Tri-Cities area athletes head to WA state meets after impressive showing at districts

This is the week that the Mid-Columbia track and field faithful have been looking forward to: state track and field week.

Everything that area athletes have done this spring — all of the training and strategy — have built up to qualifying for the WIAA state meets.

The two meets — the 4A/3A/2A meet is at Mount Tahoma, while 1A/2B/1B is at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima — begin Thursday and run through Saturday.

To get to their respective meets, area athletes had to come up with some impressive distances or times.

Here’s who had pretty good district meets in the past week:

4A boys

• Ezra Teeples, Kamiakin: The defending state cross country champion pulled off an impressive distance double at Central Valley this past weekend, winning the 1600 meters (4:21.78) and 3200 meters (9:26.31) titles.

• Gavyn Buchanan, Kamiakin. The senior grabbed the triple jump crown with a PR mark of 44 feet, 1 inch, and he placed second in the long jump. He was also part of the Braves’ third-place team in the 4x100 relay.

• Devin Crews, Kamiakin: The Braves junior pulled off the 110 high hurdles title in 14.79 seconds, a personal record. He also grabbed second in the 300 hurdles final. Crews also ran a leg in the Kamiakin’s third-place team in the 4x100 relay.

• Justin Webber, Chiawana: The senior blazed to victory in the 300 hurdles final in 38.68 seconds. He also placed third in the 110 high hurdles.

4A girls

Lot of great performances here.

Let’s start with Kamiakin, who was team champion at the District 8 meet at Central Valley, scoring 156 points, and the Braves won six event titles.

• Kamiakin’s 4x200 relay team of Louesa Gledhill, Emaunii Sims, Aubrey Herrin and Adelyn Mitchell finished first at 1:40.43. That’s No. 1 in the entire state.

• Naly Khamlue-Pratt, Richland: This sophomore is hitting her stride at the right time, winning the 100 (11.89 seconds) and 200 meters (24.55) titles. Along with Alyssa Marsh, Gracie Moss and Hailey Summers, Khamlue-Pratt helped the Bombers’ 4x100 relay team cross the finish line first in 47.47 seconds. She also keyed a second-place finish in the 4x200 relay (along with Marsh, Moss and Emory Law).

• Louesa Gledhill, Kamiakin: The Braves junior won both hurdles events, taking the 100 highs in 15.02 seconds, and the 300 lows in 45.51.

• Aubrey Herrin, Kamiakin: In addition to her part in the 4x200 relay win, Herrin also grabbed titles in the high jump (5-foot-4) and triple jump (38 feet, 6.25 inches)

• Malia Ruud, Chiawana: The Riverhawks junior continues her quest for medals by winning the discus in 124 feet, 8 inches. She also grabbed a second in the shot put, and she finished third in the javelin.

• Mia Beightol, Hanford: The Falcons senior pulled off the distance double by winning the 800 (2:17.32) and 1600 (5:12.00) events.

3A boys

Jackson Burns, Kennewick; and Ian Calhoon, Walla Walla: Let’s be clear — Burns and Calhoon are two of the best hurdlers in the entire state. They continue to take turns beating each other. You can’t say on name without the other. First, Calhoon beat Burns in the 100 high hurdles at Central Valley, 14.09 seconds to 14.20. Calhoon’s time is second best in the state. But Burns returned the favor in the 300 hurdles, winning in 37.79 (a PR) to Calhoon’s 39.26. Burns is now the second fastest in the state in the event. Burns also ran a leg in the Lions’ second-place 4x100 relay team.

No. 2 300 hurdles

Alex Roberts, Kennewick: He placed second in the 100 meters, as well as the 200. The Lions junior also ran a leg on Kennewick’s 4x100 relay team that placed second.

3A girls

It’s safe to say this meet at Central Valley belonged to Walla Walla.

The Blue Devils took the team title 132 points.

And the trio of Jailyn Davenport, Cami Martin and Ashlyn Nielsen did a lot of damage.

With Adyson Andrews joining them, the Blue Devils quartet ran the 4x100 relay in a winning time of 47.50 seconds.

Andrews stepped out of the 4x200 and Carly Martin stepped in, and the foursome won in 1:40.84 — the second fastest time in the state.

Nielsen blazed to victories in the 100 (11.88 seconds) and 200 (24.75).

Cami Martin was a double winner in the long jump (17-6) and triple jump (37-7.75) as well.

Davenport also snared a second-place finish in the 200 meters and the high jump

Emily Kaylor, Kennewick: The Lions senior won the high jump title with a leap of 5 feet, 2 inches; and she placed third in the javelin.

Small-school meets

Here’s a list of athletes to keep an eye on this week in the smaller classifications:

2A BOYS: Start with Grandview’s Titus Jeffrey, who won CWAC district titles in the discus (149 feet, 1 inch) and shot put (55-3.75). … Prosser’s Titus Paeschke grabbed the district javelin crown with a toss of 168 feet, 9 inches. … Prosser’s Kai McClure took the triple jump title with a mark of 40 feet, 5.25 inches.

2A GIRLS: Othello’s Avery Douglas was a double winner in the sprints at the CWAC district meet, winning both the 100 and 200 meter titles. … Prosser’s Hannah Perkins is a district champ in the high jump. … Prosser’s relay teams in the 4x100 (Katherine Hudak, Emma Merrick, Soleil Hoefer, and Kiele McClure) and 4x200 (Hudak, Malli Rude, Jenna Tolan and Merrick) ran away with district titles.

1A BOYS: Connell, which took the SCAC district team title, could score some points in Yakima this week. The Eagles had 123 points and had four individual titles: Christian Larios in the 1600 (4:37.60); Tyler Li in the high jump (5-10); Carson Lloyd in the javelin (168-8); and the 4x100 relay team of Li, Max Andersen, Kellen Riner and Peyton Pyeatt that finished in 44.38 seconds.

Other district meet winners: Royal’s Caden Fitzhugh in the 100 meters (11.52 seconds); Jio Herrera of College Place in the 3200 (10:18.38); Royal’s Santana Luna in the triple jump (42 feet, 10 inches); Kiona-Benton’s Elijah Lyon-DeShazo in the 800 (2:03.47); College Place’s Andrei Smith in the discus (153 feet even); and Royal’s Louden Smith in the 110 high hurdles (15.99 seconds).

1A GIRLS: Two Connell girls won individual titles in the SCAC District meet last week. McKenzie Clyde won the javelin event with a toss of 88 feet, 11 inches; while Natalie Jenks finished first in the 400 meters in 1 minute, 2.96 seconds.

2B BOYS: Keep an eye out for River View senior Cody Brown, who will two individual titles in the EWAC district meet last week. Brown finished first in the shot put with a toss of 49 feet, 2 inches. He also won the discus event with a throw of 153 feet, 4 inches.

WWVA’s Tommy Anderson cleared the bar at 10 feet, 6 inches to win the boys pole vault title.

Crew Pariera of Columbia-Burbank was first in the javelin with a toss of 142 feet, 1.5 inches.

2B GIRLS: A number of talented athletes here. Start with Columbia-Burbank’s Marlee Paget, who won three events in the EWAC district meet last week: the 100 meters (13.49 seconds), the 200 (28.80) and the 300 hurdles (49.76).

WWVA’s Kienna Stepper won two events, taking the 100 high hurdles in 16.92 seconds, and the triple jump in 34 feet, 2.5 inches.

Columbia-Burbank’s Mia Leahy was a district champ in the javelin at 111 feet, 2 inches.

River View’s Aliyah Malone earned the high jump title at 5-2.

Mabton’s Ashleyn Reyna took the discus crown with a toss of 98 feet, 8 inches.

River View has two good relay teams. The Panthers’ 4x100 team (Anastasia Tyutyunnik, Malone, Victoria Sartain and Marina Jimenez) won the district title in 51.94 seconds; the 4x200 team (Sartain, Mareli Birrueta, Allison Smith and Tyutyunnik) won in 1:52.22.

1B BOYS: DeSales has a strong 4x100 relay team of Diego Caso, Caleb Bingham, Carter Green and Levi Bingham that has crossed the finish line in 46.45 seconds. That same foursome runs together in the 4x400 relay with a best time of 3:41.73.

Irish teammate Jason Guest has run the 110 high hurdles in 16.16 seconds, and triple jumped 39 feet, 4.5 inches.

Waitsburg’s Reuben Yutzy should do well at state in the shot put (a best of 45 feet, 9 inches), and the discus throw (132-1).

1B GIRLS: DeSales’ Adri Caso, Liliana Osorio-Rivas, Helen Hellberg-Wilson, Anniston Jimenez and Regina Nelson share the baton in various combinations that make them one of the best groups in all three relays: the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400.

Jimenez is also one of the state’s better 300 hurdlers.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.