Spartans continue track, field winning streaks

POST FALLS – The Priest River track and field team are back after spring break and on fire, with Spartan athletes taking first place spots at the Christina Finney Relays in Post Falls Tuesday, April 14. Ian Lamanna won first place in pole vault and long jump and Niki Porinchok won first place in discus and second in shot put.

“The weather was absolutely horrible, so not a lot of personal bests, but the kids competed well, and many improved their seed place,” Priest River coach Jared Hughes said.

Tanner Hughes took eighth place in discuss and the boys’ 4x200 relay team placed eighth in their race.

Later that week the team traveled to the Rasmussen Invite at Coeur d’Alene High School Friday, April 17.

Porinchok won first place in discus again and seventh in shot put. Gunnar Pettit placed fifth in the 400-meter race and the boys 4x200-meter relay team won seventh.

“This was another big meet going against most of the schools in North Idaho,” Hughes said. “Many athletes competed well and improved their personal bests.”

Porinchok and Lamanna traveled to Pasco for the Pasco Invite Saturday, April 18, where Porinchok broke his own discus school record by 6-feet, throwing 168-feet, 9-inches to take third out of 52 throwers. He also competed in the shot put, finishing 18th. Lamanna competed well in the pole vault finishing in seventh place jumping 13-feet, six-inches.

This meet is one of the largest meets in the northwest with 78 teams from Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Next up for the Spartans was a Double Dual at Bonners Ferry versus Bonners Ferry and Troy, Mont. Monday, April 20. Prieste River hosts the 29th Annual Priest River Invite on Saturday, April 25 at 10 a.m. “We are still needing help running the field events,” Hughes said, asking for volunteers. Anyone interested can contact Priest River Lamanna Jr./Sr. High at 208-448-1211.

SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.