Rodell ready for 800
For the first time all season, St. George’s Maja Rodell isn’t the front-runner in an 800-meter race.
In race after race, the long-striding sophomore has run away from her competition, taking the lead in the first turn and never looking back.
Today, when Rodell and the rest of the State B 800 finalists line up, they will be chasing Trout Lake freshman Neola Putnam.
Not that she’s that far ahead of Rodell. Putnam ran her 800 preliminary heat in 2 minutes, 18.84 seconds. Rodell was a second back at 2:19.86.
“My goal was to just make sure I made it through to the final,” Rodell said. “I didn’t want to run myself out today.”
Friday’s action at the State 2A/1A/B girls track and field championships saw LaCrosse-Washtucna in second place behind Tacoma Baptist in the B team standings going into today’s finals at Eastern Washington University.
Senior Pam Passmore was responsible for all 18 points, winning the discus with a throw of 123 feet, 2 inches, and placing second in the javelin at 125-0. .
The rematch of last year’s thrilling B 400 final was not quite as thrilling. Tacoma Baptist sophomore Amber Finley repeated as champion, running a 57.92 to edge Ashley Stabl of Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia and Erica Hattamer of Valley Christian, who ran 59.01 and 59.41, respectively.
Last year’s finishing order – Finley, Hattamer and Stabl – all were within 45-hundredths of a second.
2A: Lakeside enters today’s final heats as the team leader, amassing 32 points to lead Colville by eight.
The Eagles 4x400 relay team ran their season-best in the day’s final preliminary event, turning in a 4:05.85. Lakeside had the state’s fastest qualifying time coming into the state meet.
Longtime rivals Anna Albrecht of Pullman and Kia Gibson of Lakeside finished third and fifth, respectively, in the discus.
Albrecht uncorked a personal-best throw of 120-1 in the final round to earn third place. Gibson threw a personal-best 117-4. Sultan’s Krystal Paszkeicz defended her title with a throw of 127-0.
1A: Janessa Miller offered teammate Jessie DePell a deal going into the 4x400 preliminary heats.
“She came over to me and said ‘Hey, Jessie – I’ll run a 54-second leg today if you run one tomorrow,’ ” the Freeman senior said. “She ran really well. We can run even faster (Saturday.)”
The Scotties’ 4:13.43 trails top-seeded Cedar Park’s 4:08.60, but puts Freeman in the hunt.
Charles Wright and Cedar Park Christian are tied for the team points lead.