More Competitive than Ever: Pasco Invite - by John Simons

    The 61st Pasco Invitational. The meet is home to former legends, Olympians, and record holders. With over 80 schools competing and thousands of athletes who want to win, the Pasco Invite is one of the most competitive meets in the Pacific Northwest.

    Winning this year's Pasco Invite for the girl's team result is the Walla Walla Blue Devils with a score of 80.5. Beating out second-place Rocky Mountain, who finished with a score of 75. The Most Outstanding Athlete award for the women's side went to none other than Ashlyn Nielson, representing the blue. With the most impressive performance I've ever seen at a track meet, Ashlyn Nielson won the 100 meters handily, breaking 11 seconds with an 11.95. Nielsen also won the 200 with a time of 24.58. Next up was Nielson's 100-meter hurdles. As the gun fires, Ashlyn flies out of the block with a sizable lead, but with a mess up early in the race, she ends 3rd. But returning for her revenge, she anchored Walla Walla's 4x100-meter team that ran a blistering 48.33. Richland and Kamiakin are coming in the 2nd and 3rd. Ashlyn is signed to run track at Central Washington University. This remarkable athlete has written her name in the Pasco Invite history book.

    Looking over at the Javelin athletes, I noticed one competitor outthrowing the competition easily. This is Richland's Baylee Wroble, who finished with a throw of 136'2". This Washington State University commit is currently one of the top 30 Javelin throwers in the nation. With winning last year's Pasco Invite, I asked Baylee her thoughts about this year's meet. "I was hoping that my hard work throughout the season would pay off and I could throw a good mark." A good mark is exactly what she did. Winning the event by over 11 feet! Being a committed D-1 athlete, I asked Wroble about her future throwing in college. "My thoughts are to hopefully improve my technique and get a good mark this season so that I feel prepared to throw in college next year." Baylee has a bright future ahead of her, and you should be on the lookout for this athlete in the future!

    The podium for the high-flying pole vaulters consisted of a lot of purple and yellow. With a dominant height of 13'4", Landry Allen, out of Hanford High School, swept the competition. Kennady Davidson out of Wenatchee and Allen's teammate Katelyn Wolfert out of Hanford got 2nd and 3rd with a jump of 11'6.

    In the 4x400-meter relay, we had a close race for first, second, and third. Tumwater took the cake with a 4:02.59. Rocky Mountain and Richland finished less than a second behind in this nail-biter. 

    Looking at the MCC sprinters and relay teams, we have a clear 1, 2, 3. Walla Walla, Richland, and Kamiakin. We tend to see these teams near the top in all the fast events. Ashlyn Nielson dominating this meet doesn't count out other talented sprinters. Richland's Naly Khamlue-Pratt finished 2nd in the 100m, 200m, and was also the anchor for the Richland 4x100 team that also finished 2nd. Another big MCC competitor is Adelyn Mitchell. Mitchell finished 4th in the 100m, 3rd in the 200m, and was also the anchor in Kamiakin's 4x100m team that finished 3rd as well. Interviewing spectator Jack Simons, I asked him his thoughts on the competition between these schools and athletes. "The competition is just top tier; the speed these three athletes and schools have is remarkable. It is exciting to watch them compete and make each other faster." These teams and athletes will be very exciting to watch as the season ends and competition heats up even more.

    Being as big as it is and having been around for a long time, the Pasco Invite has its own Hall of Fame. Athletes who go on to do incredible things and feats that few athletes have done before them are the ones who get inducted. This year, an incredible female athlete was inducted. This is Ginnie Powell Crawford. Ginnie competed in high school for Rainer Beach from 2001-2004. She is the only 4-time Most Valuable Athlete in Pasco Invite history. Ginnie still holds the all-time Washington state 100-meter hurdles time of 13.39. She also holds the Pasco invite, Edgar Brown Stadium, State Meet, and All-Time Washington high school mark in the 100 hurdles with a 13.88. Ginnie went on to run track at the University of Southern California, where she became a 4-time NCAA champion. Ginnie went on to sign one of the largest Nike contracts ever for a female athlete in 2006. Running professionally for the next ten years, she became a 2-time US national champion in the 100m hurdles. She was ranked in the top 10 in the world for most of her career. Ginnie now resides back in Seattle, Washington, coaching and teaching. 

    An incredible career for an incredible athlete, all starting at the legendary Pasco Invite. With great athletes coming through this invite every year, it is exciting to imagine the future of national racing can possibly be in the hands of someone you saw on Saturday, April 13th, 2024. Come out and watch the Pasco Invite next year. You never know who the next best female athlete will be!