SEATTLE – Seven was an unlucky number at the SeaKing 3A District 2 Track and Field meet held May 20-22 at the Southwest Athletic Complex at Chief Sealth High School.
Athletes with the top six times or marks moved on to the state meet, making seven the most painful number. However, if any of the top six in each event have to scratch, that would move them up a notch and allow them to compete at state after all.
With the addition of Garfield, Ballard and Roosevelt to the Metro League this year, the number of schools in the SeaKing District 2 — consisting of the Metro and Kingco league schools — expanded to 22.
The Bainbridge Spartans had many fine performances, most of them season’s best, and there were many very close seventh-place finishes.
In the girls 400-meter race, Lindsay Wienkers ran her best race ever in 59.85, the first time a Bainbridge girl has broken 60 seconds in three years. That was good for seventh place, just a half second out of a state qualifying spot.
In the 800-meter races, Wyatt Longley ran a 1:58.87 which normally would be an easy pass to the state meet.
This year, however, it was good for seventh.
His time was the fastest Bainbridge time since Bevan Taylor’s 1:58.12 in 2007.
In the girls 800, Natalie Ackerley ran her best time ever, 2:17.08, which normally would get her to state as well, but this year placed her in seventh. However, her sister Mikelle ran a 2:14.37, which was good for fourth place, and will have her returning to state.
The three girls in front of Mikelle all broke the previous meet record time.
In the relays, there were two more near misses.
In the 4×200 meter relay, the team of Wienkers, Aerin Amore, Natalie Ackerley and Audrey Weaver, posted a time of 1:48.12, a season best time, but a seventh-place finish.
Likewise, the boys 4×400 meter relay team of David Kimmerlein, James Payne, Robert Lafferty and Longley ran a season best time of 3:30.15, which was the fastest Bainbridge time since 2008.
They were also seventh in the end.
The Spartan girls 4×400 meter relay, which has been one of the state’s best all season, improved again with a time of 4:00.79 and a second-place finish. The team of Wienkers, Amore, Natalie Ackerley and Mikelle Ackerley — along with alternates Weaver and Jackie McVay — will head to state this week.
In the high jump, Connor Evans tied with two other jumpers at 6-foot-00 for fifth-, sixth- and seventh-place spots. Unfortunately, the tie-breaker placed Evans in seventh.
The news was better for Sarah Lucioni, who jumped a new best of 5-foot-02 and a second-place finish, qualifying her to compete at state.
The girls javelin competition saw Grace Hall throw 81-09 for eighth place and Makaila Deen 65-foot-08 for 12th.
In the girls long jump, Taylee Undem placed 11th with a jump of 14-foot-10, while in the triple jump, Grace Hall jumped 30-foot-09.5 for 10th and Sarah Rice was 12th with a jump of 30-foot-01.75.
“Brutal” was the term used by coaches to describe the competition in the SeaKing District 2 championships, according to team officials.
It could also be used to describe the number of seventh-place finishes for the Spartans, despite the exemplary performances they had.
While disappointed in the number of competitors the Bainbridge Spartans will be taking to state, Head Coach Andy Grimm was very pleased with how well the athletes competed.
The future of the Spartan track and field team looks very bright, he said, with many of these competitors coming back.
Seventh place just makes them all the more determined to come back even stronger and faster next year, he added.
The girls 4×400 meter relay team looks to have a good shot to be on the podium next Saturday, officials said, and Ackerley will be running against very familiar foes in the girls 800-meter race, as most of the top runners in that event are from the Metro League and
District 2.
