Cheney to host district, regional track and field meets

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

Cheney High School will be the site this Friday, May 12, of the District 7 track and field meet. Competition between athletes from Cheney, Clarkston, East Valley, Pullman and West Valley gets underway at 3:30 p.m.

The Blackhawks have a number of athletes in position to advance to regional competition May 19 with the Central Washington Athletic Conference schools — which will also be held at Cheney High School. On the boys side, Friday’s meet should be a showdown between the top-two athletes in the 200 and 400-meter dashes — top-ranked Rodrick Fisher of East Valley and No. 2 Charles Johnson of Cheney.

For the Cheney girls, Alsatta Bakana (200, high jump) and Rylie Pease (javelin) are ranked No. 1 in their events in the 2A classification. The boys 4x100 relay team is also ranked No. 1.

The following is a list of Cheney athletes ranked in the top 10 statewide in 2A, with the ranking, event and time/mark in parenthesis following their name.

Boys

Charles Johnson second, 100 (10:76), second, 200 (21:81)

Carson Brown third, 400 (50:72)

Drake Johnson eighth, 1,600 (4:26.97)

Zach Jongeward first, 4x100 relay (43.39)

Peyton Putney

Chris Diaz

Charles Johnson

Carson Brown second, 4x400 relay (3:28.79)

Kevin Houdonougbo

Charles Johnson

Peyton Putney

Chase Reed eighth, discus (153-11)

Will Rushing T-fifth, pole vault (13-06)

Girls

Alsatta Bakana first, 200 (25.36), third, 400 (58.58), first, high jump (05-03)

Alsatta Bakana fifth, 4x400 relay (4:21.18)

Jocelyn Cone

Gabrielle Nguyen

Jolene Whiteley

Rylie Pease first, javelin (138-06)

Zoe Lamb sixth, pole vault (10-06)

KD Skillingstad seventh, triple jump (35-00.5)

The top two finishers in each event at district’s advance to regional action next Friday, May 19, although Cheney athletics director Gregg Hare said the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has added an additional wrinkle.

“Also new this year, if a kid makes the state qualifying mark (established by WIAA), and they finish third or worse, they can advance as well to regionals,” Hare wrote in an email.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.