Cardinals Leave Competitors In The Dust

WALLA WALLA - The Waitsburg-Prescott boys and girls track teams came away with first-place finishes in last Wednesday's meet at Borleske Stadium in Walla Walla.

The girls had a total score of 102 with the nearest competitor being DeSales with 68 points. The boys blew everyone out of the water with a total of 134 points with the nearest competitor also being DeSales, at 50 points behind.

Kristin Potter put in another top-notch performance, clenching three first-place honors in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dash.

"Kristin's performance was definitely the highlight of the day for the girl's team," said head coach Jeff Bartlow. "She keeps improving her time in the 400, the competition from DeSales really drives her."

Senior Isabella Benito showed great endurance, winning the 1600 meter race in 6:31.81 and came back for a repeat performance, taking the 3200 meter crown in 14:18.19.

Amanda Cook stood out in the discus circle, throwing 77'5" in her final toss and earning first place, with the nearest competitor five feet behind her.

"That's a terrific distance for Amanda," said Bartlow. "She beat her old PR by seven feet in her final throw of the day."

Kayla Huxoll returned to the field still sporting bandages from her injury on April 1, when a Mac-Hi javelin pierced her leg just above the ankle.

"It's good to have Kayla back," said Bartlow. "She's not ready to run yet, but she threw well today, and she's got such a good attitude. We missed her."

She finished the day with two third-place finishes. The javelin flew 82'4" and she chucked the shot put 27' 7.5"

Ronnie Hulce battled De- Sales' Allison Wujek in the 100 meter hurdles to beat the Irish runner at the wire for the second time in a week.

She breezed to her second victory in the 300 meter hurdles in 50.31. She marked 29' 9.5" in the triple jump for a first-place mark and tied for second in the long jump, clearing 4'8".

"Ronnie is working very hard; all of her events are so technical and she stays focused," said Bartlow. "She set a new school record in the 100 meter hurdles, but she's struggling a little in her high jump. We need to get her to town for a better practicing surface."

Sophomore James Thompkins started things off for the boys, dashing his way to a first in the 100 meter and sprinting the 200 in 23.94.

"James is running great," said Bartlow. "When you're running the 100 meter in 23 seconds, you're going to be tough in the B level."

Senior Matthew Montgomery put in a 1:00.08 in the 400 meter to take first, and Seth Deal rounded off the distance running with an 800 meter first-place finish and captured the 1600 meter with 4:44.94

The 4x100 meter relay team pulled things together for a first-place finish in 46.50. The team consists of Billy Brown, Jared Morris, and brothers Antonio and James Thompkins. These Cardinals are currently ranked first in the state with 45.50.

"I'm very thankful for the Thompkins brothers," said Bartlow. "They have such a positive attitude; they make me smile."

Antonio Thompkins was the high light of the high jump competition, clearing 5'8" and taking first place.

"I've set a goal for myself," he said. "I want to clear 5'10" before the season is up. "

DJ LaRoue led the Cardi- nals in the triple jump, marking 35'1/2" and setting a new personal record by two feet. Austin Beasley scored for the Cardinals with a third-place finish of 33'8".

Eshom Estes, currently ranked third in the state in shot put and discus, put in another strong performance, taking home firstplace marks in all three of his events. He out threw his opponents by nine feet in the shot put and 22 feet in the discus. Fellow Cardinal Yusef Johnson gave him a run for his money in the javelin, coming up short just seven inches behind Estes for a second-place finish of 145'.

"Yusef keeps improving," said Bartlow. "He's getting to the 150 mark. He's going to be competitive. Things are going well for us. We're going to keep pushing ourselves so we can be as competitive as possible when districts roll around."