Two Seahawks place second at state 2A track meet Posted by Jack Darnton | May 29, 2012 | 314 views

Craig Jones placed second in the pole vault and Nick Majeske took second in the discus at the Class 2A State Track and Field Championships held in Tacoma Friday and Saturday.

With his final successful vault of 14 feet, 6 inches, Jones broke his own school record of 13-9, surpassed the best high-school mark of his father — Anacortes pole vault coach Bill Jones — and claimed second place.

For Jones, the mark was made even sweeter by the fact that he had to overcome a fractured vertebrae to reach it.

“There have been a lot of challenges I had to overcome,” Jones said. “I’ve been pushing for 14 feet for a long time.”

Jones finished behind only Mount Baker’s Nathan Dunford, who cleared 15 feet. Jones also bettered the mark of 14-3 his father set in 1976 at South Hills High School in California, a height they both wanted the younger Jones to clear.

“He’s really happy,” Jones said of his father.

Anacortes coach Case deVries was pleased for Craig Jones as well.

“He’s been working hard, he persevered and we’re super-excited about how he did,” deVries said.

Majeske finished second in the discus a year after winning the title in the same event.

This year, Majeske finished behind Pullman’s Adam Mahama’s winning throw of 172-3. Majeske’s top throw was 167-5.

Majeske won last year with a throw of 165-7, and he had a personal best of 171-9 at the district meet earlier this month.

“That’s how athletics go; sometimes you come up with a big throw and sometimes someone else does,” deVries said. “I was proud of Nick ... he definitely put a lot of hard work in.”

Catherine Miles, who was battling a calf injury throughout the meet, claimed seventh in the girls long jump with a mark of 16-3.

“It was a disappointing day, but I was proud of the character she showed,” DeVries said. 

Miles tied for 10th in the high jump at 4-10.

Anacortes’ other two state meet competitors came up short in making it out of track prelims.
Peter Luciano ran 41.25 in the 300 hurdles (10th fastest) and Mackenzie Wight ran 48.72 in the girls 300 hurdles (11th fastest). Only the top eight made the finals.