Idaho State 5A/4A track: Post Falls’ Melody Kempton wins 5A high jump

BOISE – While three seniors put golden punctuation marks on their careers, the new kid on the block served notice.

Melody Kempton of Post Falls proved this spring that she can do more than play basketball – the sport that most likely will land her an NCAA Division I scholarship some day.

If basketball doesn’t work out, though, the 6-foot Kempton with a gazelle-like gait might be able to fall back on jumping.

The freshman cleared 5 feet, 6 inches, to capture a State 5A championship in the high jump Saturday as the 5A and 4A meets concluded at Dona Larsen Park.

Kempton had the title wrapped up at 5-4 based on fewer misses. But she wasn’t done. On her third try at 5-6, she broke off her approach and did a rewind.

“When I first started (the approach), I rolled my ankle a little bit,” Kempton said. “It wasn’t bad or anything, it just got me off-balance.”

Kempton took a breath, had a couple of high bouncy steps and took off, gliding gracefully over the bar – tying the school record she earned outright the week before.

She took three shots at 5-7, and there’s no doubt she’ll master that height and probably higher next year.

Her overall goal?

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to jump 6 feet,” Kempton said. “It would pretty amazing if I could get that high.”

Kempton was trying to soak in her first state experience and put her win in perspective.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” she said. “I’ve never been to state before so I’ve never seen this competition. I don’t know what to think about it yet.”

5A: The state experience wasn’t new for Kaitlyn Gunnerson of Coeur d’Alene and Maddison Ward and Quinn Mitchell of Lake City.

They performed like the state veterans they’d become.

Gunnerson repeated her effort from a year ago, winning the 100-meter hurdles (14.39 seconds) and taking second in the 300 hurdles (43.96).

Ward had mixed results, if defending her title in the 100 (12.20) and placing second in the 200 (25.18) could be called mixed.

And Mitchell, fresh off taking second in the shot put on Friday, added a state title in the discus Saturday, launching the platter 166 feet, 1 inch to break his school record by 21 inches.

Gunnerson, who has signed with BYU, broke her personal bests in both hurdles.

She cracked the 44-second mark in the 300 for the first time in her career.

Gunnerson had to catch her breath quickly for her final hurdles race. She ran the anchor leg on the 400 relay moments earlier.

Ward, who is headed to Idaho State, had a challenge on her hands in the 100, but found her final gear at the 80-meter point.

In the 200, Ward took runner-up to Maddison Lung of Boise, who won in an impressive time of 24.62 after breaking the meet record in the 400 earlier.

Ward was seeking a three-peat in the 200.

Mitchell got off to a slow start, barely reaching 122 feet on his first throw. Two attempts later and the title was in his hands.

Other medal winners were: the LC girls 800 relay (second, 1:44.02); Victoria Goetz of CdA, second in the 400 (57.06); the CdA girls 400 relay (3rd, 49.73) and the LC girls 400 relay (4th, 50.08).

4A: The Moscow girls 800 relay took second (1:45.48).

Other medal winners were: Raymond Bobier of Moscow, second in the long jump (20-7 3/4); Maddie Schoening of Sandpoint, fifth in the long jump (16-1 3/4); Kaleb Merril of Sandpoint, fourth in the long (20-6 3/4); the Lakeland boys 800 relay (4th, 1:32.00); Mikhaela Woodward of Sandpoint, second in the 800 (2:23.74) and third in the 1,600 (5:16.93); Hannah Davidson of Sandpoint, fifth in the 800 (2:24.72); Georgia Filler of Moscow, second in the 300 hurdles (46.67); the Moscow girls 400 relay (2nd, 50.25); Joey Cook of Moscow, second in the 400 (50.15); and Hyrum Russell of Moscow, fourth in the 110 hurdles (15.98).