Cody Miller, left, prepares to receive the baton from Jace Linthakhan in the 4x200 meter relay during the Ilwaco home track meet. Together with Ayden Woodby and Wade Smith they won. In other races, Miller won the 1,600 and Woodby the 200.

Nora Soule is proof that track racing is more than legs and lungs.

It’s about being smart.

As the Ilwaco freshman lined up for the 3,200 meters, she set her watch. Alongside her was a Willapa Valley runner enjoying similar success this season.

Off they went, six boys and four girls, running together because the farthest distance at the meet burns off a full 15 minutes.

As they circled, Ilwaco junior Moises Mendez-Hernandez showed his dominance, though pushed by a South Bend senior. Behind, Soule bided her time, some way back, at times appearing almost out of touch with Willapa Valley sophomores Kaitlyn Ganzel and Jasmin Solso and Raymond senior Genevieve Sarich.

When they began the final lap, coach Sarah Taylor gave her the word to kick.

“It was a good strategy,” said Soule, who took the lead and sprinted down the final straight to beat Solso. “It’s all about the right pace.”

Soule’s success was one highlight of Ilwaco’s last home meet. Her time was 14:05.10, her best. She also won the 1,600 against a larger field, winning in 6:12.37, seven seconds ahead of Ganzel with four Raymond runners trailing.

Sophomore Mya Cunningham won the 800 in 2:55.47, taking the lead and holding on to win by almost 5 seconds. She was third in the 400 and seventh in long jump; classmate Esther Thomas was third in the high jump with 4-4, third in long jump with 12-9, fourth in triple jump with 28-1 and fifth in pole vault with 6-0; freshman Madison Key was seventh in the 100, a distance that saw three Valley runners sweep the medal positions.

Mendez-Hernandez won the 3,200 in 13:23.67 and placed third in the 1,600, a race won by IHS freshman Cody Miller in 5:14.54 with sophomore Sammy Lloyd in fifth. Miller was third in the 400 with 57.69 behind second-place senior Ayden Woodby in 54.21.

Woodby won the 200 in 24.30. He was behind at the final turn but sprinted past a South Bend runner on the final straight, with Miller third in 25.80.

Sophomore Wade Smith continued to test his skill in different events, though he stayed on course in pole vault in which he placed third with 9-0. He placed third in the 300 meter hurdles in 50.43.

Next on the agenda is the Pacific League Championship meet at Raymond May 12 with athletes looking to qualify for the May 19 District Championships at Chehalis and eventually the May 25-27 WIAA 2B State Championships, which have moved from Cheney to Yakima this year.