PASCO – Part of Everett’s Cori Moore wanted to win the race even if it wasn’t the wisest course of action.
As she ran down the final stretch of Pasco’s Edgar Brown Stadium track shoulder to shoulder with returning Class 4A state 800-meter runner-up Brie Felnagle of Bellarmine Prep, she remembered that there would be a tomorrow.
After all, it was only a preliminary heat. The true winner of the 800 – which is expected to be one of the most competitive races of Star Track XXII – will be decided today during the second day of the state meet. Rather than lay it all on the less meaningful line, Moore looked at the bigger picture as Felnagle pulled away over the final 20 meters.
“She had a pretty good kick at the end there,” said Moore of Felnagle, who won the 1,600 in 2003 and was the state cross country champion in the fall. “But, (Friday) was just about getting the final. “(Today) is when it counts.”
The threesome of Moore, Felnagle and returning champion Amanda Miller of Eastmont has not run a race together this season, but they have battled on the state leaders chart.
All three have taken turns at the top, and they’ve generally been separated by less than a second. Felnagle and Miller scuffled down the back stretch of last year’s final to a finish that took some time to sort out. Miller, who finished in 2 minutes, 14.14 seconds last year, officially won the race by one-one hundredth of a second. Felnagle ran a 2:15.94 on Friday, edging Moore by one-tenth of a second. Miller, who benefited from slightly better weather on the day that featured sun, rain and hail, won the other heat in 2:13.11.
“It should be a pretty good race,” said Moore, who finished third as a freshman in 2003. “We are all right there.”
The surprising stormy weather, which included an all-out downpour that lasted for several minutes, delayed some of the throwing events for long stretches and sent the crowd in desperate search of cover. Cascade’s Whitney Hooks, who won the shot put competition as a freshman last year, earned her first medal in the discus. After two lengthy rain delays, Hooks finished fifth with a throw of 123 feet, 9 inches. Snohomish’s Nicole Luckenbach (119-9) placed sixth. On her final attempt, Mead’s Corissa Hutchinson uncorked a throw of 138-9, the best by a 4A thrower this season.
Edmonds-Woodway’s Tiana Roma, who was the surprise winner of the 2003 high jump, finished second despite a season-best jump of 5 feet, 6 inches. Roma’s mark equaled that of winner Briann January of Lewis &Clark and third-place finisher Sara Klein of Olympia. The tie is broken by fewest total misses throughout the competition.
“I got 5-6 last year, so I was really hoping to get 5-7 or more,” said Roma, who just barely caught an ankle on the bar during her first attempt at 5-7. “I just didn’t have enough energy. I kind of died out.”
Roma, who will attend Western Washington University on a volleyball scholarship, said she was glad to peak at the end of the season. Friday was the first time this year she hit 5-6.
“The way I saw it, I already had a win,” Roma said. “That’s not what I was here to do. I was here to get a personal best. That’s not what happened, but I was close.”
Snohomish’s Carly Osness finished second in her 300 hurdles prelim to earn a spot in today’s final. Lake Stevens sprinter Jessica Hinton qualified the 100 and anchored the Vikings 400 relay to the final.
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