4A track | Greene has hand in 3 titles; Jordan wins 4th title in 4 years

PASCO — A pair of Garfield teammates woke up Saturday with burning pains in their hamstrings. Bianca Greene couldn't even think about running. Stephone Jordan didn't even want to get out of bed.

But Saturday's final day of the Class 4A state track and field meet would not have been the same without them. Not without Greene's vigorous kicks down the stretch. Not without the sight of Jordan, bleeding and in tears, bolting an extra 100 yards down after claiming his fourth state title in four years.

Together, they claimed four first-place medals and a second.

Most of the credit for that goes to Greene. Even though her legs "felt 10 pounds heavier," she said, she first won the 100 with a state-best 12.01 seconds, then followed by winning the 200 in 24.20 — the seventh-fastest time in state history.

If that wasn't enough, she ran the final leg of the 800 relay and overtook leader Lewis and Clark of Spokane before gliding down the stretch to victory. She was also part of Garfield's second-place 400 relay.

"I'm excited," she said, "but right now, I'm too tired to think about it."

Jordan, a triple winner at last year's state meet, has been battling two hamstring strains and a stress fracture for nearly a month. His face showed his pain down the stretch of the 110 hurdles. He won with his season-best 14.29 despite clipping the second-to-last hurdle, which cut open his knee. He burst into tears — joyful ones — as he kept on running.

"I'm just so happy," he said shortly afterward, with two tears dripping down his cheeks. "When I woke up this morning, I didn't think I was going to run today."

But later in the 300 hurdles, Inglemoor senior Austin Victor handed Jordan his first high-school hurdles loss in two years in the closest finish of the meet. Both finished in 38.29, but video showed that Victor won.

"I've been racing him for three years," Victor said. "This is the first time I've ever beat him."

Victor was one of 14 first-time individual champions in Class 4A on Saturday, including Oak Harbor senior Mietra Smollack. Smollack won the girls 1,600 in 4 minutes, 56.44 seconds, holding off Mead freshman Baylee Mires down the stretch.

"I tried to move in the way so she couldn't pass," Smollack said. "I saw the finish, and it was so close, and I just wanted to get there. I'm still shocked."

The field events produced two of the most memorable competitions in state history. In the boys javelin, Heritage of Vancouver's Jacob Wilson and University of Spokane's Wesley Nolen surpassed the meet record of 202 feet, 9 inches a combined five times. Wilson won with a record throw of 207-10, and Nolen took second at 206-11.

At the same time, Richland junior Jessica Christian and Walla Walla senior Shanie Bushman needed 16 rounds vaults to decide a champion. Christian ultimately won with a vault of 12 feet.

Notes

• Bellarmine Prep of Tacoma won the girls team title with 76.5 points, 11.5 ahead of Gig Harbor. Garfield, with 40 points, tied Richland for third.

• Heritage won the boys team title with 50 points, 12 ahead of second-place Beamer of Federal Way.

• Mariner senior Malcolm Tatum won the discus and javelin in the wheelchair division.

• Curtis junior Andrea Geubelle became a double winner Saturday by taking the triple jump in 39-10-¾. She won the long jump Friday.

• Heritage senior Ty Lang won the boys 100 (10.82) and 200 (21.67).

• Gig Harbor senior Miles Unterreiner, who won the 3,200 Friday, claimed the 1,600 in 4:13.72.

Tom Wyrwich: 206-515-5653 or twyrwich@seattletimes.com