Mack, Jensen named league champs

SNOHOMISH — Arlington had two league champions and collected a slew of other awards at the Western Conference championships May 7 and 9.

SNOHOMISH — Arlington had two league champions and collected a slew of other awards at the Western Conference championships May 7 and 9.

Senior Kjirsten Jensen won the shot put with a new personal record and sprinter Bryan Mack edged teammate Marcus Dolan for the league 100-meter dash title.

While there was no preliminary contest for field events, almost every Arlington athlete who emerged out of preliminaries to compete in the May 9 finals improved in either placing or time from their prelims.

Mack, Dolan and Jensen all placed in multiple events at Snohomish. Mack took third in the triple jump, his state-qualifying event last season, and second in the long jump. Dolan cleaved three-tenths of a second and two places off his preliminaries showing to take fourth in the boys 200 during the finals competition. Jensen finished third in the discus with 121-6, a performance she followed with a 42-1/2 shot put throw that is among the best prep girls performances in the state at any level.

Ryan Schimpf, a senior and state veteran who finished seventh in the high jump, explained that a talented Arlington senior class — whose major finalists also included fellow state competitors Kevan Ferrier in the 300 hurdles and Kurtis Hampton in the shot and discus — is trying to go out on a strong note.

“It’s definitely a big drive. We all know our senior class is great,” he said. Schimpf attributed much of the team’s success to coach Judd Hunter’s simple philosophy. “We’re really big on visualizing. Every day he tells us, ‘Hydrate and visualize.’”

One thing Schimpf is visualizing is a big performance when Arlington travels to Shoreline Stadium for the district meet May 14 and 16.

“Our big goal is to come in and win districts,” he said.

To accomplish that goal, which means also overcoming defending state champion Everett, Arlington will need all the weapons in its arsenal, including an emerging freshman class.

Two such athletes had notable finishes at leagues — jumpers Melissa Webb and Kylene Swigle. The two proved formidable in multiple events with best results in the long jump. Webb placed fourth there, jumping 15-4, while Swigle took eighth behind teammate Virginia Wilson with a 14-11 performance of her own. Swigle had the best performance by a freshman in the girls 100 hurdles while Webb had the same distinction in the triple jump.