Tigers teams sweep Ray Cross Invite

EPHRATA — It’s always a challenge to hold one’s own track invitational.

But it sure doesn’t hurt when the host team wins it — two times at once even.

The Ephrata boys and girls track teams captured team titles from their own Ray Cross Invitational held on Saturday.

On the boys’ side, the Tigers won with 149 points, outdistancing runners-up Richland (136), and Moses Lake (63) which finished fourth.

Othello took eighth (35 points), Royal finished 10th (32 points), and Quincy took 13th (21 points), out of the 22-team field.

The Lady Tigers took first out of 23 teams with 123.5 points, beating out second-place Connell (96) and Richland (78).

Moses Lake finished sixth (58), Quincy ended up seventh (57) and Othello settled with an 11th-place result (38), to respresent Columbia-Basin teams.

In boys events, Ephrata’s Travis Mather won the 100-meter (11.54) and 200-meter (22.94) runs and Jerome Prescod captured the triple (44’ 1.75”) and high jumps (6’ 6”), finishing up as top Tigers performances.

In the pole vault, Luke Grigg of Quincy won with a 13’ 6”.

Second-place finishers include, Jordan Wilks (Moses Lake, 100-meter-run, 11.71), Ethan Tonnemaker (Royal, 1600-meters, 4:41.35 and 3200-meters, 10:21.06), and Prescod (20’ 10”) in the long jump.

Michah Ohl (Ephrata, 100-meter-run, 11.76 and 200-meter-run, 23.49), and Brian Chamberlain (Moses Lake, 400-meter-run, 52.98), Steven Monda (Ephrata, 800-meter-run, 2:03.75), Grigg (110-meter-hurdles, 15.69), Ephrata’s 4x100-meter relay team (Randy Koon, Wilks, Mitchell Hill, and Chamberlain, 45.20), Travis Flint (Ephrata, javelin, 171’1”), Tyrone Prescod (Ephrata, long jump, 20’9.50”), Hill (triple jump, 42’00”) all finished third in their respective events.

Othello’s top finisher was Mark Zuniga who finished seventh in the javelin with a 150’1”.

On the girls’ side, Ephrata’s Abby Smith captured the shot put competition with a 36’1” while Othello’s Tiffany Martinez captured the discus (119’7”), and teammate Christine Kirkwood took the crown in the javelin (139’5”).        

Other top finishers included, Martinez (second, shot put, 35’5”), Nikki Pope (second, triple jump, 34’ 3.50”) Kendahl Hintz (Ephrata, pole vault, 9’6”), Taylor Kunkel (Quincy, second, long jump, 16’00.75”), Danielle Friend (Ephrata, second, 1600-meter run, 5:41.78 and third, 3200-meter run, 12:17.99), Quincy’s 4x200-meter relay team (Jasmine Perez, Taylor Kunkel, Elizabeth Blancas, and Katia Perez, 1:56.27), Magie Munoz (Moses Lake, third, 100-meter-run, 13.51 and third, 400-meter-run, 1:02.38), Jordan Loera (Moses Lake, high jump, third, 4’10”, third, long jump, 15’10.75” and third, triple jump, 33’00”), Ephrata’s 4x100-meter relay team (Nikki Pope, Julia Weaver, Daiam Navarro, and Lauren Yount, 53:63), Ephrata’s 4x200-meter relay team (Lauren Yount, Kayla Franks, Taylor Barnes, and Julia Weaver, 1:56.27), Ephrata’ 4x400-meter relay team (Daiam Navarro, Lauren Yount, Erin Monda, and Taylor Barnes, 4:27.14).