Sports - High Schools

POSTED: Saturday, May. 30, 2009

PREP TRACK AND FIELD: Blaine girls, Lynden boys win team titles

TACOMA - The final day of Star Track XXVII turned out to be a star-studded one for Whatcom County track and field athletes.

Nine individual titles, three relay titles, and two state team titles put a close to the three-day event on Saturday, May 30, at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma on a day that saw area athletes run, jump, and throw their way into state history.

The Blaine girls' team and the Lynden boys' team were the big winner's on Saturday, with each taking team titles for the first time in school history. And both did so in dramatic fashion.

The Lions needed a win in the meet's final event, the 4x400 relay, to take the title and they didn't disappoint. Colby Beisheuvel, Dusty Duncan, Blair Bomber and Jordan Weeks set a meet record with a time of 3 minutes, 21.12 seconds in the event and lift Lynden past Blaine for the team championship.

The Lions finished with 45 points in the Class 2A boys' team standings. Blaine was second at 39 and Sehome finished fifth at 37.

The double win helped erase much of the sting the Lions' felt after being disqualified in the 4x100 relay the day before, and left most of the team in shock. For many it was the second state title of the year with the first coming in football in December.

"We really thought our chance at a team title was done after what happened yesterday," Bomber said. "Then we started talking about scenarios and it looked like if everything went our way it might come down to this relay. I still can't believe we won. Lynden's not a track school. This is incredible."

The Borderite girls didn't wait until the last event of the meet to claim a state title, but that didn't make it any less incredible. Behind freshman Cherish Morrison's three individual gold medals and a win in the 4x200 relay, Blaine outlasted Sehome to take the Class 2A girls' team title with 56 points.

The Mariners were second in the girls' standing with 51.5 points. Squalicum finished ninth with 26 points. It's the seventh state championship of any kind for Blaine.

"We had so many incredible performances," Blaine coach Mike Grambo said. "We came here thinking we might have a chance, but everyone was going to have to do there best and they did. To finish first and second is really incredible. It's a dream come true."

Ferndale was another local team that finished strong, placing third in the Class 3A girls' team standings. The Golden Eagles got a second place finish from Tanya Bjornnson in the 300 hurdles on Saturday, and a third place finish from Haley Locker in the 100 meter dash. Zoey Dingel was also fifth in the pole vault, while Brett Watson finished tied for fifth in the boys' high jump.

While Morrison was just beginning what could be an impressive high school career on Saturday, Bellingham's Becca Friday was wrapping one up. The senior won the 800 for the third time in her career and also claimed a Class 2A girls' 1,600-meter title.

"I knew it was my last meet and my last event and I just wanted to finish strong," Friday said of her 1,600 win.

Other Whatcom County athletes who won gold medals on Saturday included Blaine's Tim Bradley who won in the Class 2A boy's 1,600, Sehome's Nelson Westlin who won in the Class 2A boys' discus, Blaine's Shayne Moore who won in the Class 2A 300 hurdles, Sehome's Zoe Moller who won in the Class 2A girls' long jump, and the Squalicum girls' 4x400 relay team.

"We have so many seniors on our team and I just wanted to be able to help them win a state title," Morrison said. "When I found out it was possible, that's really what I wanted to do for them. And we get that big banner in the gym."