Tigers, Mavs take home top-5 finishes at state championships

COLUMBIA BASIN — Ten local schools were represented at state track and field championships in Yakima and Tacoma over the weekend, with Moses Lake and Ephrata each sending 15 athletes to the state meet in Tacoma.

Ephrata sent 15 athletes to the state meet, placing fourth overall as a team with 43 points: Angel Avila, Josh Green, Benjamin Belino, Alexander Belino, Felipe Esquivel, Hunter Handy, Travis Hendrick, Weslee Kriete, Hayden Malone, Mckenzie Paullin, Tyler Raine, Zachary Reyes, Hayden Roberts, Landon Schafer and Daniel Villa.

“It shows we’ve been real consistent, not just this year but over the years,” Ephrata Head Coach Dan Martin said. “Like every other sport, you’re only as good as how hard the kids work you. This year’s crew (had) really good team unity, good leadership. A lot of togetherness throughout the year.”

The Mavs sent 11 athletes to compete at the 4A state championships in Tacoma; Hunter Blackman, Madison Bond, Jason Byers, Kaiya Char, Miciah Higley, Kailee Kellum, Ethan LaBonte, Logan LaBonte, Niko Rimple, Ty Rimple and Sydney Macdonald. Alternates Jake Goude, Joseph Fitts, Blazer Luiten and Ingrid De La Rosa also made the trip to state.

“This is our largest group that we’ve sent to state in a long time,” Moses Lake Head Coach Nicki Weiland said.

For the event alternates who also joined the Mavericks at state, Weiland said those who experience the atmosphere of the state championships usually perform well in the following season.

“We’ve always taken kids in the past years who didn’t qualify for state, because we thought they would make it to state the following year,” Weiland said. “And, usually, they do make it to state the following year. That itself is a motivator, I think.”

Alexander Belino, Esquivel, Malone, Reyes, Schafer and Villa were all alternates for the Tiger 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams, and all got to experience the atmosphere of the state meet.

“This year the state allowed four alternates for relay instead of two, so we took younger kids to give them a chance,” Martin said. “They ran on other relays throughout the year, but not the varsity, but they got the chance to experience that.”

Ephrata’s 4x400 relay team, run by senior Tyler Raine, senior Travis Hendrick, junior Hayden Roberts and senior Josh Green, left Tacoma with a title in the event after finishing with a time of 3:22.69 minutes.

“We just got better every week and showed up at the right times, (got) qualifying times,” Martin said. “It was pretty close – first exchange, second exchange, third exchange – and then Josh Green, the last leg, said ‘This isn’t going to happen,’ and pretty much willed it upon himself. We won by a decent amount. It was great.”

Martin said the runners on the relay team had known each other since elementary school, going through their years of school together.

“They fight for each other over the years,” Martin said. “(In) 2012, our boys were state champions. Same deal with that crew.”

The highest Maverick placing was by Ty Rimple in the boys 400-meter dash, completing the event in 49.75 seconds for a second-place finish in the 4A finals.

“He’s always looking ahead, and I bet he’s looking ahead at being the No. 1 guy on the podium,” Weiland said. “He’s been a godsend to the program, he and his brother Niko. The kids really respect him, he’s brought some excitement to the program.”

Moses Lake’s 4x400-meter relay team – which is composed of two sets of brothers in Ty Rimple and Niko Rimple, along with Logan LaBonte and Ethan LaBonte – was the first Moses Lake 4x400-meter relay team to qualify for the state championships in 32 years.

“It tells you that some of these kids, they are really looking to make a mark at Moses Lake, now that we’re a new brand and a new mascot,” Weiland said. “To go as a Maverick instead of a Chief, to represent Moses Lake with the new branding, meant a lot to the kids.”

Tiger senior Weslee Kriete finished second in the 2A boys shot put, setting a personal best in the finals on a school record he’s made his own throughout the season.

“He’s broken the school record four times in a row,” Martin said.

Roberts also broke Tiger school records at the 2A state meet, setting new record times of 1:55.42 in the 800-meter run and 4:16.44 in the 1600-meter run. Roberts placed fourth in the 800 and second in the 1600.

“He smashed it at the state meet,” Martin said.

Paullin took home another top-five finish for the Tigers, placing fifth in the 2A girls shot put with a distance of 35 feet and 9.25 inches.

“She’d never been to state before so she was really nervous, but she ended up placing fifth and on the podium,” Martin said. “That was really exciting.”

Ephrata’s Benjamin Belino took home titles in four wheelchair events; the boys 100-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter and 1600-meter events. The junior began using a wheelchair this school year according to Martin.

“That was quite a tough road, but exciting for all our kids to see that – be part of all the things that he did,” Martin said.

Ian Bivona can be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

State Finals Placings

4A/3A/2A State Track and Field Championships - Mount Tahoma High School

4A

Moses Lake

Ty Rimple - boys 400-meter dash, second place (49.75 seconds).

Boys 4x400-meter relay (Niko Rimple, Ty Rimple, Logan LaBonte and Ethan LaBonte), sixth place (3:26.98 minutes).

Byers - boys high jump, 15th place (5 feet, 10 inches).

Blackman - boys javelin, 13th place (149 feet, 7 inches).

Macdonald - girls high jump, tied seventh place (five feet); girls triple jump, 13th place (33 feet, 4.25 inches).

Kellum - girls long jump, fifth place (17 feet, 3 inches).

Bond - girls triple jump, 16th place (32 feet, 7.25 inches).

2A

Ephrata

Green - boys 100-meter dash, fifth place (10.98 seconds); boys 200-meter dash, second place (21.91 seconds).

Roberts - boys 800-meter run, fourth place (1:55.42); boys 1600-meter run, second place (4:16.44).

Boys 4x400-meter relay (Raine, Hendrick, Roberts, Green, Avila, Villa, Malone and Reyes), first place (3:22.3 minutes).

Kriete - boys shot put, second place (55 feet, 8.25 inches).

Paullin - girls shot put, fifth place (35 feet, 9.25 inches); girls discus, 14th place (98 feet, one inch).

Benjamin Belino - boys 100-meter wheelchair, first place (20.6 seconds); boys 400-meter wheelchair, first place (1:15.43 minute); boys 800-meter wheelchair, first place (2:33.04 minutes); boys 1600-meter wheelchair, first place (5:30.42 minutes).

Othello

Lacey Garza - girls discus, 10th place (100 feet, eight inches).

1A/2B/1B State Track and Field Championships - Zaepfel Stadium at Eisenhower High School.

1A

Quincy

Jasmine Vasquez - girls high jump, tied-seventh place (4 feet, 10 inches).

Joceline Schaapman - girls 300-meter hurdles, second place (45.86 seconds).

Royal

Abel Garcia - boys discus, 16th place (115 feet, 4 inches).

Edgar Delarosa - boys high jump, fifth place (6 feet).

Louden Smith - boys pole vault, tied-tenth place (11 feet).

Fitzhugh - girls pole vault, tied-14th (8 feet).

Wahluke

Jason Martinez Blass - boys 800-meter run, 13th place (2:05.3)

Angel Vazquez-Jimenez - boys 1600-meter run, 21st place (4:44.69); boys 3200-meter run, 14th place (10:13.15).

Brayan Calvario - boys high jump, second place (6 feet, 2inches).

Daisy Barajas - girls javelin, 14th place (88 feet, eight inches); girls triple jump, 12th place (32 feet, 0.5 inch).

2B

LRS

Hayden Melcher - boys 100-meter dash, fourth place (11.36 seconds); boys 200-meter dash, third place (22.75 seconds).

Zoe Galbreath - girls pole vault, sixth place (8 feet, 6 inches).

Myra Miller - girls discus, fifth place (108 feet, 7 inches).

1B

ACH

Kaylee Woodtka - girls 100-meter dash, fifth place (13.79 seconds); girls 200-meter dash, eighth place (28.11 seconds); girls triple jump, third place (33 feet, 4.5 inches).

Chloe Jensen - girls 800-meter run, ninth place (2:36.34); girls 300-meter hurdles, seventh place (52.52).

MLCA/CCS

Brynlynn King - girls 1600-meter run, ninth place (5:54.66 minutes); girls 3200-meter run, ninth place (13:44.77).

Bree Edwards - girls 1600-meter run, 12th place (6:19.94 minutes); girls 3200-meter run, 13th place (14:49.82).

McKenna Meise - girls shot put, 10th place (29 feet and three-quarters inches); girls discus, 11th place (80 feet).

Soap Lake

Monce Flores - girls javelin, 12th place (71 feet, 7 inches).