By John McCallum
Managing Editor 

Blackhawk girls have size, experience and title to make noise at state

 

Last updated 3/29/2018 at 3:30pm



Like their male counterparts, the Cheney High School girls track and field team is huge — with a turnout of over 80 athletes; something that could give them a decided advantage when it comes to meet scoring.

Also like the boys, the Blackhawk ladies have returning talent, experience and a goal for the season — that of achieving a state title. After winning the Great Northern League regular season crown, and a District 7 title, Cheney’s girls finished fourth at 2A state at Mount Tahoma High School.

Given Cheney’s size and experience, they’re likely favorites to repeat the first two and stand a good shot at the latter.

“League-wise, we’re going to be pretty tough,” head coach Tom Stralser said. “There’s a couple of state competitors, maybe champions, but you can’t predict those.”

On the track, Cheney should be strong in the sprints and distance events, while the same can be said of the vertical jumps and throws in the field. Encompassing both of those is senior Alsatta Bakana, who won state titles last year in the 200-meter dash — setting a new meet and school record in the prelims — and the 400 and was second in the high jump.

Joining her in the high jump will be senior Stephanie Assonken, while sophomore Sophia Van Wormer and senior Zoe Lamb should provide solid scoring at pole vault, having placed fifth and eighth at state respectively.

“They’re both going to go over 11 (feet), there’s no doubt about that,” Stralser said.

Senior Taishae Wallace is back in the discus and shot put, with sophomore Hunter Holsten factoring into the mix along with freshman Breanna Hewey and sophomore Kinsey Dewan. Stralser isn’t certain who will emerge in the horizontal jumps, but thinks juniors Caitlin Warren and Allison Ottosen, along with Assonken, could emerge as contenders.

Bakana returns to her events on the track, with senior Alexis Miller in the 100 and 200, and sophomore Megan Habegger showing she’s got some speed in the 400. The same can be said for senior Jolene Whiteley in the 800 and 1,600.

Whiteley joins a core group of cross county girls who should be pretty strong in the distance events, including seniors Hannah Spakousky, Brette Draper and Lelie Holland, along with freshman Marion Mager-Reeser.

Assonken should again be the anchor in the hurdles, but will get scoring help from freshmen Mayah Spakousky and Hannah Davis along with juniors Kaitren Fisher and Juliette Gaul. Like the horizontal jumps, Stralser is waiting to see who emerges on the three relay teams — particularly the 4x400 squad of Bakana, Whiteley, Habegger and freshman Sara Graham; a team he believes “could be really good.”

“If we can keep everyone with fresh legs, they could go sub-four (minutes),” Stralser said. “That’s a fast time.”

So far the Blackhawks have demonstrated they have the capabilities to repeat their titles, at the least. After a fourth-place finish in the Dolphin Invitational at West Valley, Cheney had little trouble in knocking off East Valley on March 21, 90-60, for their first GNL win, taking first in 14 of 18 events.

Finishing first were Miller (100), Bakana (200, high jump), Habegger (400), Whiteley (800, 1,600), Mager-Reeser (3,200), Fisher (300 hurdles), all three relay teams, Van Wormer (pole vault), Vivian Pasion (long jump) and Assonken (triple jump). Second-place finishes went to Miller (200), Draper (1,600), Hannah Spakousky (3,200), Gaul (300 hurdles), Wallace (shot put) and Holsten (discus), with Holland and Mager-Reeser going 3-4 in the 1,600 and Jessica Vietzke and Evarosa Perry 3-4 in the 3,200.

While the win gave the Blackhawks a good start towards repeating their league and district titles, Stralser’s gaze is further down the road.

“I’m not focusing on league,” he said. “I’m keeping an eye on the prize later in May.”

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

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

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