Unland in spotlight with big discus throw

RICHLAND – The beauty of state-qualifying track meets is quite often athletes who have competed in the shadows of other standouts all season emerge.

Count Ferris junior thrower Damon Unland in that category. It took one throw to vault Unland from unheralded to a state contender in the discus.

Unland knew he had a sizeable throw in him. He just didn’t know if it would emerge before the season concluded.

The Saxon surprised himself Friday in the first of two days of the 4A Eastern Regional meet at Fran Rish Stadium. Unland unhurled a throw of 181 feet, 1 inch to break the school record by 12 feet and top his personal best by nearly 20 feet.

Unland topped Greater Spokane League rival and District 8 champ Josh Syrotchen of Lewis and Clark, who took second (178-5).

“I’ve been working a lot of hip stuff and speed this week,” Unland said. “It felt good when I threw it. It was gone. It just felt so easy.”

Unland’s record throw came on his second attempt in the prelims. He knew he was going to have a good day when his first throw was 171-1, easily topping his previous best (162-10).

“I just came in here with an open mind,” Unland said. “I knew I was capable of busting one. I knew it was going to be soon.”

Unland admitted the length of the throw was startling.

“I was just trying to hit the state-qualifying standard (154),” Unland said.

Three of his six throws were better than 163-11 and he had two in the 170s.

Unland doesn’t believe he has peaked.

“I have a long way to go,” he said. “It was a good throw, but I wasn’t satisfied with it. There are some things I can tweak. I still think I can bust another one.”

The top three in each event in the 4A and 3A regionals advance to state, next Thursday through Saturday at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Mead’s 400 relay team lowered its school record another two hundredths of a second a week after breaking the record at districts.

Evan Maack, Wes Bailey, Austin Stone and Gunnar Kayser combined to run 42.31 seconds for a regional title.

By the time Kayser, the anchor, grabbed the baton on the final exchange, the race was over. Kayser won by 10 meters.

He didn’t know it, though.

“I pictured him (the runner chasing Kayser) right behind me so I ran hard,” Kayser said.

“But he was not close,” Maack said.

The foursome bemoaned how their time could have been even better. Bailey, who took the baton from Maack, the leadoff sprinter, could barely catch Stone, who had left a little early.

“If Wes and Austin had had a better handoff, we’d gone under 42,” Kayser said. “If we clean that up we can go sub-42.”

Mead coach John Mires continues to be amazed by his speedy crew.

“They’ve been doing it all year long,” Mires said.

Andrew Gardner of Mead appeared as if he was going to finish second in the 3,200 with 100 meters remaining.

Gardner was in third, but he closed with an impressive kick, overtaking leader Santos Vargas of Eisenhower at the tape. Gardner won in 9:01.77, five hundredths of a second ahead of Vargas.

Mead pole vaulter Blase Neumann, a district champ, had to make 14-0 on his final attempt just to qualify for state. Had he missed, he would have dropped from second to fifth.

“I don’t know what it was,” Neumann said of his difficulties. “I was slowing down (on the approach). I wish I did better but I’m happy to move on. I changed my pole on my last jump. The other one I was gripping was too soft.”

Lewis and Clark’s Brennan Schon followed his district win by taking the long jump with a leap (22-3 1/2). He was the lone GSL state qualifier in the event.

3A: Nathan Weitz of Shadle Park had another gallant effort, but he came up just short in the 3,200.

Anthony Armstrong of Kamiakin edged the Highlander. Armstrong took the lead with 300 meters left and Weitz couldn’t close the gap. Armstrong finished in 9:05.87. Weitz was runner-up in 9:08.04.

There was a wild finish in the pole vault where winner Zane Irvine of West Valley-Yakima beat Jay Alexander of University based on fewer misses. Both cleared 14-1.

Irvine took a tumble on his attempt at 14-6 and caught his head with a knee as he fell into the metal plant box. He immediately began bleeding and the event was stopped and emergency help was summoned.

Irvine eventually got up under his own power and was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures.