For the week of May 29 - June 4, 2002

Bingham captures high hurdles gold at state

Only first for area athletes in Boise

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It took only 17 seconds for Carey School junior Ginger Bingham to win the State 1A girls’ 100-meter high hurdles title on a bright Saturday morning at Bronco Stadium in Boise.

Bingham, fastest preliminary qualifier Friday at Lyle Smith Field, clocked a solid 17.00-second final to finish .28 seconds ahead of Oakley sophomore Sara Archibald. Last year Bingham was second in high hurdles at state in a faster time, 16.72.

Ginger Bingham of Carey poses at state track, shortly after winning the 1A 100-meter high hurdles event Saturday. Express photo by Jeff Cordes

Still, Bingham’s effort in staying unbeaten for the season in high hurdles ended up to be the only gold medal for local athletes during the three-day, 47th annual Idaho State High School Track and Field finals.

Others came close, but the competition was tough at state.

Closest was the Wood River High School girls’ medley relay team of Erin Elgee, Robin Kearns, Caitlin Blanton and Ashley Howe.

The defending champion, Wood River (1:55.05) made a mad homestretch dash through the efforts of senior anchor Howe but fell short in a photo finish to Salmon (1:54.91).

Coming the closest of area boys was Camas County senior Brandon Blodgett, second in triple jump (40-4 ¼). Blodgett also placed fourth in long jump (20-0 ¾) leading the Mushers (27 points) to the best finish of area teams, ninth of 35 1A schools.

Wood River sophomore Jessica King came on strong with a third place in 3A girls’ shotput (34-9 ½).

The Carey boys had an excellent two-man effort and put a charge into the 800m race with Destry Simpson and Flint Dill. Pacesetter Dill took a lead halfway through the race, then Simpson came from sixth place in the final 250m to finish a strong third.

Brandon Blodgett, Camas County senior, posted the highest finish of area boys with a second place in triple jump at state last weekend. Courtesy photo

It was a strong field, too. The 1A boys’ 800m winner was Idaho City senior Marcos Veristain (1.59:74) ahead of second-place Genesee senior Jared Todd (2:00.37) and Simpson (2:00.51). Dill was seventh (2:04.01).

All Veristain did was collect three gold medals in the distance runs (800m, 1600m, 3200m) and, along with record-setting shotput and discus winner Tyrel Nelson, lead Idaho City to its second straight 1A boys team championship with 61 points.

 

1A summary

Bingham’s high hurdles victory provided 10 points, the only points for Carey’s girls in a meet that will be remembered as a coronation for the Kootenai girls from northern Idaho.

Kootenai (20 sprints, 44 distances) got a triple win by sophomore distance runner Amy Collins (800m, 1600m 3200m) and double triumph from senior Tess Collins (200, 400) en route to 96 points and first place way ahead of field powerhouses Murtaugh (69) and Raft River (66).

It was Kootenai’s first state title.

Murtaugh junior Lacey Perkins won triple jump and 300m intermediate hurdles. Raft River’s streak of five straight state championships ended last weekend.

The Carey boys’ 1600m relay of Flint Dill, Vance Dill, Robbie Ellsworth and Shawn Hennefer placed fourth (3:36.38), and Hennefer was fifth at 400m (53.04). The Panther boys (17 points) were 20th.

 

3A wrap-up

Wood River’s district 200m and 400m champion Ashley Howe didn’t have her best day at state Saturday.

But she still collected nine individual points, sparking the Wolverine girls (30 points) to a tenth-place finish of 22 schools.

In fast fields, Howe ended up fifth at 200m (26.84) and fourth at 400m (1:00.20). She anchored the fourth-place 800m relay with Elgee, Blanton, Rebecca Schwartzenberger (1:50.13) that might have ended up second if not for a shaky exchange.

Lakeland senior Micki Desmarais won the shotput, discus and high jump leading her team to its first 3A title with 107.5 points (41.5 field), but Lakeland also had 54 points in the sprints and relays in part because of upset 400m winner Brook Bachmeier.

Two eastern Idaho girls were the other dominant 3A athletes—Snake River junior Cachet Webb (100m, 200m, long jump winner); and Marsh Valley senior Carrie Bitton (gold in both hurdles and the high jump).

Gooding senior Carin Patterson exited the scene in style, winning the 3200m by one second Friday. She also placed second to Sugar-Salem sophomore Emily Teeples in a spectacular 800m photo finish.

Meanwhile, the Filer sprinters overwhelmed the 3A boys’ field. Filer won its second straight state title with 105 points (46 sprints, 28 relays) fueled by senior 100m and 200m winner Doug Roehm and Wildcat junior 400m champ Caleb Lammers.

The other outstanding 3A boy was Bonners Ferry senior Forest Braden, record-setting winner of the 1600m and 3200m runs (by 17 seconds).

Wood River’s Cole Everman finished fourth in the 300m intermediate hurdles (41.44). The Wolverine boys ended up 21st of 26 schools with eight points.

 

Divisional finals

Two outstanding 2A runners, Nampa Christian junior Danielle Pridgen and Wendell freshman Jaynie Goodbody, gave onlookers a big thrill at the state track meet last weekend.

Pridgen, a long-legged star, is the reigning overall state record-holder in both the 400m dash and 800m run. And she won both of those events, going away, before Goodbody broke Pridgen’s 11-race state winning streak with a close victory at 200m.

Rising star Goodbody also won the 100m dash leading Wendell to its first state trophy in 21 years, third place overall. But thoroughbred Pridgen guided Nampa Christian (93 points) to its fourth straight state title.

Wendell’s Skylar Stevenson won the 100m and 200m dashes, but the Kamiah boys (96 points) won the State 2A boys’ banner a second year.

In 4A, Jerome’s girls made it four state championships in five years behind senior sprinter Melissa McLimore (200m, 400m). Outstanding girl was Skyview senior Jennifer McPherson, who swept the distances and shattered the 22-year-old state 1600m mark of Ellen Lyons.

Bishop Kelly’s boys captured the Boise school’s first state title since 1981 behind Nick Symmonds (four golds—800m, 1600m, 3200m, anchor 1600m relay).

And the Eagle girls and boys made off with the 5A crowns. It was the third straight by the Eagle boys, led by Donovan Kilmartin’s four golds (LJ, HJ, pole vault in an overall state record, 110m high hurdles).

 

Other placings

The following are state placings for other finals qualifiers from Wood River, Carey and Camas County:

3—Camas County boys’ 400m relay (45.87).

4—Jesse Lemons (CC) 100m dash (11.62); Brooke Rey and Bethany Engelstad (CC) high jump (4-8).

6—Daniel Bolognesi (WR) high jump (5-10).

7—Wood River girls’ 400m relay with Erin Elgee, Caitlin Blanton, Robin Kearns and Rebecca Schwartzenberger (52.5); Camas County girls’ 800m relay (1:58.63) and Camas boys’ medley (4:00.25).

8—Nate Dalin (CC) triple jump (39-2 ¼).

9—Kipp Mills (WR) 1600m (5:47.55).

10—Annette Peck (C) 3200m (13:42.65); Destry Simpson (C) 1600m (4:50.06) and 3200m (10:36.07).

11—Sarah Lynn Shaffer (C) 1600m (6:09.90); Jesse Molyneux (C) discus (90-11).

12—Rachel Richards (WR) 3200m (12:48.53).

 

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