Colfax’s Cai wins girls State 2B pole vault

Scout Cai soared over the bar by herself, but she counted it as another state title for Colfax.

The sophomore topped her personal best by 1 foot Friday while winning the girls pole vault at the State 2B championships at Eastern Washington University’s Roos Field.

Cai, who also helped Colfax to state titles in volleyball and basketball this school year, cleared 11-0 to hold off Willapa Valley’s Lauren (10-6) and Karli (9-6) Friese. Lind-Ritzville’s Heidi Hennings (9-3) placed fourth.

“I still think of it as a team sport since we came here as a team,” Cai said of the Bulldogs, who scored 22 points through four events to stand in second place, six points behind Northwest Christian (Lacey).

Cai placed second in the event last year, clearing 9-0 to finish 6 inches behind Lauren Friese.

“I didn’t think I would get 11 feet because I didn’t get it in practice, so that was a big accomplishment,” Cai said.

Cai also placed fourth in preliminaries for the 100- (13.06 seconds) and 200-meter runs (26.54). She enters today’s high jump finals as one of three to have cleared 5-2.

Colfax had strong marks in qualifying for today’s 4x100 and 4x400 relay finals, but the 4x200 team, which entered with the top time, was disqualified.

The Bulldogs also picked up third-place points from sophomore Olivia Mellor in the triple jump (34- 1/4), and senior Nicole Sheer in the discus (110-4).

In the day’s other final, Oroville senior Sierra Speiker broke a 25-year-old meet record by running the 3,200 in 10:50.96. Morton’s Shelly Smathers ran 10:56.3 in 1989.

1B

Waterville sophomore Kelsey Browning (11:42.75) and Republic freshman Shania Graham (11:43.19) both broke the meet record in a back-and-forth battle that left the rest of the 3,200 field more than 1:10 behind.

Graham took a slight lead before the bell lap, but Browning passed her on the backstretch and held on as both runners put on impressive kicks.

Republic junior Sierra McQuay matched her personal best of 4-10 while tying for second in the high jump. Bickleton’s Lindsay Brown won at 5-0.

Graham and McQuay gave the Tigers 15 points. Mt. Vernon Christian leads with 18.

Mt. Vernon Christian senior Carla vanRooyen defended her long jump title with a meet-record 17-2 1/2. Northport’s Kaprina Goodwin went 17-0 in 2007.

Odessa-Harrington topped preliminaries for the 4x100 (52.62) and 4x200 (1:50.60).

1A

Riverside senior Rebecca Mildes placed second in the 3,200 at 11:15.30.

Mildes, who finished seventh last year, gave chase to freshman Erin Mullins of Cascade (Leavenworth). Mullins picked up distance on the sixth and seventh laps and finished in 11:08.98.

Lynden Christian leads the team race after with 24 points. Riverside is in seventh, thanks to Mildes’ eight points.