Nottingham, relay pick it up

SEATTLE – Morgan Nottingham was focused.

With the anchors from Seattle Prep, Issaquah and Rainier Beach ahead of her, she knew it was between her and the runner from Ingraham. But she didn’t even look her way.

“I just kept going,” she said.

And she’ll keep going – all the way to Star Track.

Nottingham, along with her teammates Michelle Bagget, Alana MacWhorter and Zena Hemmen, used great handoffs to finish fourth in the 4×100 relay with a time of 51.27, good enough to make it to State at the final day of the SeaKing District 2 Track meet this Friday.

Nottingham was glad to get the event over with.

“I was nervous the past few days,” she said. “I really wanted to get to State.”

They won’t be the only ones, as Bagget and MacWhorter, along with Hillary and Geneva Pritchett, qualified for State in the 4×400 relay, as they just missed out on a district title, finishing third with a time of 4:03.99.

Hillary Pritchett also qualified in the 800 meter run as she finished fourth with a time of 2:20.45.

On the boys side, Quinton Agosta will be the lone representative, as he finished fourth in the discus throw with a mark of 125 feet, 10 inches. He also missed qualifying in the high jump, setting a personal best with a leap of 6 feet, but tied for sixth.

Bryan Jacobsen missed qualifying for state when he finished fifth with a mark of 20 feet, 8-1⁄4 inches.

The boys 4×100 relay team had a shot to make it in a close race separated by a few hundredths of a second, but Angelo Ritualo couldn’t overcome a tough set of anchors and his injury from the first day as the team finished seventh.

Bevan Taylor finished seventh in the 3200 with a time of 9:59.59.

The girls team finished 13th with 23 points, while the boys finished 12th with 16.5 points.

Star Track is this weekend at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco. The prelims will be on Friday, with the finals on Saturday. The running events start at 10:30 a.m., while the field events start at 9:30 a.m.

– John Becerra, Jr.

Canadian silver for two divers

The Bainbridge Island Diving Club traveled to Victoria, B.C. May 27-29 to compete in the 2005 British Columbia Provincial Diving Championships.

The event featured many of Canada’s elite divers, competing to qualify for Canadian National Championships.

Olaf Olson competed in the 15-18 year old boys 3-meter springboard event, placing second for a silver medal with a score of 480.65 for 11 dives.

He also placed second for another silver medal in the 1-meter 15-18 boys springboard event with a score of 388.50 for 11 dives.

Stephanie Whalen competed in four events including the women’s open events (open to all ages), competing against Canadian Olympic diver Martha Dale.

In the 16-18 year old girls 1-meter event, she placed second for a silver medal with a score of 385.20 for 10 dives. In the women’s open event she placed seventh using five dives for a score of 191.30.

In the 3-meter open event Whalen scored a 359.95 for 10 dives placing seventh again. In the 3-meter 16-18 girls event Stephanie was in a head-to-head battle for first place, dive for dive, finishing in second for a silver medal, just 5.5 points out of first, with a score of 399.20 for 10 dives.

In June the club will travel to Portland, Ore., to compete in the US Diving Region 10 Championships as the first leg of the qualifying process for National Championships.

JV lacrosses bests Mercer for title

The Bainbridge junior varsity played in a heated final for the Division I lacrosse championship, earning a gritty 4-3 win against Mercer Island in Tacoma Friday night to claim the prize.

“It was a tough fought game,” said coach Kiilani Yette, as Bainbridge took the early momentum in the first quarter.

Ryan Christofferson scored the opening goal unassisted. Face-off specialist Zach Ingrasci took most of the draws, creating a huge advantage in possession in a closely contested match, that slowed with the oppressive heat.

“It was an important game in terms of everyone playing their roles,” said Yette.

Harry Evans scored the second goal with an assist by Max Olson. Defender Trent Burroughs brought the ball up the field in transition, assisting on the third goal which Evans also tucked in.

Turning a Max Olsen assist inside the pipes, Logan Conner capped the Bainbridge scoring.

“Bainbridge had outstanding defensive play by goalie Phillip Weirs,” Yette said. “He had several strong one-on-one saves to hold off the Mercer charge in the fourth quarter to seal the win.”

The difference was the mental attitude of the team, which the coach said came out with “intensity and ready to play their role from the first whistle.”

The JV squad finished 15-1, with nine freshmen, six sophomores and two juniors.

– T.F. Smeeth