Jackrabbits host CLA Quincy Invitational

QUINCY — Twenty-two track and field teams gathered at Quincy High School for Saturday’s CliftonLarsonAllen Quincy Invitational for a full day of sprints, runs and throws. 

The Jackrabbits had the highest finish among local teams in both the boys and girls meet.

“Overall, the meet ran really smooth,” Quincy boys track and field head coach Andrew Schmitt said. “We were worried a little bit that we might get some wind because we got a lot of wind earlier in the week, but it thankfully died down and made it for a really nice day for competition.”

The Quincy boys took fifth with a score of 61 points. Rounding out the top five were Cashmere in first (123.5 points), Brewster (103), Toppenish (94) and Goldendale (66). Wahluke (38) took sixth and Othello (7) took 14th.

“We had a lot of really good individual performances,” Schmitt said. “We’re seeing a lot of PRs (personal records), which as we get about three weeks away from districts, that’s what we want to see – we want to see kids really start to PR and take time off.”

In the girls meet, Quincy took ninth with 29 points. Wahluke tied for 14th with 18 points.

“We pride ourselves in putting together a great meet every time we host one, and I would say we were able to do that again,” Weber said. 

Quincy senior Jayden Richards remained near the top of the boys 200-meter dash, finishing in second place with a time of 23.48 seconds. Richards holds the fastest times in the Caribou Trail League this spring in both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.

“He really strives to put in the work, and he’s very coachable,” Schmitt said. “He’s always eager for instruction and receptive to it and really strives to make those changes when you give him some coaching on his form, his block start or his racing strategy.”

The Jackrabbit distance duo of sophomores Alejandro Birrueta and Sergio Esparza finished in the top three of both the 800-meter and the 1,600-meter runs on Saturday; Birrueta took first in the 800 and second in the 1,600, while Esparza took second in the 800 and third in the 1,600. 

“It really helps to have two guys that are friends, but that are competitive,” Schmitt said. “They want each other to be successful, but they also compete against each other, which makes both of them better. We love to see that, especially when it pays off.”

Quincy’s 4x400-meter relay team of Richards, sophomore Anthony Averill, Birrueta, and Esparza posted a new season-best time of 3:40.69 minutes, reaching second in the league.

“It kind of meets in the middle at the four-by-four, each of them running a lap,” Schmitt said. “It’s a really fun thing to see where we get a crossover and have some sprinters and some distance runners work together.”

Two Quincy throwers finished in the top 10 of two different events on Saturday.

In the boys meet, senior Sergio Castillo took second in discus (122 feet) and eighth in the javelin (121 feet, 6 inches).

“He’s been putting in the work all season, and things are starting to click,” Schmitt said. “He made a big jump going to his senior year in both events, improved by almost 20 feet in each event.”

In the girls meet, senior Kallie Kooistra took fifth in the discus (95 feet, 5 inches) and 10th in the javelin (73 feet, five inches).

“She’s very coachable, and she also works at it,” Quincy girls head coach Tim Weber said.

Quincy freshman Addison Compton placed in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes with times of 13.52 seconds and 28.72 seconds, respectively.

“She’s very naturally athletic, but she understands that hard work really does pay off in track and field,” Weber said.

Jackrabbit senior Shea Heikes took fourth in the girls 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.32 seconds.

“She’s another one who’s really leaning into training hard this year, so that’s paying off for her and we’re starting to see dividends on that,” Weber said. “So much of track and field is mental, it’s all about the attitude and mindset going into your events and how you prepare not just physically, but mentally, and she’s positive and usually has a really good attitude.”

Saturday’s meet concluded with a special 4x100-meter relay, run by the throwers of different teams.

“They love getting a chance to see what it’s like to go run around the track, as many of them are only throwers,” Schmitt said. “It’s something where there’s no pressure, it’s just fun.”

Wahluke senior Angel Vazquez-Jimenez won the 1,600-meter run and took second in the 3,200-meter run, and senior Bryan Kinney-Avalos took third in the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches) and fourth in the triple jump (39 feet, 4 1/4 inches).

Full results from the meet can be found at https://bit.ly/44bmHqA.

    Wahluke sophomore Lorraine Badillo, right, passes the baton to sophomore Valerie Segura Espindole, left, during the girls 4x100-meter relay in Quincy.
  

    Brewster freshman Pepper Boesel, in red, heaves the javelin during her winning throw at Saturday’s CLA Quincy Invitational, recording a distance of 126 feet, 8 inches.