Royals run strong at state track meet

PASCO — The Lynnwood girls track and field team had glimpses of brilliance at the 3A state track and field championships in Pasco May 26-27.

Lynnwood tied for 13th with 17 points in the team standings led by the performance of its 1,600-meter relay squad.

After posting the fastest preliminary time of 4 minutes, .08 seconds, the team of Mariya Golonko, Amanda Overdick, Abriana Hill and Caitlin Bonney finished third in the final behind Issaquah and Liberty with a time of 4:01.08.

The Royals finished seventh in the event last year at state.

“It’s a real confidence booster to have these girls run that fast,” Bonney said.

Bonney placed fourth with a time of 46.01 in her marquee individual event, the 300 hurdles, after finishing second last year. Angela Jensen of Fife won in 44.41.

Bonney had a tough year battling strains in both her hamstrings and as one of the top returnees in the state had a target on her back all year.

“I thought I came out good,” she said of the final race. “The speed and quickness isn’t there. My legs, they’re just tired. It’s been a long season.”

Bonney will play soccer at Washington State this fall but is undecided whether she’ll pursue track.

Golonko medaled in the 400 meters, finishing fourth in a time of 59.03. Dyneeca Adams of Rainier Beach, who won in 56.79, and several other girls set a fast pace in the first 100 meters.

“They went out quick,” said Golonko. She came into state as the third qualifier from District 1 but neither of the first two qualifiers made the final.

Golonko also competed in the triple jump and finished 12th with a leap of 34 feet, 71/2 inches.

Overdick, a freshman, pulled a pleasant surprise in the high jump. She earned an eighth-place medal by clearing 5 feet.

“I didn’t know that I was even going to make it to state,” said Overdick, adding her goal was simply to “run hard and jump high.”

Several other Edmonds District athletes also earned medals.

Edmonds-Woodway junior Kate Southcote-Want placed sixth in the 1,600 with a time of 5:05.59 to earn her first state track medal.

Southcote-Want said she had to focus on herself during the race to avoid being distracted by the battle between eventual winner Megan O’Reilly of Mount Spokane and Eastlake’s Jessica Pixler, who set a blistering pace.

“I started out at the back of the pack but that was fine though because it only matters where you are when you cross the line,” she said.

“I hadn’t quite hit my goals but by setting high goals I accomplished that much more trying to get to them, so I’m happy with that,” she said. “I wish I had another week but whatever.”

Meadowdale’s Latrina Woods battled some nervousness while making her first state appearance and took home a seventh-place medal in the 100 meters with a time of 12.59 seconds.

“I take three deep breaths and get ready to run,” Woods said. “First time ever doing track. I’m proud of myself.”

Woods also competed in the 200 meters and barely missed making the final. Her preliminary time of 25.64 was one-hundreth of a second out of eighth place.

On the boys side, Mountlake Terrace sophomore Matt Beeninga placed eighth in the 4A 800 meters with a time of 2:00.49. Beeninga, who scored the Hawks’ only point, ran a strong preliminary race, finishing second in his heat with a time of 1:58.06.

Edmonds-Woodway junior Eric Greenwood barely missed out on a medal in the 4A high jump. Greenwood cleared 6-feet, 2 inches on his second attempt but couldn’t match his personal record of 6-4 set at the district meet. Because of his miss at 6-2, Greenwood fell out of medal contention and finished ninth.

“I’ll be back next year,” said Greenwood, who is being recruited by several Pac-10 schools as a wide receiver in football.

Mountlake Terrace junior Eric Doyle finished seventh in his preliminary heat of the 4A 110 hurdles with a time of 16.02 and failed to advance.

In 3A competition, Lynnwood’s Tim Carrithers, a returning state competitor, fell short of earning his first state medal. Carrithers finished fourth in his preliminary heat of the 400 meters, but his time of 51.22 was the ninth-fastest overall and he missed the final. In the 200, Carrithers finished seventh in his preliminary heat with a time of 23.32 and missed the final.