Durango’s Frankie Bisacky takes honors in the Blaine Thompson Memorial Track Classic

If you watched Frankie Bisacky finish the distance races Saturday at the Blaine Thompson Memorial Track Classic, you’d think you were watching a sprint.

Biskacky helped Durango win the boys distance medley Friday before winning both the 1,600-meter run and 3,200 run Saturday to earn male outstanding track athlete of the meet honors at Desert Oasis.

The Durango senior won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 30.18 seconds, besting the runner-up by four seconds, but his win in the 3,200 race was even more impressive. After leading for most of the race, Bisacky fell to fourth place heading into the final lap, but turned on the jets in the final 300 meters and ran at close to a full sprint to take the race in 10:09.39.

“I noticed other people trying to make moves but they weren’t nearly as strong as I was expecting,” Bisacky said. “So I knew I had it in the bag it was just a matter of time. When I decided it was time to go, I just went.”

Durango’s distance runners finished the distance medley in 11:06.63 Friday to sweep the distance races of the meet.

“My coach, Michael Shaffer, has prepared me the most for this,” Bisacky said. “He’s the reason why I’m good, there’s no one I can put it on. I think it all comes to good coaching, good work ethic. I knew I had something towards the last lap so I was able to just belt it out.”

In the field, Desert Oasis senior Nick Benham led the day with wins in both the shot put and the discus on his home field to win outstanding field athlete of the meet honors.

“It feels real good because last year I wasn’t able to throw in this meet,” Benham said. “But I’m just trying to throw hard and get a (personal record) every time.”

Benham did not break any personal bests Saturday, but he easily took both throwing events, winning the shot put with a throw of 55 feet, 7½ inches, topping second place by almost eight feet. The difference was even larger in the, discus tossing a 164-2, beating second place by nearly 18 feet.

“They aren’t PRs but they’re close, so I’m still looking for that big jump in my throws,” Benham said. “This just gives me a lot of confidence. I’ve been very inconsistent with my discus. Now I just know to go out there and relax and do what I do.”

On the girls side, Palo Verde senior Emma Wahlenmaier won the female track athlete of the meet honor with wins in the 1,600 run (5:23.44) and 800 run (2:24.83). Bishop Gorman sophomore Jill McPherson-Kellogg won the female field athlete of the meet award for her winning performances in the shot put (34-4) and discus (115-1).

The Bishop Gorman boys won the meet with a score of 103½, edging out Green Valley (95) and Faith Lutheran (92).

Green Valley’s girls won the team title with a score of 166½. Rancho was second with 96 points, and Palo Verde was third with 86½.

Contact reporter Bill Slane at bslane@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4559. Follow @bill_slane on Twitter.