All eyes were turned toward the scoreboard at the stadium in Cheney as Naselle senior Echo Cenci sought to learn if her time in the 100 meters preliminary race was good enough to qualify for the finals. It was, and Comet fans celebrated.

Comet runners advance to finals in 100m and 300m hurdles

CHENEY — Two Naselle runners made their school proud at the WIAA state 1B state track meet at Eastern Washington University in Cheney Thursday.

The event is the first state meet since 2019. Covid restrictions curtailed student athletics in 2020 and 2021.

For Naselle, in the 1B division, about a dozen Comet athletes will compete.

Senior Josh Chadwick qualified for state in both hurdles events. In the prelims for the 300m Thursday, he placed fourth in his heat with a time of 44.91. This was the sixth-best time, and good enough to advance to the finals.

His 110m hurdles race will be later in the meet.

Senior Echo Cenci, one of two Comet girls competing at state, placed fifth in her heat in the 100m sprint. Her time of 13.53 was good enough to advance to the finals. She will also compete in the pole vault.

She finished in a blur amid all eight runners on the line and there were some anxious moments watching the scoreboard and online result compilations until the qualifiers were announced.

Friday and Saturday sees the other Comet athletes compete in track and field events, including two relays.

• Watch for extra coverage of the three-day WIAA state track meet online at www.chinookobserver.com and on the Chinook Observer’s Facebook page, as well as a full wrap-up in the June 1 edition of the Chinook Observer.