Torpie torches track

One mile? Fine.

One-half mile? Good.

Two miles? Great.

It was all hands on deck for Mead’s showdown at Ferris in a battle of unbeaten Greater Spokane League girls track teams on a beautiful Thursday afternoon and Ryan Torpie was ready.

Whatever coach Dori Robertson needed, the Panthers got from Torpie and it was enough to produce a 77 1/2-72 1/2 win over the Saxons.

Torpie started with the 1,600 meters (5 minutes, 28.9 seconds), came back with a season-best in the 800 (2:25) and clinched the meet with a personal record in the 3,200 (11:35).

“I consider it an honor to triple,” Torpie said. “The coaches put their faith in you. They consider you tough enough. I consider that flattery.”

The 800 was critical because the Panthers elected to use league-leading Nikki Codd in the sprints. Codd helped the Panthers open with a win in the toss-up 800 relay and coasted to a win the 400 (57.6). The backbreaker was the 200, an event the Saxons were counting on, with Codd (26.3) leading a 1-3 finish. She was primed to anchor the 1,600 relay until Torpie’s clinching run.

“I knew a lot came down to the 200,” Codd said. “Dori said if we could go 1-2 or 1-3 it would be big. I just went out and did what I could.”

The boys meet was expected to be just as close until Saxons speedster Anthony Zachery didn’t run because of slight groin injury.

“We thought we had a shot,” Ferris coach James Fisher said after the 98-47 loss. “It wasn’t meant to be.”

Nerves weren’t a factor for Torpie, although distance coach Wes Player told her before the 3,200, “If you win, we win.”

“As a senior captain, team leader, I liked the idea,” said Torpie, one of four Panthers seniors. “I just thought about the team on every step.

“I did my job, I can’t be disappointed. It’s nice to PR in anything.”

Katie Green won the long jump (16 feet, 2 1/2 inches), another swing event, and the triple jump (34-8 1/4) for the Panthers. Ashley Hutchinson added the shot put (38- 1/4) and discus (117-4).

Ferris had its standouts as well, particularly springy sophomore Kelly McNamee.

After winning the 100 hurdles (15.88), she cleared a state-leading, school-record 5-7 in the high jump, moving past Wendy Allen’s 20-year-old mark. She’s 1 inch shy of the city best established by Lewis and Clark’s Briann January last spring – and her first attempt at that was tantalizingly close.

“I’m really excited,” McNamee said. “I came out and saw that it was a nice day and said, ‘This is a good day to do it.’ I didn’t get confidence until I cleared 5-6. Today, it helped to see 5-8, so 5-8? Definitely.”

With Zachery out, Warren Anderson won the 100 (11.4), 200 (23.3) and 400 (51.5) for Mead, and Dylan Hatcher took the 800 (2:01.7) and 1,600 (4:23.8).

Cameron Elisara won the shot put (57-6 1/2) and discus (154-2), and Jared Karstetter the 110 hurdles (17.1) and triple jump (40-0) for the Saxons.

Other meets

Lewis and Clark speedster Andre Jennings made a big return after a hamstring injury, winning the 100 (10.7) and 200 (22.3) as the Tigers beat visiting Mt. Spokane despite a distance triple by Mike Hartanov of the Wildcats. Mt. Spokane’s Megan O’Reilly ran her first 3,200 and, despite winning by almost 90 seconds, tied for the state best at 10:57.7, helping the Wildcats win. … Erica Chaney won three throws as Gonzaga Prep beat visiting West Valley. Connor Hare won the 100 and 200, and Michael Alexander matched his area best in the 400 (51.8) as the Bullpups also won the boys meet. … At East Valley the Knights coasted past Rogers. Thrower Tyler Jolley, sprinter Anthony Laborin and distance runner Nick Atwood were double winners as the boys geared up for next week’s showdown with Mead at Clarkston. EV’s girls went 27-0 in the throws with Kenzie Carter winning the discus (122-6), Lyndzie Johnson the shot (38-9) and Pam Eatock the javelin (106-1). … At Cheney, the Central Valley boys and Shadle Park girls swept double duals. Sean Coyle was the only double winner for the Bears, taking the 800 and 1,600. Cheney’s Bob Wilske won the shot (56-10 1/2), discus (152-4) and javelin (163-9), and Tyler Poorsi took the 110 (area-best 14.9) and 300 (40.5) hurdles. Camie Nelson won a distance double, Jordan Carlson won the 100 (area-best 12.2) and 200 (25.8), and Brynn Delong ran an area best in the 100 hurdles (15.1) for the Highlanders girls. The Cheney girls edged CV 75-74. … North Central swept the double duals with University and Cheney at U-Hi. Jake Sanders won the two long runs for the Indians and Alex Cassis had an area best in the 200 (22.1). U-Hi’s Kevin Martin ran an area best in the 300 hurdles (39.6). For the girls, NC’s Anna Walters won three sprints, getting an area best in the 200 (25.6), and Mary Graesser won the 800 and 1,600. U-Hi had two area bests, Dana McClendon in the shot put (42-6) and pole vaulter Katie Hawkins (11-6).