Andrea Geubelle slumped over and peered at the tape measure.
As the triple jump officials straightened the tape, Geubelle leaned in, smiled and shook her head.
No record would be set on Thursday.
The Curtis senior was good enough to defend her title in the event, though, winning with a leap of 40 feet, 113/4 inches on the first day of Star Track XXVII at Mount Tahoma High School.
“I was hoping for a very good jump today,” she said. “But we were all running into a headwind and it just wasn’t going to happen.”
The University of Kansas recruit wanted to break LaShonda Christopher’s 15-year-old state meet record of 41 feet, 71/2 inches. Geubelle was a threat to shatter it – she went 41 feet, 9 inches at an invitational in Arcadia, Calif., earlier this season – but she’ll have to settle for the state Class 4A championship, instead.
“When you can defend your title, it’s an awesome feeling,” she said. “You don’t want anyone to take it away from you. I didn’t get the record, but it feels good to win the state title again.”
Geubelle might add to her championship haul, too.
Geubelle will shift her focus to the long jump, which she won last year, and 100-meter dash. She’s a heavy favorite in the long jump with a state-leading leap of 19 feet, 111/2 inches – that is more than 20 inches better than the next best mark in the state, regardless of classification. She also owns the state’s fastest time in the 100, but her mark of 11.75 seconds is only a smidgen quicker than Bellarmine Prep’s Kelly Jacka, who ran 11.88 seconds in finishing a close second to Geubelle at the West Central District meet last week at Mount Tahoma.
Geubelle is optimistic about the possibility of winning three events.
“Right now I’m seeded No. 1 in both events,” Geubelle said. “I feel pretty good about the long jump, but the 100 is going to be tough.”
Shaquana Logan and Kayla Stueckle are headed for a showdown, too. The Bellarmine Prep senior and Emerald Ridge junior are ranked 1-2 in the state in the 100 hurdles and each won her heat on Thursday, setting up a rematch of last week’s West Central District finals in the state finals at 7 p.m. today.
Logan, who recorded a state-best time of 14.31 seconds last week, says she can go faster.
“I want to go under 14 (seconds),” she said. “I want a race (today) with no wind, and if I get 13.999 I’ll be satisfied.”
Kentwood 110-meter hurdler Steven Warner, who owns the fastest time in 4A this season at 14.40 seconds, faces a challenge, too. Warner cruised to victory in his heat, winning in 14.53, but so did Beamer senior Anthony Hogan, who won in 14.41.
Warner has been eyeing a state title since he qualified for the state track and field meet as a sophomore and placed third last year.
“It was cool when I made it to state as a sophomore,” he said. “My junior year, I wanted to see how far I could go. Now that I’m a senior, I want to win.”
Finish lines
Snohomish’s Marlyn Anderson won the shot put with a heave of 59 feet, 43/4 inches. Anderson is also the top seed in the discus. Lincoln’s Robert Henderson placed third in the shot at 53 feet, 93/4 inches. … Wenatchee’s boys 4x400 relay team posted the fastest time of the night, winning its heat in 3:21.99. Wenatchee and Mead, which finished second to Inglemoor in the first heat, entered the meet with the fastest times in the state with identical marks of 3:20.94. … Redmond’s Sarah Lord won the girls 3,200 in 10:30.47 and Shane Moskowitz of Central Kitsap won the boys 3,200 in 8:59.53.
Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271
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