This time, the Lion roars
DOUG PACEY; The News Tribune
Shaquana Logan blazed across the finish line and raised her arms in victory. The usually reserved Bellarmine Prep senior let loose a rare show of emotion after winning the Class 4A girls 100-meter hurdles, bouncing down her lane with an enormous smile across her face.
Even second-place finisher Kayla Stueckle, who up until a week ago led the state in the event, couldn’t help but appreciate Logan’s joy.
“Her reaction to winning, it was so much jubilation that I was truly happy for her,” Stueckle said. “We’ve been running against each other for two years and if I can’t win, I want it to be her.”
Logan turned in a winning time of 14.19 seconds at Star Track XXVII on Friday at Mount Tahoma. She was hoping to break the 14-second barrier, but will happily settle for the state championship.
Especially after last year.
Logan tumbled to the track in the finals of the same event at the state meet in 2008. She still has the scar on her right shoulder to remind her,
“I fell hard last year,” Logan said. “The scars are still there. This doesn’t totally make up for that, but it’s a state title.”
Kentwood senior Steven Warner won the finals of the boys 110-meter hurdles. Warner had been looking forward to this race since he qualified for state as a sophomore.
“This is my senior year and this was the plan,” said Warner, who won in 14.23 seconds. “It all worked out.”
Andrea Geubelle won her second championship of the meet. A day after winning the triple jump, the Curtis senior defended her crown in the long jump, winning with a leap of 19 feet, 4 inches. The mark was nearly 14 inches better than the second-place finisher.
“I had some 20-footers, but they scratched,” said Geubelle, who went 19 feet, 111/2 inches earlier this season. “I really wanted to get there.”
Geubelle also posted the fastest qualifying time in the 100 meters at 11.81 seconds. The state’s fastest female – she ran a state-best 11.75 seconds last week – said she knows that her opponents are gunning for her.
“I feel like I’m a target,” Geubelle said, “and I kind of like it.”
Skyline’s Kasen Williams stole the spotlight from the state’s only two high jumpers to have cleared 7 feet this season – Curtis’ Rahmel Dockery and Mead’s A.J. Maricich. With only the trio remaining at 6-10, Williams soared over on his first attempt, while Dockery made his second and Maricich his third, making Williams the winner on jump attempts. None of them cleared 7-feet, although Williams came close on his second try.
Williams, who had a previous best of 6-6, said the narrow miss was especially frustrating.
“The bar nicked the bottom of my shoe,” said Williams, who also finished second in the triple jump. “It’s pretty frustrating that that was the only thing that held me back.”
Lincoln’s C.J. Wright finished fourth with a jump of 6-8.
Finish lines
The top four qualifiers – Beamer’s
Duran Ward, Federal Way’s
Trenton Pinson, Puyallup’s
Justin Veltung and Kentlake’s
Zach Smith – in the boys 100 meters are all from the West Central District. Smith won the triple jump with a leap of 48-1 and will try to defend his title in the long jump today. ...Jefferson’s
Kayla Adams edged Bethel’s
Jackie Brown by the slimmest of margins in the girls shot put. Adams went 41-1, while Brown managed 41-0. Brown has had a busy week. She also placed sixth in the discus Friday and third in the 4A girls golf state tournament on Thursday. ... Battle Ground senior
Gabi Dixson won the discus with a throw of 135-4. ...
Marlyn Anderson claimed his second title of the state meet. The Snohomish senior won the boys discus with a throw of 159-11 one day after placing first in the shot put. ... Lynnwood coach
Duane Lewis and former Hanford coach
Clay Lewis were inducted into the Washington State Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271
doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/preps
