CASHMERE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions and Soap Lake Eagles competed in the 1B District 5 North Central Washington Track and Field Championships Tuesday afternoon. By the end of the competition both teams competed strong and will be sending athletes to the state competition next weekend.

MLCA/CCS 

The Lions will be sending eight athletes to the state meet including Ethan Ramsey, Ben Bishop and James Robertson for the boys and Brynlynn King, Amelia Shopbell, Aspyn Masset, Naomi Jorgensen and Avalyn Bishop for the girls. Head Coach Dan Bishop said his athletes had been performing well in the weeks leading up to districts. 

“This is the fruit of all their efforts,” said Coach Bishop. “When progress is becoming closer to perfection, this is all that hard work paying off. (I’m) just really pleased with my kids.” 

In total, the Lions had 24 top ten finishes at districts with seven of those being in first place, he said. Along with this, they had 17 of their players setting personal records, and four school records were broken in Tuesday’s competition.   

“One of the things I really gauge to see how an athlete’s doing is how are they doing on improving on their own numbers,” said Coach Bishop. 

For the Lions seniors, Brynlynn King earned second place in the 800 meters, took first place in the 1600m and the 3200m, and helped the relay team take a second-place finish to qualify for state. Coach Bishop said he was very impressed with what King was able to accomplish in the short two-hour span of the meet. 

“That’s phenomenal. A couple colleges back east are talking to her about scholarships and paying for her college,” said Coach Bishop. “That’s where hard work pays off.” 

James Robertson found success in the field as he took fourth in discus, second in javelin and first in shot put. Ethan Ramsey found success as he took first in the ambulatory 100m, 200m, shotput and javelin events. 

A strong performance in the district meet came from Ben Bishop as he took sixth in the 800m, third in both the 400m and 3200m and had a first place finish in the 1600m. Bishop said Ben had started off slow in the 1600m, but in the last stretch of the race, found momentum to speed past Miles Strong, a runner from Garden City who had previously gotten the better of Ben, to claim victory. 

“He was in second place by 40 meters going into the last 100 meters of the race and (Ben Bishop) made up 40 meters in 100 meters and won the race,” he said. 

Amelia Shopbell had successful finishes as she took fourth in both the 100m and 200m and claimed third in javelin. Naomi Jorgensen took sixth in the 400m and Avalyn Bishop took ninth in shot put and sixth in discus and javelin. 

The girls’ team found success in the 4x400 relay to qualify for state with Brynlynn King, Aspyn Masset, Naomi Jorgensen and Amelia Shopbell combining for a time of 4:40.77 to qualify for state. Avalyn Bishop will be joining the team as an alternate for the state tournament. 

Despite not qualifying for state, other Lions athletes still had a successful day on the track. Kevin Jorgensen took seventh in the 100m and fourth in the 800m and Q’Tyyr’N Gessner finished 10th in the long jump. 

The boys 4x100 relay team of Caleb Jorgensen, Elijah Aragon, Isiah Doehne and Kevin Jorgensen finished their race in fifth with a time of 52.52. 

One performance that stuck out to Coach Bishop came from Isaiah Doehne in the hurdles events as he took fifth in both the 110m and 300m. The coach said there was a moment Doehne fell over one of the hurdles, and despite sustaining scrapes and bruises, pushed himself to finish his race. 

Coach Bishop said he is proud of the hard work and dedication each of the MLCA/CCS athletes put into their seasons this year that got them to this point. For those heading to state, the goal for practice for the next few days is going to be sharpening their skills where they can and getting ready to compete at the top level. 

“This week is about facing that wall, conquering it, and being prepared to attack that in a whole different way,” he said. “My hope is that every single one of them runs the best race they ran all year at the state meet.” 

SOAP LAKE 

The Eagles are sending seven athletes into the state tournament including seniors Lenny Campos and Brooke Dana, juniors Tyler Hart, Ashton Halsey and Andre Jimenez and freshmen Nataleigh Wynn and Brody Mahjan. 

“The kids worked really hard,” said Eagles Head Coach Doug Berryman. “Everybody’s been training really hard these last few weeks getting ready.” 

The boys 4x400 relay team of Lenny Campos, Tyler Hart, Ashton Halsey and Andre Jimenez earned a spot in the state competition after finishing their race with a time of 3:53.72. At the state tournament, Brody Mahjan will be joining the team as an alternate. 

Soap Lake was very successful in field events as Brooke Dana qualified for the state tournament in discus with a throw of 94 feet to take second place. 

Nataleigh Wynn made a name for herself in her freshman year as she qualified for state in shot put with a first-place finish. Wynn hurled the ball 31 feet and 8.5 inches in districts. 

Other Eagles athletes gave strong performances to place at the district meet and came just short of a state appearance. The girls 4x400 relay team of Sage Hart, Jade Hart, Mylee Dana and Marina Zubrisky took fifth place with a time of 4:59.30, just short of qualifying for the state competition. 

“Our girls relay team just kind of got edged out there at the end,” said Berryman. “A couple of my senior girls, Sage and Mylee, they competed unbelievably, they just didn’t quite get there.” 

Mylee Dana earned a fifth-place finish in the 800m with a time of 2:45.53 and Sage Hart took seventh in the 400m with a time of 1:09.60. 

For the boys Andres Lopez took tenth in shot put with a throw of 29 feet and seven inches. For discus Thomas Barnes took 10th with a throw of 66 feet and two inches and Miquea Gutierrez took 11th with a throw of 62 feet and six inches. 

“They all worked really hard,” said Berryman. “We have some really good young up and coming athletes that are doing just great and some of our seniors, they pushed it, just couldn’t quite make it. But, man, they worked hard.” 

As the state placers get ready to head on to their final meet of the season next week, the coach said each athlete is going to keep to their training and focus on staying healthy. He also wants the Eagles to make sure they are in the right mindset for state. 

“Go to state with the mindset to compete, but also enjoy the experience,” said Berryman.  

For the younger athletes, he said they should enjoy the meet because it isn’t always guaranteed they’ll see it again, and for the two seniors, Lenny Campos and Brooke Dana, this is especially true as this marks the final competition of their high school careers. 

“State track is usually the last thing they do so it can be pretty emotional for them, so really just enjoy the experience,” said Berryman. “It’s kind of work hard but enjoy what you’ve done too. Try to enjoy the fruits of your labor.” 

The Lions and Eagles will be heading out to the state track and field championships running from May 28-30 at Eisenhower High School.

    Ben Bishop and Amelia Shopbell from the Lions stand together with their first-place medals after competing in the district tournament.
  

    Soap Lake’s Sage Hart sprints down the track during the district competition Tuesday.
  

    MLCA/CCS track and field athlete Ava Bishop prepares to hurl the discus during districts.
  

    Andres Lopez from Soap Lake gets ready to make a throw in the shot put event at the District 5 track and field meet.
  

    Aspen Massett from the Lions holds her medal after helping the 4x400 relay team take second in the district meet.
  

    Lenny Campos hands off the baton to Tyler Hart in the 4x400 Eagles as the Eagles team took third at districts.
  

    The MLCA/CCS track team stands together for a group photo ahead of the district competition.