Local sprinter Jessica Stewart finished fifth in the long jump and seventh in the 200 meters at a Junior Olympics regional meet in Spokane, Wash., Saturday and Sunday.
Stewart fought off asthma attacks in both the preliminary of the 200 and the final, said Lela Danforth, who coached her at the event.
Stewart, who missed much of her eighth-grade track season with a leg injury, ran 26.66 to place fifth in the 200 prelims, which would be the seventh-fastest time in Sweet Home High School history if she were competing in a high school meet, and followed that up with a 26.90 in the final.
In the long jump she matched her personal best, leaping 15-6 1/4 in the competition after landing a much longer jump on her final practice effort, Danforth said.
“The asthma attack was a bummer, but I’m excited for what this means for our (high school) girls program,” Danforth said.
She noted that Stewart’s time would have been the second-fastest for a freshman in school history.
“She had such a confidence in her, it was awesome. She just attacked.”