To win her first district title in her last district race, Fort Vancouver High’s Anna Harrison used everything she had.
Postrace, she felt it.
“Just everywhere,” the senior said, bound for Eastern Washington next season.
Harrison admits she isn’t known for her fast kick toward the finish, but she found it and at the right time for Thursday’s 3A District track and field meet at McKenzie Stadium to win the 3A girls 800 meters in 2 minutes, 23.20 seconds.
Harrison credits better off-season training for a strong base leading to a stronger finish.
It showed Thursday, edging Prairie’s Katie Vroman (2:24.46).
“I didn’t think I can outsprint somebody,” Harrison said. “I’ve never been able to finish strong. It just came out.”
In fact, Fort Vancouver swept the girls and boys 800. Teammate Drew Weber became the day’s first three-event individual champion, adding the boys 800 district title Thursday to Wednesday’s personal-best times winning the 400 and 1,600.
Later, Mountain View’s Kate Kadrmas added the girls 200 meters, 300 hurdles and long jump titles to Wednesday’s 100 meter title as a four-event individual champion. The Thunder captured the girls team title.
For Weber, he missed most of last spring injuring his knee in a skiing accident, and used a lengthy rehabilitation as motivation to return to the track.
He said Thursday he’s racing the best of his career. Two personal-best times came in Wednesday’s district title wins. Two weeks ago, he clocked his first sub-2-minute 800 time.
He did so again Thursday, winning in 1:59.82.
“It made me want it even more this year,” Weber said. It’s the last chance to wear a red jersey.”
A day after helping Prairie break the 400 relay school record in 42.93 seconds, anchor leg Nolan Mickenham captured his second individual district title of the meet, cruising in the 200 meters (22.54).
But the race didn’t go as originally planned. Earlier Thursday competing in the boys long jump, Mickenham tweak his back leading to last-minute strategy plans in the 200.
Mickenham said he treated it like a prelim and shut it down when a comfortable lead was achieved. He won the race by more than 1 second as Prairie took the boys team title.
“I didn’t want to go full out,” he said, “and hurt it more.”
Prairie’s Meri Dunford added the 3,200 district title to Wednesday’s 1,600 title.
