Eight athletes advance to the regional meet July 11-12 at Willamette University

By Matt Crownover, Lebanon Express writer

Eight of nine Lebanon youth track and field athletes qualified for the regional meet after finishing in the top six at state this past weekend.

The team, which is coached by Michelle Waller and competes with the Portland Athletic Club, participated in the USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympic Championships June 27-28 at Willamette University's McCulloch Stadium.

The top six finishers in each event and age group qualified for the regional competition, which will be held July 11-12, also at Willamette University.

The regional meet is made up of athletes from Oregon, Washington and Northern Idaho.

Age groups range from bantam (born in 1999 and later), midget (1997-98), youth (1995-96), intermediate (1993-94) and young men and young women (1991-92).

The Lebanon athletes advancing to the regional meet include Scarlett Sabin, Lily Sabin, Makayla Waller, Madisan Cox, Kayla Perfect, Haley Morris, Zach Short and Ian Etheridge.

Both Sabin sisters competed with the midgets.

Scarlett took tenth in the 200 meters and Lily placed sixth in the 800 with a personal-best time of 3 minutes, 4.5 seconds.

Lily was seventh in the 1,500 in 6:18, another personal best.

The midget girls 400-meter relay team took third place and will be competing at regionals.

The team, which consists of Waller, Cox, Perfect and Morris, finished in 1:03.1, two seconds faster than their personal best.

Morris qualified for regionals in the 800 by taking fourth place with a time of 2:55.1.

Cox came in second in the turbo javelin, reaching a distance of 64 feet, 7 inches.

Alex Giddings competed with the midget boys, placing eighth in the long jump (11-4.75) and 14th in the 100 (14.8).

Giddings' time in the 100 was a personal best.

"If you PR, you're a winner, regardless of whether or not you advance," Waller said.

Zach Short advanced to regionals in two events after taking fourth in the turbo javelin (85-3) and second in the shot put (28-3).

Both of Short's distances were personal bests.

Etheridge also qualified with a second-place finish in the 200 (27.9), third-place finish in the 100 (13.7) and second-place finish in the shot put (28-3).

Waller said the 200 was one of the best races of the meet.

"Those kids were quick; they were just flying," she said.

Amanda Short took fifth in the shot put (23-7.5) and will be competing at regionals.

Several hundred youth athletes competed.

Waller said she was thrilled with how well the team did and is excited to see how they will do at regionals.

"I can't even put into words the excitement I get from being out there with those kids," she said.

Michelle's daughter Makayla is the only member of this year's team with experience at both the regional and national level.

Makayla participated in the 800 at the national meet in Omaha, Neb., last year.

"Makayla already has that experience and she knows what to expect so she'll be there to kind of help her teammates," Michelle Waller said.

The top three in each event in each age group will earn a spot at the national event, which will be held July 28-Aug. 2 in Greensboro, N.C.

Results

Bantam girls

200: 10, Scarlett Sabin.

800: 6, Lily Sabin, 3:04.5.

1,500: 7, Lily Sabin, 6:18.

Midget girls

400: 7, Haley Morris, 1:11.9. 15, Madisan Cox, 1:30.

800: 4, Haley Morris, 2:55.1.

1,500: 3, Makayla Waller, 5:37.3.

3,000: 3, Makayla Waller, 12:34.9.

400 relay: 3, Lebanon (Waller, Cox, Perfect, Morris), 1:03.1.

Long jump: 8, Kayla Perfect, 11-3.

Turbo javelin: 2, Madisan Cox, 64-7.

Youth girls

200: 10, Amanda Short, 30.7.

400: 11, Amanda Short, 1:09.5.

Shot put: 5, Amanda Short, 23-7.5.

Midget boys

100: 3, Ian Etheridge, 13.7. 14, Alex Giddings, 14.8. 15, Zach Short, 14.9.

200: 2, Ian Etheridge, 27.9.

Long jump: 3, Ian Etheridge, 13-9.5. 8, Alex Giddings, 11-4.75.

Turbo javelin: 4, Zach Short, 85-3.

Shot put: 2, Zach Short, 28-3.