Fun while it lasted
<p>First place finisher in the 4x800-meter relay Coeur d’Alene’s Noelle Ball runs, separated from the pack with her fans cheering in the background Thursday at Post Falls High School.</p>
<p>Max Evans of Lake City leads the pack in the first lap of the men’s 4x800-meter relay Thursday at Post Falls. </p>
POST FALLS - They ran and threw hard.
Then it rained and hailed - really hard.
Just as the second heat of the girls 100-meter hurdles was completed, a spring storm ripped through the Post Falls area, delaying the Christina Finney Relays track and field meet on Thursday.
Through the first six girls events and four boys events, Coeur d'Alene led with 64.75 points (boys and girls scores were combined), followed by Lewiston in second with 61.
After the storm, Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Sandpoint and Lake City left before the meet was officially called off. Timberlake, Lewiston, Lakeland and Post Falls ran the remaining events after the weather cleared.
"It was raining one minute, then the sun's out the next," Post Falls coach Wade Quesnell said. "That's all right though. It's early in the year, so everyone will get out rolling and get back after break."
Most North Idaho schools will be on spring break next week, with Thursday's meet the last scheduled until April 10.
"We want to win and do well because last year we won it," said Coeur d'Alene coach Linda Lanker, who was missing nine runners due to vacations. "We love running here and want to get as many meets in before the end of the year, but you never know what you're going to get. If we were in Arizona, we'd have a perfect weather day every day."
For Coeur d'Alene junior hurdler Kaitlyn Gunnerson, it wasn't perfect, but finishing in 16.53 seconds was good enough for a win in the 100-meter hurdles.
"It was kind of difficult because I had to four-step two of the hurdles," said Gunnerson, who won right before the meet was delayed. "But it wasn't necessarily any better than it has been any other time during the month."
Gunnerson added that the weather, which included a headwind of 20 miles an hour, made her prepare a little differently.
"You've got to make sure you have a longer warmup," Gunnerson said. "That and dressed with more layers so that your muscles stay warm."
"The thing about Kaitlyn is that she's motivated no matter what," Lanker said. "She's always got a smile on her face and just loves to race. It doesn't matter what the conditions are. She was ready to go and fired up, and that's what I love about her."
It was the second time in three years that the meet has been delayed or altered due to weather.
"I think next year, I might try to get this thing scheduled for the week after spring break," Quesnell said.
Results from the remaining events were not available.
COMBINED TEAM SCORES (Through scored events) - 1, Coeur d'Alene 64.75. 2, Lewiston 61. 3, Post Falls 49. 4, Moscow 47.75. 5, Lake City 44. 6, Lakeland 40. 7, Timberlake 39.50. 8, Sandpoint 23.
(Through four scored events)
Long jump - 1, Alex Lewis, Moscow, 20-6 3/4. 2, Mason Schumaker, Lewiston, 19-10 3/4. 3, Trent Greene, Lake City, 19-7. 1,600 - 1, Jerry Cook, Moscow, 4:29.04. 2, Sam Levora, Sandpoint, 4:31.03. 3, Austin Byrer, Lewiston, 4:46.86. 4x200 relay - 1, Moscow (Sam Bruce, Andrew Trujillo, Alex Lewis, Joey Cook), 1:34.09. 2, Lakeland, 1:35.44. 3, Lake City, 1:35.82. 4x800 relay - 1, Coeur d'Alene (David Conway, Zac Magee, Andrew Magee, Jose Winton), 8:39.93. 2, Lake City, 8:43.63. 3, Lakeland, 10:03.30.
(Through six events scored)
Pole vault - 1, Cecilia Watkins, Lewiston, 10-7. 2, Brenda Ely, Lake City, 8-0. 3, Rebecca Russell, Lakeland, 7-6. 100 hurdles - 1, Kaitlyn Gunnerson, Coeur d'Alene, 16.53. 2, Megan Ralstin, Lewiston, 17.78. 3, Payten Rhodes, Timberlake, 18.71. Shot put - 1, Aneesah Gondo, Post Falls, 34-6. 2, Kim Reynolds, Post Falls, 29-9 1/2. 3, Jocie Osika, Lake City, 29-8. 4x200 relay - 1, Post Falls (Brenna Meehan, Kylie Yarber, Jasmine Haskew, Shay Standon), 1:52.36. 2, Coeur d'Alene, 1:53.53. 3, Lakeland, 1:59.32. 4x800 relay - 1, Coeur d'Alene (Krista Story, Noelle Ball, Jaycee Rade, Paige Momerak), 10:23.61. 2, Post Falls, 10:36.27. 3, Moscow, 10:48.09. 1,600 - 1, Shevaun Ames, Lewiston, 5:25.40. 2, Mikhaela Woodward, Sandpoint, 5:26.90. 3, Sydney Foster, Sandpoint, 5:45.97.