Kahne again races to Top 20 finish

Another top 20 finish Sunday in Texas kept Enumclaw NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne in the race for the Spint Cup title.

Behind the wheel of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger, Kahne finished 19th Sunday.

“We actually had about a top-10, top-12 place Budweiser Dodge today,” Kahne said in post-race comments. “We lost a lap somewhere in the middle (of the race) when that caution came out after we pitted under green and we never could get it back. The front end was tight getting into the center of the corner and the back was pretty loose all day. It was disappointing because we had a better car than 19th.”

The finish caused Kahne to fall a couple of spots in Sprint Cup drivers’ standings to 10th. The top 12 drivers before the final 10 races of the season are eligible to race for the title.

Sprint Cup racing takes a break for the Easter holiday and resumes April 19 in Phoenix.

Averill, Henneford to play final match

Two Plateau area athletes will play their final collegiate water polo tournament Saturday and Sunday in a tournament hosted by the University of Washington at the Las Vegas Municipal Pool in Las Vegas, Nev.

Elise Averill, a 2005 Enumclaw High graduate, and Sarah Henneford, a 2005 Sumner High graduate, are captains on the Western Washington University women’s water polo team. Averill and Henneford both played for their high school teams for four years and were high school team captains during their senior seasons.

The WWU Vikings will be competing against collegiate teams from the University of Washington, California State University-Chico, University of Arizona and club teams from Puget Sound Polo and Las Vegas Masters. The Vikings finished fourth in the Northwest Collegiate Championships that took place March 7 and 8 in Springfield, Ore.