Cummings leads Glacier Peak to 3A girls track district title

Published 11:28 pm Friday, May 21, 2010

SHORELINE — The racing was over at the Class 3A District 1 girls track and field meet Friday. But while most of the athletes were either preparing to accept the final batch of awards or ducking for cover from the rain, Stephenie Cummings was perched over a plastic garbage can in the end zone at Shoreline Stadium.

Cummings was completely spent, but the Glacier Peak High School senior’s efforts were not in vain.

Cummings turned in three dominating performances, leading the Grizzlies to their first district team title in just their second year of existence.

Glacier Peak finished with 142.83 points, edging past second-place Shorecrest (126) to earn the team title.

Cummings did the heavy work for the Grizzlies, winning the 400 and 200 meters and anchoring a thrilling win in the 1,600 relay. She was aided by freshman Amy-Eloise Neale, who broke a 1,600 record that stood for 26 years. Those two, combined with Glacier Peak’s depth in the distance races, carried the Grizzlies to the title.

“I’m incredibly proud of what this team did,” said a shattered Cummings, who barely had the strength to conduct the interview. “I swear, half of them are freshmen, so you can only imagine what they’re going to do in their senior year.”

Cummings destroyed the field in her two individual events. In the 400, where she came into the week ranked second in the state among 3A runners, she had the race won in the first 100 meters. With her competitors out of sight she slowed down and sauntered across the finish line, winning in a time of 56.26 seconds. That was just 16 one-hundredths of a second off the meet record set by Stanwood’s Karen Church in 1985.

Cummings won in similar fashion in the 200, pulling away from the field to win in 25.62. But the 1,600 relay both finished off the team title and nearly finished off Cummings. Neale’s stunning third leg moved the Grizzlies up two places and gave Cummings a narrow advantage going into the final lap. Ferndale sprint star Haley Locker zipped past Cummings on the back straight. But Cummings stayed with Locker, pulled alongside Locker coming off the final turn, then pulled back ahead to give the Grizzlies the victory.

“Yeah, I felt like I was going to throw up,” Cummings said about her condition following her final race. “There’s definitely not enough time between those races.

“I think I just run really well in the rain,” Cummings added about her overall performance. “It didn’t really feel like I was having to run very hard — except in the four-by-four.”

While Cummings came just short of breaking a long-standing district record in the 400, Neale managed to pull off the feat in the 1,600.

Neale missed out on breaking another 26-year-old record in the 3,200 during Wednesday’s first day, a late arrival prompting Neale to hold back. She still won comfortably, but finished well off the record set in 1984.

But there was no holding back for Neale on Friday. She signaled her intent in the 1,600 right from the gun, building a substantial lead after the first turn and quickly pulling away. Then heading into the final turn she glanced at her time on the scoreboard and kicked it up another notch. Running hard through the tape Neale crossed in 4:52.06, besting the mark of 4:59.40 set by Shorewood’s Pam Eyman 26 years earlier.

There were four other titlists from Wesco.

Lynnwood had two individual champions, one at each end of the age spectrum. Senior Laycee Hill was the runaway winner in the shot put. Her throw of 36 feet, 10.25 inches was more than 2 feet farther than anyone else in the field. Meanwhile, freshman Hannah Lemm led from start to finish in the 800, holding off a second-lap charge to win in 2:18.80.

Meadowdale senior Julia Young took home the title in the pole vault. Young won a jump off after she and Ferndale’s Kyrin Walsh both cleared 8-6.

Shorecrest won the 400 relay in 50.73.

At Shoreline Stadium

Team scores—Glacier Peak 142.83, Shorecrest 126, Ferndale 110.83, Sedro-Woolley 76, Everett 76, Mt. Vernon 71.33, Lynnwood 45, Meadopwdale 44.

Wesco state meet qualifiers

100 hurdles—2. Alexis Ramos (Sct) 15.75; 100—2. Alexis Ramos (Sct) 12.67; 1,600—1. Amy-Eloise Neale (GP) 4:52.06, 2. Katie Bianchini (GP) 5:04.92; 400 relay—1. Shorecrest (Lynleigh Oliver, Rachel Schrote, Ashley Desharnias, Alexis Ramos) 50.73, 2. Meadowdale (Sara Fjortoft, Hannah Landerholm, Lindsay Hatch, Stephanie Bidondo) 50.82; 400—1. Stephenie Cummings (GP) 56.26; 800—1. Hannah Lemm (Lynn) 2:18.80; 200—1. Stephenie Cummings (GP) 25.62; 3,200—1. Amy-Eloise Neale (GP) 11:01.60; 1,600 relay—1. Glacier Peak (Katie Bianchini, Rachel Steranka, Stephenie Cummings, Amy-Eloise Neale) 4:04.92; High jump—2. Emily Corona (Sct) 5-0; Long jump—1. Rachel Schrote (Sct) 16-6.75, 2. Emily Corona (Sct) 16-1.5; Triple jump—2. Elisa Ahern (Sct) 35-11; Shot put—1. Laycee Hill (Lynn) 36-10.25; Discus—1. India Matheson (Sct) 112-7, 2. Katie Higgins (GP) 111-1; Javelin—1. Monica Webber (Evt) 109-9, 2. Emily Corona (Sct) 1-05-4; Pole vault—1. Julia Young (M’dale) 8-6.