By Chris Trujillo
Herald Writer
EVERETT – Akousua Fordjour lost her only true competition when Kamiak track standout Heather Hetzer went down with a stress fracture early in the season.
Since then the 5-foot-3 Shorewood junior has had to practice against her next toughest competition – herself.
So far, it’s been the best preparation she’s had, and it shows.
Fordjour captured the Western Conference South Division championship in both the 100- and 200-meter events on Friday during the division championships held at Goddard Stadium.
The winner of each event earns an automatic place in the district finals Friday at Stanwood. The next 12 finshers advance to Wednesday’s preliminaries.
It was Fordjour’s sterling performance along with Nanda McCormick’s first-place finish in the 300 hurdles that helped Shorewood take the team title with 183 points. Edmonds-Woodway finished second with 134.5 points, Everett followed in third place with 116.5 points and Shorecrest finished fourth with 109.5.
Fordjour, who took third in the 200 and eighth in the 100 during last season’s state championships, held off Mariner’s Monaka White with a time of 12.62 to win the 100. She defeated Lynnwood’s Sarah Owen by about 6 yards in the 200 to finish with a time of 26.21.
“I want to do much better than eighth place at state this year,” Fordjour said. “It’s going to be hard, but I’ll have to work hard.”
Owens led Lynnwood with a victory in the 400 and a second-place finish in the 200 as the Royals finished sixth with 66 points.
Selina Green led Meadowdale, which finished fifth with 92 points, after winning the 1,600 with a time of 5:24.7, edging out Shorewood’s Tiffany Passi, who finished second with a time of 5:26.6.
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