Basin teams begin track and field season at Ephrata Ice Breaker

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers hosted 12 teams, including the Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions, Othello Huskies, Soap Lake Eagles and Wahluke Warriors for the Ephrata Ice Breaker. The first track and field meet of the season worked to set the tone for the season as newer athletes got a taste of competition, and the returners had an opportunity to make a strong start to their season. 

Ephrata 

The Tigers proved themselves a strong contender this season in their home opener, with athletes competing in almost every event and having top 10 finishes and multiple first-place finishes across the board.  

The boys’ top finishers of the day on the track were senior Alexander Belino who took second in the 100 meters and the 200 meters, senior Andy Addink taking second in the 400 meters, senior Cooper Black taking first in the 800 meters, sophomore Caleb Fitts taking first in the 1600 meters and 3200 meters and senior Maddax Iverson with first in 110 m hurdles and second in 300 m hurdles. 

In field events, the Tigers boys saw junior Cooper Kriete take second in shot put, senior Tyler Kono take second in discus, senior Jacob Bartlett take seventh in javelin, junior Carson Andrus take fifth in high jump, senior Jens Bair take second in pole vault, and Belino take first in long jump and second in triple jump. 

Ephrata’s girls had success on the track with freshman Addison Vasquez taking first in the 100m hurdles and fifth in the 300m hurdles, junior Amya Seblario taking seventh in the 200m, senior Cynthia Villagran Morales taking second in the 400m, sophomore Rebecca Wiser taking second in the 800m and third in the 1600m and sophomore Savannah Harper taking second in the 3200m. 

The Tigers had similar success in the field with sophomore Lydia Myrick taking fourth in shot put, junior Lila Buchmann taking second in javelin, sophomore Bailee Morris taking fourth in long jump and senior Delanie Killinger taking second in triple jump. In high jump, Ephrata took the top two spots with Cassidy Cox taking first and Evangeline Springs in second, and junior Alexis Edwards, senior Gracie Hundtoft and junior Ella Schults taking the second, third and fourth place slots in pole vault. 

Ephrata seeks to find similar success at the Papa Wells Invitational at East Valley High School Saturday at 10 a.m. 

MLCA/CCS 

Despite only having seven of their 14 athlete roster able to attend Tuesday’s meet, the Lions made their presence known in Ephrata, participating in 11 events and placing in the top 10 in five of them. Most of the team was unable to attend due to prior commitments, but for those who attended, they represented their team well. 

“It was just really exciting to get to go compete on a real track with other schools and other teams,” said Lions Head Coach Dan Bishop. 

Amelia Shopbell, a junior from the Lions, had a strong performance on the girls’ side, taking fifth in the 100 meters, ninth in the 200 meters and sixth in javelin. Along with Shopbell, Aspyn Masset, Q’Tyyr’N Gessner and Helene Mills each competed in multiple events throughout the afternoon. 

Coach Bishop said Masset, Gessner and Mills earned five personal records between the three of them. 

“(That) is just exceptional for a young athlete and they’re all three getting their feet under them,” said the Lions coach. 

For the boys, another junior, Ben Bishop, started the season by taking 12th in the 100 meters, fourth in the 200 meters, and sixth in the 1600 meters. Bishop was joined by freshman Isaiah Doehne and eighth grader Caleb Jorgensen, who were both competing in their first track and field meet, which gave them their first official times that they will work to improve upon this season.  

“It was just kind of a culture shock, what to do, where to go and pointing them in the right direction, but they did great,” said Coach Bishop. 

He said this meet was a strong outing for the Lions athletes as they have now set up their baseline at the start of the season and have an idea of where they want to improve moving forward.  

The Lions prepare to return their full squad to the Windbreaker Invitational at 3:15 p.m. Friday in Mattawa. 

Othello 

The Huskies returned to the track and field season with a large group of new athletes who were unfamiliar with the sport but were supported by a group of experienced returners. In total, Othello was represented by 110 athletes. 

“To have that many eligible and ready to go was fun and exciting,” said Huskies Head Coach Mandi Perez. “Some of our veterans performed really well.” 

Othello senior Abby Douglas had a successful day on the track, taking first in both the 100m and 200m. Another first-place finish on the girls side came from Betsaida Espindola in Discus after throwing 28.55m.  

Other notable placements came from senior Kenya Luna who took sixth in the 800m, senior Kimberly Alcaraz, taking eighth in the 1600m, sophomore Kate Mollotte taking fifth in 100m hurdles and sixth in 300m hurdles, junior Lucy Gilbert taking third in shot put, junior Carmen Gomez-Moran taking eighth in javelin and freshman Piper Ueblelacker tying for sixth in high jump. 

On the boys’ side, junior Jonah Hahn took third in the 100m and first in the 300m hurdles, junior Alejandro Lomeli took eighth in the 200m, senior Regulo Suarez took third in the 800m, junior Carlos De la Cruz took fifth in the 1600m. For field events, sophomore Elliot Mitchell took sixth in shot put and fourth in discus, senior Rylee Hilmes took second in javelin and first in pole vault, and junior George Gentry took second in high jump.  

Perez said it was great to see the veteran athletes performing at such a high level early in the season, and she is excited for what they will accomplish in May. As the team moves forward in the season, the main focus is on continuing their conditioning. 

“I’m excited for them, it’s going to be a fun season,” she said. 

The Huskies are headed to the Papa Wells Invitational at East Valley High School Saturday at 10 a.m. 

Soap Lake 

The Eagles brought a small, but experienced roster into Ephrata Tuesday evening, with the team returning four seniors, Lenny Campos, Sage Hart, Brooke Dana and Mylee Dana. Soap Lake Head Coach Doug Berryman said this meet was a great start to the season as they work to get the seniors back to state and give the younger athletes some experience. 

“(Tuesday) was a good first meet,” said Berryman. “I think the kids went out and worked on some things, put the kids in some uncomfortable situations in a way, running some events they don’t usually do and see how it feels.” 

For the girls, Sage Hart, Brooke Dana and eighth grader Nataleigh Wynn were the top performers with Hart taking first in the 400m, Brooke taking second in discus and Wynn taking second in shot put. Another top 10 performance came from freshman Marina Zubrisky who took ninth in 400m. 

On the boys side, the top performances came from juniors Ashton Halsey and Tyler Hart, who took 11th and 12th in the 400m. The senior, Lenny Campos, finished the 100m in 21st with a time of 12.68.  

“We always treat these first meets like a practice in a really good competitive setting,” said Berryman. 

For the younger athletes, often the first match of the season can be nerve-racking as they can feel on the spot, said the Eagles coach, but Tuesday he saw the senior leaders step up to help support the younger athletes as they began their journey in the sport. This season the efforts of the seniors are expected to begin to reflect in the younger athletes.  

The Eagles' next meet is scheduled March 25 at the Huskie JV Meet in Othello at 3:30 p.m. 

Wahluke 

The Warriors had a strong showing in their first meet of the season, despite bringing in only 62 of their 123-athlete roster to Ephrata to compete. Those athletes competed in almost every event at the meet, earning top 10 finishes in 12 events. 

“The kids that we took really were successful,” said Warriors Head Coach Joel Dugan. “Especially the younger kids are starting to understand the sport.” 

For the boys, Warriors sophomore Isaa Nava finished 10th in the 400 meters, sophomore Sebastian Hernandez took sixth in the 800 meters and ninth in the 1600 meters, sophomore Ramiro Gonzalez Jr took eight in discus and junior Salvador Castro took 10th in 110 m hurdles. In high jump Steven Mendoza tied for sixth. 

Kobe Corrales, another sophomore, had a standout performance Tuesday as he took first in the high jump with 1.73 m and triple jump with 11.44 m.  

The girls’ side had similar success with senior Kathy Veloz taking 10th in 100m hurdles, senior Cristal Ayerdis De La Cruz taking ninth in discus and fifth in pole vault, and freshman Vianae Sandoval taking seventh in long jump. 

Wahluke senior Galleanna Ledesma earned first in the pole vault, going up 7 feet. 

“The pole vault program, we invested a bunch of money in new poles and it’s clearly paying off, especially with our girls,” said Dugan.  

The Warriors' coach said this meet showed how well-rounded their team is as they competed well in every event. As they move forward in the season, he said it will be important that the athletes remember to get plenty of rest between meets to allow their bodies time to recover. 

The Warriors return home Friday to host the Windbreaker Invitational at 3:15 p.m. 

    Tigers senior Maddax Iverson leaps over a hurdle during Tuesday’s meet to start the track and field season.
  

    Othello’s Kate Mollotte bounds over the hurdle and Wahluke’s Kathy Veloz follows close behind.
  

    Jonah Hahn from the Huskies sprints ahead of the competition at the Ephrata Ice Breaker Tuesday afternoon.
  

    MLCA/CCS’s Ben Bishop runs along the side of the track as he competes against other basin teams in the Ephrata Ice Breaker.
  

    Amelia Shopbell from the Lions keeps a steady pace as she competes in a running event at the Ephrata Ice Breaker.
  

    Lenny Campos, a senior from the Eagles, makes a dash across the track during the Ephrata Ice Breaker Tuesday afternoon.
  

    Soap Lake freshman Marina Zubritsky makes a run across the track Tuesday afternoon in the 400m.
  

    Cristal Ayerdis from the Warriors prepares to make a leap in the pole vault event at the Ephrata Ice Breaker.
  

    Wahluke athlete Salvador Castro jumps over a hurdle during the Ephrata Ice Breaker to start off the season.