Meet records broken at chilly King’s Invite

Despite a cold day with snow on the ground and temperatures in the low 40s, several athletes posted hot times at the 23rd annual King’s Invite.

After King’s track coach and meet organizer Daunte Gouge and more than 10 volunteers shoveled snow off the infield after sun-up, the stage was set.

“Across the board there were some phenomenal times,” Gouge said.

King’s junior Olivia Thomas broke the meet and school record in the 1,600 meters with a time of 5 minutes, 5.45 seconds. Joscelyn Minton of Northwest Christian, who finished second in 5:08.17, pushed Thomas the first three laps, which Thomas said helped her run a better race. Thomas also eclipsed the meet record in the 800 meters in 2:19.26.

Thomas, who kept warm by warming up in the gym below the track between races, has the fastest times in the 800 and 1,600 in Class 1A.

“I’m going to try to get under five (in the 1,600),” she said. “I know I’m going to be capable of doing it in the future.”

Thomas also ran on King’s winning 800 relay (1:49.3) and winning 1,600 relay (4:13.48).

The King’s boys won the Invite for the seventh consecutive year, easily outdistancing Nampa Christian of Idaho 138 to 74. Nampa Christian won the girls title, edging King’s 131 to 129 to break the Knights five-year streak of titles.

King’s senior Victor Swanson won both the discus with a throw of 149 feet, 9 inches and the shot put with a heave of 49-1.5. Neither were personal records, but Swanson, who is ranked No. 1 in the discus in 1A and No. 3 in the shot put, was happy with the result.

“It was a good day. I finally won at the King’s Invite,” said Swanson, who was second in both events last year.

Tacoma Baptist’s Maurice McNeal dominated the sprints, setting meet records in the 100 (11.17), the 200 (22.41) and 400 (49.60).

King’s junior Josh Fuller beat McNeal in the 200 and 400 last year at the King’s Invite, but finished second in the 400 (50.25) and third in the 200 (22.74).

Fuller started fast in the 400 but McNeal caught him halfway through the race.

“I still have to work on my final 150 (meters),” Fuller said. “It will come along. You got to give him credit, he’s pretty fast.”

King’s 1,600 relay, which has the fastest time in 1A, won with a time of 3:30.41. The Knights experimented with the order and didn’t run their fastest time. Bryan Ayers went first, followed by Fuller, Tony Yakovich and Austin Dean.

The 400 relay, which is ranked second in 1A, didn’t finish because of missed exchange between Fuller and Ayers.

“I think we’ll get it down,” Fuller said.

Yakovich, the state 1A leader in the triple jump, won handily with a jump of 44-4.5.

“Overall, a win’s a win,” said Yakovich, a senior. “I wish I could get on the board better and hit that mark.”

Yakovich also scored points in the 100, placing fourth in 11.74.

King’s senior Alex Lehman won the pole vault clearing 12-6.

King’s junior John Burley finished second in the triple jump (41-7) and second in the long jump (20-3.75).

King’s freshman Curtis Clauson had a solid day in his first King’s Invite scoring in two events. He placed second in the javelin with a throw of 164-6 and fifth in the long jump (19-10.75)

Clauson said the conditions made it a challenge to run and throw.

“Because of the cold you get tight faster, you have to warm up faster,” he said.

Also scoring for the King’s boys were: Ayers in the 400 (third, 52.25); Austin Dean in the 300 hurdles (fifth, 42.0); Sean Brugger in the 110 hurdles (fifth, 15.97) and high jump (fourth, 5-8); Erik Halvorson in 1,600 (seventh, 4:44.77) and 800 (fifth, 2:09.45); Raymond Zhang in the 110 hurdles (eighth, 16.75); Jean Blatchford in the pole vault (fourth, 11-0); Nate Faubion in the freshman/sophomore 1,600 (sixth, 5:04.07); Zack Berg in the 200 (eighth, 24.35); Billy Martin in the shot put (fifth, 42-3.75) and discus (eighth, 113-6) and Lehman in the javelin (eighth, 144-6).

Also scoring for the King’s girls were: Megan Northey in the 800 (third, 2:26.8); Adele Eslinger in the 3,200 (third, 12:08.87) and freshman/sophomore 1,600 (second, 5:49.46); Morgan Hamm in the 3,200 (fifth, 12:27.14) and freshman/sophomore 1,600 (first, 5:46.39); Makenzie Taylor in the 1,600 (fifth, 5:35.68); Mariah Louie in the 100 hurdles (sixth, 17.86), 300 hurdles (seventh, 52.11) and triple jump (fourth, 31-11); Erin Bremond in the 100 (sixth, 13.73) and triple jump (fifth, 31-10); Ali McConnaughey in the shot put (fifth, 31-1), discus (sixth, 94-5) and javelin (eighth, 90-3); Alex Ballinger in the high jump (second, 5-0); Jana Jack in the high jump (fourth, 4-8); Megan Crosby in the pole vault (second, 9-0); and Sarah Blatchford in the pole vault (fourth 8-6).

Shoreline Christian picked up points in the 100 hurdles from Sarah Daigneault (fourth, 16.67) and Andrea DeKoekkoek (seventh, 17.97). Daigneault also took eighth in the 400 (1:05.07); Meesha Hoskin placed eighth in the 200 (29.0); Kyle Rasor placed eighth in the 1,600 (4:45.18).

Twenty-seven teams and about 675 athletes participated in the all-Christian school meet.