PORT ANGELES — It was a track athlete’s nightmare. Not to mention a coach’s, volunteer official’s or spectator’s nightmare.
To say it wasn’t pleasant at Port Angeles High School’s huge invitational track and field meet Saturday is a vast understatement.
Longtime coaches were saying it was the worst conditions they have ever seen for a track meet as strong winds, heavy horizontal rain and cold winter-like temperatures made this an event not to forget.
The boys and girls pole vault events were nixed because of dangerous conditions, and most athletes waited in their school buses between their events to stay warm and dry.
Despite the conditions, though, there were some outstanding performances from area athletes as 22 boys and girls teams — all of the North Olympic Peninsula squads plus all but two Olympic League teams — participated in the early season meet.
There were five double winners from the North Olympic Peninsula, three in the girls competition where area athletes showed their best strength.
Port Angeles girls were runners-up while Sequim captured fourth, Port Townsend fifth and little 1B Crescent sixth, beating out bigger schools Olympic and Bremerton.
North Kitsap dominated the girls events with 170.5 points while the Roughriders came in with 112 and Kingston was third with 105. Sequim had 72 for fourth.
The Olympic League controlled the boys action with mighty North Kitsap winning with 121 total points, Olympic second with 110 and Kingston third with 82.5.
Sequim was the top boys team in fourth with 76 while Port Angeles was right behind with 75 for fifth.
Crescent again proved it is a 1B power by taking seventh with 56.5 points.
Area girls earning double wins were Jolene Millsap of Port Angeles, Jasmine McMullin of Sequim and Sydney Christensen of Forks.
Millsap had a time of 12.9 seconds in the 100-meter dash and a time of 27.05 in the 200 to win each event.
She also was runner-up in the 400 in 1:05.33.
McMullin, meanwhile, was first in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 2 inches and she claimed first in the triple jump with a distance of 32-07.
Christensen excelled in her throwing events, winning the shot put with a heave of 29-11.25 and the discus with a distance of 102-04.
Also winning an event was Ryan Lester of Crescent, who captured the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.14 seconds.
Lester also took fifth in the 300 hurdles.
Capturing second in two events was Elyse Lovgren of Port Angeles, who was runner-up in long jump in a distance of 14-09.25 and the triple jump in 32-01.5.
In all, seven area athletes finished in second place, including Millsap and Lovgren.
Others included Kari Larson of Forks in the 800 run in 2:37.27, Brittany Grant of Port Townsend in the 3,000 in 11:29.22, Rebecca Stewart of Port Townsend in the 300 hurdles in 53.45, Annika Pederson of Port Angeles in the 2,000 steeplechase in 8:41.99 and Faye Chartraw of Neah Bay in shot put with a distance of 28-02.50.
Grant also earned third place in the 1,500 in 5:19.40.
Five other individuals took bronze in their events while three relay teams also earned third place.
Individuals included Heidi Vereide of Sequim in the 200 in 28.62, Waverly Sheffler of Sequim in the 400 in 1:06.08, Willow Suess of Port Angeles in the 3,000 in 12:22.74, Patricia Reeves of Port Townsend in the high jump with a height of 4-08 and Shannon Williams of Crescent in the shot put with a heave of 27-07.75.
Area athletes took the top four positions in shot with Cami Raber of Port Angeles earning fourth with a distance of 27-07.0.
Sequim had two relay teams earning third place, including the 4×100 of Sheffler, Sarah Hutchison, McMullin and Hannah Hudson in 55.81, and the 4×400 with Vereide, Sheffler, Hudson and McMullin in 4:35.72.
The Riders took third in the 4×200 relay with Cassidy Hodgin, Raber, Lovgren and Madison St. George in 2:03.65.
Two double winners
In boys competition, Brendan Dennis and Kyle Tupper, both of Port Angeles, were double winners.
Dennis claimed first place in the 400 in 53.17 seconds and the 800 in 2:05.09 while Tupper dominated the 1,500 with a win in 4:33.54 and the 3,000 in 9:54.27, better than nearly 26 seconds than the runner-up.
Also taking first place was Sequim’s Lopaka Yasumura in shot put with a distance of 45-06.50.
Showing some speed with strength, Yasumura also claimed second in the 100 sprint in 11.78 seconds.
Earning second in two events was Crescent’s Quenton Wolfer, who was runner-up in the discus with a throw of 100-05 and the javelin with a toss of 137-10.
Also taking second was the Sequim 4×100 relay team with Oscar Herrera, Dylan Chatters, Christian Miles and Yasumura in 46.24.
Earning two third-place honors was Mikey Cobb of Sequim, with a bronze in the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:58.52, and the 1,500 in 4:36.52.
Cobb was nipped by a nose in the 1,500 as Ian Christen of North Kitsap was second in 4:36.51.
Four other area individuals took third place, including Clallam Bay’s Justin Welever in the 100 in 11.83, Tony Dalgardno of Port Angeles in the 200 in 25.24, Ryan Clarke of Port Townsend in the 3,000 in 10:28.37 and Shane WhiteEagle of Forks in shot put with a distance of 43-01.
Also taking third was the Port Angeles 4×400 relay team of Dalgardno, Tupper, Nick Fritschler and Dennis in a time of 3:46.18.
Following are the varsity results:
