EPHRATA — On a sunny Saturday, local high school track and field teams showcased their talent at the 49th annual Ray Cross Invitational, with performances and personal bests across the board. Ephrata, Quincy, Othello, Moses Lake Christian Academy and Royal all sent strong contingents to compete, but it was the Ephrata athletes who dominated many events. 

The Ephrata boys finished second with 94 points. Royal pulled a third-place finish with nine fewer points than Ephrata. Following behind were Othello boys with an eighth-place finish and 27 points, Quincy boys with a 12th-place finish and 18 points, Moses Lake with a 17th-place finish and five points and Moses Lake Christian Academy boys with one point.  

Ephrata girls pulled a fourth-place finish with 48.5 points. Othello girls followed close behind with a sixth-place finish and 35 points. Following behind were Quincy girls with a 14th-place finish and 14 points, Moses Lake Christian Academy with a 17th-place finish and nine points and Royal girls and Moses Lake girls tied for 18th with eight points each. 

Varsity girls 

Among the standout performances of the day was Othello's Bella Garza, who secured a third-place finish in the women’s varsity 100-meter with a time of 12.89 seconds. Othello’s Abigail Douglas finished fifth in the same event with a time of 13.24 seconds.  

In the 200-meter, Douglas continued to make waves, finishing fourth with a time of 27.86 seconds.  

The 400-meter saw Quincy’s Chloe Compton claim the bronze medal with a finish time of 1:04.70. Makaena Judkins from Ephrata also delivered a solid performance, taking fifth place in 1:05.53. Evangeline Springs rounded out the field, finishing ninth in 1:07.64.  

The distance events featured notable efforts as well. Abigail Chamberlain of Ephrata took third place in the women’s varsity 1600-meter, clocking in at 5:30.05. Meanwhile, Hannah Malone of Ephrata showcased her endurance in the 3200-meter, finishing second with a time of 12:29.86. Rebecca Wiser of Moses Lake Christian Academy placed fourth with a time of 13:10.37.  

In hurdle events, Ephrata’s Bella Wood performed in the women’s varsity 100-meter, finishing seventh with a time of 17.94 seconds. Kate Mollotte of Othello trailed closely, securing a tenth-place finish in 18.94 seconds. In the 300-meter hurdles, Mollotte placed fifth with a time of 54.30 seconds. 

The relays proved to be exciting events, with Othello’s 4x100-meter relay team taking home a bronze medal with a time of 53.47 seconds. The team, composed of Bella Garza, Fernanda Rodriguez, Bridgett Vargas and Abigail Douglas, exhibited seamless handoffs and coordination, critical factors in relay races. Quincy came in a close fifth with a time of 53.59 seconds. 

Ephrata's 4x200-meter relay team of Lila Rainey, Delanie Killinger, Judkins and Cynthia Villagran Morales pulled off a second-place finish in 1:53.95. Othello followed closely behind with a fourth-place finish in 1:55.09.  

In field events, shot put proved to be a competitive event, where Ciara Quilter from Moses Lake finished seventh with a mark of 28 feet, 10 inches. Lilliana Johnson from MLCA had 28 feet, 8 inches and Dashka Schaapman from Quincy made 28 feet, 7 inches. Quilter's performance in the discus was equally impressive, as she captured third place with a throw of 97 feet, 9.5 inches. 

Pole vaulting showcased Ephrata's Adelyn Simmons, who placed third with a height of 9 feet. Teammate Ella Schultz tied for seventh at 6 feet.  

Garza of Othello placed fourth in the long jump with a jump of 15 feet and 6 inches. Bailee Morris of Ephrata tied for ninth with a 14-foot and 0.25-inch jump. Morris’ teammate Delanie Killinger placed fifth in the triple jump with a 31-inch jump.  

Varsity Boys  

In the sprinting events, Hunter Mills of Ephrata clinched wins in both the 100-meter and 200-meter. Mills clocked 11.40 seconds in the 100-meter, placing third before leaving competitors in his wake with a time of 23.52 seconds in the 200-meter which placed him first. Teammate Alexander Belino joined him on the leaderboard, securing fourth place in the 200 meters with a time of 24.32 seconds.  

In the 400-meter event, Andy Addink of Ephrata placed first with a time of 51.68 seconds. Following close behind, Caden Fitzhugh of Royal placed third with a time of 52.30 seconds. 

In the 800-meter, Alejandro Birrueta of Quincy defeated Ephrata's Cooper Black and Caleb Fitts, finishing in third with a time of 2:04.07. Black and Fitts finished in fourth and sixth with times of 2:06.09 and 2:09.91, respectively. In the 1600-meter, Birrueta continued his strong showing, securing second place at 4:35.45, with Ephrata's Fitts following closely in fourth at 4:48.10. Alejandro Mendoza of Othello placed fifth at 5:52.27. Anthony Tindal of Ephrata placed sixth with 4:53.56 and Daniel Gonzalez of Othello placed ninth with 4:59.48.  

In the 1600-meter, Birrueta took second place with 4:35.45. Fitts and Mendoza followed close behind, placing fourth and fifth, with times of 4:48.10 and 4:52.56, respectively.   

In the 3200-meter, Alejandro Mendoza of Othello secured second place with a time of 10:26.00, while Quincy’s Jonaz Rodriguez and Othello’s Daniel Gonzalez closed out in fifth and sixth, finishing in 10:55.06 and 10:58.90, respectively. 

In the hurdle events, Louden Smith of Royal placed fourth in the 110-meter event with 16.76 seconds. Jacob Reyes of Ephrata finished ninth with 17.62 seconds. Reyes also competed in the 300-meter hurdles, with a fifth-place finish in 44.46 seconds. His teammate Maddax Iverson secured the fourth spot in the 300-meter with a time of 43.87 seconds. Louden Smith of Royal placed seventh with 45.79 seconds.  

Royal’s relay team took the win with a time of 43.36 seconds with Lance Allred, Fitzhugh, Santana Luna and Ethan Ellis. Ephrata followed closely behind with a third-place finish at 44.93 seconds. The relay comprised Belino, Jose Barrita, Andy Addink and Mills. The 4x400 Ephrata team continued the momentum, securing second place with a solid time of 3:40.84, thanks to Iverson, Addink, Black and Fitts. The Royal team followed close behind with a third-place finish at 3:44.94 with Allred, William Popoca, Esteban Torres and Troy McCullough.  

Several Columbia Basin athletes made a good showing in the field events as well. In shot put, Reese Porter and Conner Reed, both of Moses Lake, placed fourth and ninth, respectively, with distances of 42 feet, 10 inches, and 40 feet, 10.5 inches, respectively. Calvin Lybbert of Ephrata placed 10th with a 40-foot-8-inch throw.  

In discus, Royal’s Abel Garcia placed second with a 134-foot-4.5-inch throw. Michael Park and Gage Nash, both of Ephrata, followed closely behind. Park placed third with a throw of 129 feet, 2.75 inches, and Nash placed fourth with a 126-foot-8-inch throw. Othello's Elliot Mitchell placed sixth with a 119-foot-9.75-inch throw.  

In javelin, Rylee Hilmes of Othello threw 140 feet, 1 inch, and placed seventh. Cole Roduner of Ephrata placed ninth with a 135-foot-1-inch throw.  

In the pole vault, Smith of Royal placed second with an 11-foot-6-inch jump. Hilmes of Othello places fourth with an 11-foot-6-inch  jump.  

In the high jump, Ephrata’s Barrita and Ty Plaisted placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Barrita had a 5-foot 6-inch jump while Plaisted had a 5-foot 4-inch jump. In the long jump, Royal’s Luna took first with a 21’-foot-4.5-inch jump. His teammate Allred followed closely behind with a third-place finish and a 19-foot 8-inch jump. In the triple jump category, Ephrata’s James Cook and Brice Strickler took fifth and eighth, respectively. Cook had a 37-foot 0.75-inch jump and Strickler had a 36-foot 0.5-inch jump. 

    The boys 1600-meter race resulted in five Columbia Basin runners placing in the top 10. Alejandro Birrueta of Quincy placed second. Caleb Fitts of Ephrata placed fourth. Alejandro Mendoza of Othello placed fifth. Anthony Tindal of Ephrata placed sixth and Daniel Gonzales of Othello placed ninth.
  

    Connor Reed of Moses Lake competes in the shot-put Saturday during the Ray Cross Invitational. Reed placed ninth with a 40-foot 10.5-inch throw. His teammate Reese Porter placed fourth with 42 feet 10 inches.