Shot Putters Lead Fl State Qualifiers
Frontier League track
Practice made perfect for a pair of victorious shot putters who were among the first-day state qualifiers at the Frontier League Track and Field District Meet.
The duo, East Valley sophomore Loretta Serbell, who threw 35 feet, 11 inches, and West Valley senior Ryan Stockton, who reached 51-4, improved by 2 feet on seasonal bests Tuesday, but neither were surprised.
“In practice I’ve been over 52 feet,” said Stockton. “It finally happened in a meet.”
Serbell echoed Stockton, saying she’d done 35 feet twice in practice.
“I figured out I had this problem relaxing,” she said. “This meet, I said ‘No problem, relax. Whatever happens people will still love me.”’
They were among 16 athletes from eight events who earned the right to compete in the State AA portion of Star Track in Tacoma, May 30 and 31.
The district meet concludes Friday, beginning at 2 p.m. at Eastern Washington University’s Woodward Field. The top two individuals in each event advance to state.
Pullman’s Ricardo Colon improved on his long-jump record by a quarter-inch, reaching 23-4-3/4 but was disappointed.
West Valley won four titles and qualified five athletes to state to lead a first day that, for the most part, followed form.
Colon’s effort, while a record, was well behind the 24-5 jump he had last week, which is No. 4 all-time for Washington preps.
“I had scratched on it before, but never reached it legally,” he said. “It was not even a good jump, but I was pumped up. The weather was nice and my body was warm. I wish I would have gotten 25 feet here.”
His jump bettered WV school record-setter Devion Tensley’s 22-8-1/4 and the state-qualifying 22-1-1/2 of EV’s Jerry Claridge.
WV’s distance runners Clayton Holmes and Jessica Riehle won back-to-back 1,600s, fighting fierce headwinds on the back straight.
Holmes had a season-best 4 minutes, 28.8 seconds to overtake pacesetter Jon Ashcraft of Riverside.
Cheney’s Jeannette Zimmer, also forced the pace, but Riehle reeled her in during the final 300 meters.
“I felt comfortable,” said Riehle. “I just didn’t want her to get away from me because I knew I had a better kick.”
Another Eagles qualifier was javelin thrower Mike Schroder who was competing after undergoing elbow surgery last summer.
“I wasn’t supposed to be throwing this year,” said Schroder. “Being a senior it was tough not to do.”
Other first day qualifiers were Clarkston’s Angela Fazzari in the javelin and shot put, Pullman long jumpers Michelle Wahl, Courtney Lees and shot putter Ryan Brindamour, and javelin throwers Josh Stoddard from Cheney and Lauri Faraschuck from Riverside.
But two other Rams that were event leaders on Tuesday will stay home. Tracy Koesel and Jamie Rizzuto finished 1-2 in the pole vault, a Frontier League scoring event but a non-event for state.
Koesel cleared 9-0, a foot below her seasonal best.
“I wish I could go,” the sophomore said. “It’s supposed to be at state my senior year. That’s what coach said.”
In the meantime there’s always USA competition in the summer.
“All is not lost for me,” she said.:
, DataTimes