She, senior Lydia Grossglass, and freshmen Finley Hancock and Reese Bird were timed at 5:03.9.
Bird was also second in the javelin (92-5), Hancock finished third in the 800 meters (2:50.1), Grossglass was third in the 110-meter hurdles (18.0), and Maeve McCormick placed second in the pole vault by clearing 6-6.
Additionally, freshman Aisley Zimmerman finished third in the 100-meter hurdles (18.65) and pole vault (5-6), junior Izzy Villard was third in the shot put (24-1), and Faith Jenkins placed third in the high jump at 4-8.
The La Conner boys, with 83 points, placed third on their team leaderboard. Coupeville (206.5) captured the boys’ crown while Mount Vernon Christian was runner-up with 128.5 points.
Orcas Island finished 12 points behind the Braves, who were paced by freshman sprinter Yandel Rosales-Rojas.
Rosales-Rojas won the 100 meters in 11.3, one-tenth of a second ahead of senior teammate Simon Bouwens, who placed second. Rosales-Rojas added second and fifth place finishes in the triple jump and long jump, respectively.
Bouwens, meanwhile, was second in the 300 hurdles (45.4) and third in the 110s (18.2).
In the field events, La Conner junior Flint Huizenga finished second in the javelin (129-0), fourth in the discus (115-4), and fifth in the shot put (34-2). The Braves’ Josh Dowry, a sophomore, placed fourth in the pole vault at 8-0.
Dowry teamed with freshman Keaton Bailey, sophomore Maxwell Page, and freshman Vireo Angell to grab third place in the 4×400 meter relay, clocking a 4:01.1 finish.
Rosales-Rojas, Bailey, Page, and Angell ran a 47.4 in the sprint relay, good for fourth place.
La Conner’s underclassmen had little time for rest. They entered the Stanwood Freshman/Sophomore Classic on Saturday, which featured schools from across enrollment classifications.
In the boys’ half of the meet, Rosales-Rojas claimed first place in the freshman 200 meters (25.17) and took second in the 100 (11.93) to pace the La Conner team’s sixth place finish.
Page led the La Conner sophomores, who were seventh overall, by placing second in the 200 meters at 25.20. Kale Navarrete Higgins collected third place in the 110 (20.28) and 300-meter hurdles (49.83).
The La Conner freshmen girls (plus eighth grader Faith Jenkins) were third in their division at Stanwood.
Faith Jenkins swept the 100 (13.55) and 200 (27.40) dashes and Nora McCormick won the 100 (12.74) and 300 (51.19) hurdles. Kiana Jenkins was the victor at 400 meters in 1:03. 23.
Faith Jenkins, Kiana Jenkins, Nora McCormick, and Reese Bird ran away with the 4×100 relay, turning in a time of 53.49.
Next up for the La Conner thinclads is an April 4 meet at 1A Meridian. Events start at 4 p.m.
Bill Reynolds: bill@laconnercommunitynews.org. Bill is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
