Eason Invite is Wesco-friendly

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, April 24, 2004

SNOHOMISH — It was flash vs. bulk.

While O’Dea did its damage in the sprints, the Everett boys track team secured the team title at Saturday’s Eason Invitational with its strength.

Though Jake Stevens was the team’s lone event winner, several Seagulls placed high to push Everett past O’Dea at Snohomish Veterans Memorial Stadium. Stevens won the shot put with a career-best toss of 55 feet, 1/4of an inch and was second in the discus. Fellow thrower Isaac Hicks placed third in the shot and Rick Gervasi was fourth in the javelin. Niko Sievers finished second in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 100 hurdles. Vance Taylor contributed a third-place finish in the pole vault.

"O’Dea had some great individuals, but we proved this is a team sport," said Everett coach Doug Hall, whose team scored 70 points despite missing injured sprinter Michael Hudson. "I’m so proud of these kids. This is huge for our program."

O’Dea sprinter Chancellor Young was named male track athlete of the meet despite being out-leaned by teammate Taylor Mays (10.81 seconds) in the 100 meters. Young, the defending 3A champ in the 100 and 200, finished ahead of Mays in the 200. Both sprinters contributed to O’Dea’s victory in the 400 relay and accounted for 46 of O’Dea’s 60 points.

Roosevelt’s Norris Frederick was named male field athlete of the meet after a meet-record clearing of 6 feet, 11 inches in the high jump. He won the long jump and was second in the triple jump.

Though it wasn’t her best day, Cascade’s Whitney Hooks was named the female field athlete of the meet. Of course when it’s Whitney Hooks, an off-day can still be pretty good. Hooks, the 2003 state shot put champion as a freshman, tied former Snohomish thrower Mary Etter’s 1999 meet record of 45 feet, 4 3/4inches. Though she entered the meet with a state-best discus mark of 138 feet, 6 inches, the event is still a work in progress. She finished fifth on Saturday with a mark of 122 feet, 3 inches.

"With the shot, if I have a really bad day I can go chuck it and usually get a pretty good mark," said Hooks, who recorded a state-best heave of 46 feet, 5 inches earlier in the season. "In the discus, it’s hard to get everything just perfect."

Decatur’s Princess Joy Griffey won the 100 and 200 in addition to anchoring two winning relay teams to earn female track athlete of the meet honors.

Shorewood’s Lauren Sego won the javelin with a hurl of 132 feet, 3 inches to lead the Thunderbirds to the girls team title.

Everett’s Cori Moore breezed to victory in the 400- and 800-meter runs. Though excited about winning, Moore was hoping for the ultimate challenge in 800. When Brie Felnagle — the 2003 cross country champion who was out-nodded for the 800 title last spring when Moore finished third — was a no-show, the pressure was gone.

"I would’ve liked to have competed against her," said Moore, who won the 800 in 2 minutes, 15.33 seconds. "She makes me work harder. I’m kind of using her (as motivation) to help me get faster times."

Moore, who won the 400 in 58.45 seconds, took an immediate lead in the 800 and led by 20 yards heading in the second lap. Though the 800 has victimized many who go out fast, Moore’s lead held up to the finish.

Lakewood’s Amber Nash was also a double winner. Her time of 45.60 seconds in the 300 hurdles equaled what was the best reported time in the state prior to the weekend. She pulled away from Lynnwood’s Caitlin Bonney and Snohomish’s Carly Osness during the last 100 meters of the 300.

Snohomish’s Justin Brandt appeared to be losing his grip on the leaders in the 1,600 meters before he began to make a move just prior to the final lap. Facing some wind and dealing with nagging hip pain, Brandt took things up a notch during the final 200 meters. He sprinted past four competitors to win the mile in 4 minutes, 27.06 seconds.

"I was a little bit hesitant to take the lead," said Brandt, who will attend Linfield College on a Merit Scholarship. "I knew I could rely on my kick."

Tiana Roma, the 2003 4A high jump champion, cleared 5 feet, 5 inches for victory in the high jump.

Complete results can be found on the Web at http://easoninvite.flashaccess.com/.