E AST O REGONIAN
TuESDAY, MAY 21, 2019
DISTRICT 8 TRACK
Walchli
heads to
state
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IMC TRACK FINALS
DISTRICT SWEEP
Hermiston girls
finish fourth in the
team standings
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Garrett Walchli qualified
for state in the 200 meters
by the smallest of margins
Saturday afternoon.
The Hermiston junior
turned in a time of 23.05 sec-
onds at Fran Rish Stadium
in Richland to place second,
beating Syl Hunt of Kami-
akin, who ran 23.07. Ken-
newick’s Arnaldo Cabrera
won at 22.78.
“Those kids are good,”
Walchli said. “You have to
give them that. Arnaldo was
flying.”
Walchli was the No. 4
seed heading into finals.
“I
just
had to trust
my
train-
ing,” he said.
“I
knew
what I had
to do. You
Walchli
have to put
in the work.
Offseason training matters.”
The 3A state track meet
will be Thursday through
Saturday at Mt. Tahoma
High School in Tacoma.
Walchli also will run at state
in the 4x100 relay with Broc
Remmer, Thomas Reagan
and DJ Wilson.
Walchli also placed fifth
in the 100 meters (11.65),
and ran a leg on the 4x400
relay team that finished
sixth (3:35.94).
Walchli’s efforts helped
the Hermiston boys to a
sixth-place finish in the team
standings with 46 points.
“Garrett had an impres-
sive weekend,” Hermiston
coach Emilee Strot said.
“He had two phenomenal
races (200 and 4x100 relay).
In both he was behind and
never gave up. He stayed
relaxed and strong.”
Reagan was seventh in
the 100 (11.82). Freddy Men-
doza was fifth in the 800
(2:00.07).
The Hermiston girls fin-
ished fifth in the team stand-
ings with 86 points.
The Bulldogs had a trio
of throwers place in the top
six of the discus, with Jaz-
lyn Romero leading the way
with a third-place finish with
a mark of 109 feet, 8 inches.
Paige Palzinski was fourth
(107-8) and freshman Eseta
Sepeni was sixth (104-6).
Palzinski also placed sev-
enth in the triple jump with
a mark of 31-8¾.
On the track, Hermiston’s
4x400 relay team of Jayden
Ray, Amanda Nygard, Jen-
nifer Fuentes and Abigail
Sharon just missed out on a
trip to state, finishing third
in a time of 4:11.43.
“They ran really well,”
See District 8, Page A9
A8
CLASS 1A/2A/3A/4A
STATE TRACK
Nichols
brings
home
the gold
Pilot Rock’s Saber
Harp is third in the
300 hurdles
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton’s Elisabeth House punches her ticket to state in the 100 meters Saturday during the IMC District Champi-
onships in Prineville.
Bucks’ Lane Maher
sweeps hurdle events
at district track meet
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Lane Maher cruised to victory in
both hurdle events, and the 4x100
relay team won gold, leading Pend-
leton to a second-place finish in
the team standings Saturday at the
Intermountain Conference district
championships in Prineville.
The top two in each event qual-
ify for the 5A state meet Friday and
Saturday at Mt. Hood Community
College. There are at-large berths to
be had, but they have not yet been
handed out.
The Bucks rolled up 165 points
at the meet, well behind host Crook
County’s 213.
Maher set a school record in the
300 hurdles, turning in a time of
39.11 seconds. The previous record
of 39.34 was set by Kevin Robinson
in 2012.
“He was moving,” Bucks coach
Larry Brizendine said. “That was
fun. He cruised through pretty eas-
ily, which we thought he would.”
In the 110 hurdles, Maher ran a
15.05 to land on top of the podium.
Mathias Patrick was third in the
110 hurdles (15.87) and 300 hurdles
(43.59).
The 4x100 relay team of Cam
Sanford, Aaron Luke, Blake Davis
and Aiden Patterson clocked a 43.57
to punch its ticket to state.
Luke ran his way to a state berth
in the 400 meters, placing second
with a time of 52.55, while Edwin
Linares placed second in the long
jump with a leap of 20 feet, 8 inches.
Sanford received a trip to state in
the 200. He finished third, but Crook
County’s Zachary Guthrie, who won
the event, opted not to run the event
at state.
For the girls, freshman Muriel
Hoisington won the 400 meters in a
time of 1:01.27. She also was third in
the long jump (15-6).
Elisabeth House won the 300 hur-
dles in a personal best time of 46.78,
and placed second in the 100 (13.30).
House ran a PR of 13.01 in the 100
prelims.
“Muriel is a strong runner, and
she won pretty handily,” Brizendine
said. “What we didn’t expect was
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton’s Mathias Patrick gets in the blocks in the finals of the 110-meter
hurdles Saturday during the IMC District Championships in Prineville.
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton’s Muriel Jones-Hoisington bursts out of the blocks on her way
to victory in the 400-meter dash during the IMC District Championships in
Prineville.
Elisabeth placing second in the 100.”
Hunter Blake placed fourth in the
shot put with a mark of 32-3½, and
was fourth in the discus with a toss
of 97-4.
The Bucks finished fifth in the
girls team race with 99 points.
“The big thing, is our kids com-
peted,” Brizendine said. “They gave
everything they had in every event.”
Heppner’s Hunter Nich-
ols won a gold medal in the
800 meters Saturday, adding
to Friday’s first-place finish
in the 3,000 at the 2A State
Track and Field Champi-
onships at Western Oregon
university.
Nichols turned in a win-
ning time of 2:01.09 in the
800. The two wins are the
first state titles for Nichols,
who will run collegiately at
Eastern Oregon university.
“Hunter didn’t have to
push too hard in the 800,
which was nice,” Mustangs
coach Russ Nichols said.
“He was able to save some-
thing for the 4x4.”
Nichols ran the anchor
leg on the winning 4x400
relay team that turned in
a school-record time of
3:30.94. The previous school
record was 3:34.10. Also on
the team were Trent Smith,
Mason Lehman and Jayden
Wilson.
“They are a great,” coach
Nichols said. “They work
hard.”
In the 1,500, Trevor Anto-
nucci was third in a personal
best time of 4:14.90, while
Stanfield’s Sisay Hurty was
seventh (4:18.49).
Wilson also turned in
a time of 52.01 in the 400,
placing fifth. Leo Waite was
seventh in the 300 hurdles
(44.90), and Derek Howard
eighth in the discus (119-9).
The Mustangs finished
second in the team stand-
ings for the second year
in a row, finishing with 51
points. East Linn Christian
won the team title with 72
points.
Pilot Rock’s Saber Harp,
who is set to join the Navy
after graduation, ran a per-
sonal best 42.10 to finish
third in the 300 hurdles.
“It was far and away a
PR for him,” Rockets coach
Andy Gose said. “He was at
42.34 at Stanfield, so we felt
like he was in line to do that.
He ran that 42.10 in the rain,
in horrible conditions. He is
a tough kid and ran a tough
race.”
Heppner
sophomore
Madelyn Nichols turned in
a personal best 5:06.34 to
finish fourth in the 1,500.
Nichols also broke her own
school record in the 800, fin-
ishing second win a time of
2:25.90.
The
Weston-McEwen
See Track, Page A9
Heart of the Country Rodeo returns to Helix this weekend
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
Before Farm-City or the Pend-
leton Round-up, fans can expect
some local rodeo action just
around the corner.
The Helix Heart of the Coun-
try Rodeo is coming back Satur-
day to the Quantum 9 Arena for its
19th year. Things kick off at noon
and will feature bull riding, saddle
bronc, calf roping, 12-u barrel rac-
ing, mutton bustin’, and for aspir-
ing cowboys and cowgirls aged 6
and under, stick horse racing.
IF YOU GO
What: Heart of the Country
Rodeo
Where: Quantum 9 Arena, Helix
When: Noon on Saturday
Cost: Adult admission is $10,
children 5 to 12 are $5, and chil-
dren 4 and younger get in free.
“It’s a family-friendly event,”
said rodeo President Jarod Camp-
bell. “We try to incorporate the
youth into our events. It’s always
been that way. I think a lot of peo-
ple enjoy that.”
Adult admission is $10, chil-
dren 5 to 12 are $5, and children 4
and younger get in free.
Applications for contestants
are ongoing, but spots are filling
up fast. The entry fee is $150 and
two-thirds of every entry fee will
pool into the prize money. The
rodeo will add $3,500 to the pot
that first-place winners in the bull
riding and saddle bronc events will
earn, and $1,500 to calf roping.
Campbell said the turnout
for rodeo contestants is the best
they’ve had in the past seven
years. There is still room for sad-
dle bronc entries, but the bull rid-
ing has filled up.
“We’re having a higher inter-
est in riders this year,” Campbell
said. “This is shaping up to be one
of our better years.”
But the Heart of the Coun-
try Rodeo is about more than just
rewarding talented riders and rop-
ers. Money raised will go back into
the community, funding schol-
arships for upcoming Griswold
High graduates, and various youth
programs.
Previously, stock has been pro-
vided by Mike Corey of Ellens-
burg, Washington, but this year,
Kelley Bowcutt of Gold Buckle
Rodeo Company is providing the
bulls, broncos and sheep.
A beer garden will be open to
people 21 and over throughout the
course of the day. After the rodeo,
the Pendleton-based country rock
outfit Wanderlost will perform.
Applications will be open the
day of the event, provided that
there is enough room. For more
information, contact Keri Stah-
ancyk at 541-215-0813.