The girls on Auburn Mountainview’s 400-meter relay team know a thing or two about winning a state title.
In 2010, the Lion girls raced to the Washington State 3A title, with current seniors Erika Lombardo and Whitney Echols, and junior Abi Alfrey all earning first-place medals.
This year the fleet-footed trio, bolstered by junior alternate Jasmin Moore, and sophomores Viktoriya Vasina and Nicole Carter, is back.
And the girls have set their sights on another 3A title.
This past weekend Auburn Mountainview grabbed first in the event at the South Puget Sound League/Seamount/Bremerton 3A sub-district meet, running a 50.18-second time to qualify for the West Central District III/Southwest District IV meet, this Friday and Saturday at Mt. Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma. And although the team’s sub-district time was good enough to grab first, it’s well below the girls’ best time of 49.46, run April 14 at the Pasco Invitational. That mark is the third fastest 3A 400 relay time in the state right now.
The key, said head coach Joel MacDougall, has been the team’s depth.
“We’re really lucky having six girls that can move in and run the four-by-100,” MacDougall said. “The girls know that any one of them can get in there and be the difference maker. And they know that with the exception of Erika, we don’t have extreme speed. We don’t have a bunch of state champion-caliber kids. But we do have a bunch of really nice, fast kids. All we do is put them together, and I think we can vie for a state title.”
Of course, the luxury of having one of the fastest sprinters in the state running anchor – Lombardo has the seventh fastest 3A 100 time in the state right now with a 12.46 – doesn’t hurt.
“A lot of teams will run their fastest runner second, because it’s the longest leg,” MacDougall said. “We run Erika last because we know if we’re behind, she’ll catch up. She proved that at sub-districts. We didn’t have the greatest handoffs, and when she got the baton we were in third. But she just blew by both the other girls, who were not slow. What we try to do is stay close, and with Erika last we’ve always got a shot.”
MacDougall added that the team also tries to get off to a good start with its most experienced runner running the first leg.
“We really like to start Whitney,” he said. “She’s been in track her whole life, so she really knows how to run with the baton and runs the corners well.”
Although being fast helps, the real key to a successful relay squad is teamwork. And the Lion girls have that in spades, Lombardo says.
“Having chemistry with your relay (is important). Obviously, being fast and getting your handoffs down, making sure your steps are perfect and you have the perfect distance, so they can just get it and go,” Lombardo said.
Echols agreed:
“Handoffs and teamwork are important,” Echols said. “We need to make sure we work together and we communicate with each other. That’s what we did to win the state title in 2010. The chemistry on this team is about the same. We stay close to each other, even while we’re at school, to make sure we keep each other on top of everything, grades wise. And avoid drama.”
Add in a wealth of experience, and the outlook is good for another state title for Auburn Mountainview.
“Continuity is key with any team, and these girls have been running together for a long time,” MacDougall said. “Even the girls that are sophomores were involved with this group last year as freshman. So we don’t really have any new girls this year.”
In addition to the 400 relay team, the Lion girls’ 1,600 relay team is on track for the winner’s podium at the state meet.
Currently the team, with Vasina, Moore, Carter and Lombardo, has the fourth fastest 3A state time with a 4:05.18. At the sub-district meet the team was first in the event with a 4:05.20.
The district meets gets underway at 11:30 a.m. today and continues tomorrow at Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma.
ALSO: Auburn Riverside’s Brandi Williams and Andrey Zadneprovsky both set school records at their SPSL 4A sub-district meet this past week. Williams notched a 19-feet, 3.75-inch mark in the long jump. Zadneprovsky set an Auburn Riverside record in the high jump with a 6-4 and ran a 14.81 in the 110 hurdles for a new school record. Both will compete at the West Central District III/Southwest District IV 4A meet
