The weather was so frigid, one could hardly call the meet a warm-up.
Try telling that to Kincaid Nichols or Anna LaBeaume.
The duo combined for five first-place finishes and seven top-three marks at the Port Angeles Invitational March 13.
The Wolves’ girls squad edged Port Angeles for second place with 120 team points while the Wolves’ boys squad finished third (91 points) a single point behind their Port Angeles Roughrider hosts.
North Kitsap won the team title for both boys and girls.
Nichols set a personal best mark in the 100-meter dash in Port Angeles, blazing to the finish in 10.9 seconds. Nichols ran an 11.32 100-meter dash at the class 2A state meet last spring, finishing fifth.
He also picked up an easy win in the 400 – one that had him turn and nearly face the distant pack coming into the final corner – as he finished in 51.6 seconds, and topped all competitors in the long jump with a 20-1 mark. He also finished third in the high jump at 5-4.
LaBeaume, a state meet participant in the shot put last spring, earned first place in that event with a 34-9.5 throw. She crushed the field in the 400-meter dash and finished second in the 100.
Missing distance star Alli Cutting due to illness and injury, the Wolves still managed a second-place finish thanks to solid performances across the board: Chase O’Neil, a state competitor in the triple jump in 2007 topped the field with a 30-10 mark; Laura Moser earned second in the 800 at 2:35.0; Lauryn Garrett earned second in the 100 hurdles (17.8 seconds); Persephone Nelson shrugged off some nerves to take second in the high jump at 4-8; Audrey Lichten posted a solid 5:17.8 mark in the 1500; and the Wolves’ relay squad outpaced all competitors in the 4×200 event.
On the boys’ side, Kenny Russell was the only other Wolf other than Nichols to take top honors, and it didn’t come without some drama. Russell and North Kitsap sophomore Tabor Reedy were battling for the lead headed into the final turn and only broke their side-by-side strides when lapping a fellow runner near the finish line. Russell stretched out for a 4:28.2 finish, all of 0.3 seconds ahead of Reedy.
"That was close," Russell admitted afterward. "Closer than I wanted it."
Sequim’s 4×400 relay team took fourth while Josh Fodge (triple jump, 36-1), Ethan Hinton (shot put, 3-8.25) and David McComas (discus) each took third overall.
Sequim is back in action March 22 at the Bremerton Relays, then hosts the first of two home meets March 27, against Klahowya and Port Angeles.
Sequim High Wolves golf
2007 record: Girls – 6-0-1, ninth at class 2A state tournament; Boys – 7-3, one to state
Coaches: Garrett Smithson, head coach (second year with girls, first with boys); assistants Vic Quinet
Returning players: Girls – Zoei Zbaraschuk, Phoebe Haglin, Olivia Creasey; Boys – Colby Rude, Chad Quinet, Brendon Gilles, Taylor Thorsen, Drake Apablasa, Bryce Gange, Steven Loerlein, Jake Dethlefsen, Jason Kowitz, Sean Lindstedt
Newcomers: Girls – Medea Bernsten, Lisa Doan, Kimberly Duce, Anna Sullivan; Boys – JJ Boling, Joshua Francis, Kevin Furey, Alex Skinner
Outlook: On the girls’ side, the Wolves lose five seniors to graduation but still have a potent crew with Zbaraschuk and Haglin, both state qualifiers, back in the fold. The boys are deep and experienced even after seeing their top state participant graduate. Expect both teams to make a push for two state berths.
