First look at the top boys competitors in field events in the 2023 track and field season.
A new era begins this year as we welcome field events.
It's been a long time coming from the day The Runner WA started, but the 2023 season will now have a focus on jumps and throws coverage, completing the whole line up of events and athletes to keep an eye out on this spring.
Here's a look at the top boys competitors in field events to watch for this season.
Tawaf Aboudou, Garfield
One of the top underclassmen jumpers in the state continues to make a name for himself in Garfield's Tawaf Aboudou. Last spring, Aboudou hit a mark of 22 feet, 4.5 inches in the long jump to rank him 16th in the state and first for all sophomores. He finished 14th in the event at the 3A state meet on a day where the weather wasn't kind to any field competitor. During the summer, Aboudou redeemed his poor state performance and had a better outing on the national stage at the USATF National Junior Olympics. He earned all-American honors in long jump, placing fifth overall, then earned a runner-up medal in the triple jump with a personal best jump of 45-06.75. Indoor has been a good start to his junior season as he's already cleared 21-07.5 in long jump and 44-03.5 in triple jump.
Roman Hutchinson, Federal Way
Between triple and long jump, there's no question Federal Way's Roman Hutchinson is the best all-around athlete in those events. As a junior, Hutchinson jumped personal best marks of 23-05 and 45-09.5 en route to qualifying for the 4A state meet in both events where he finished fourth overall in both. During the summer, Hutchinson also qualified for the USATF National Junior Olympics in both events and earned all-American honors, finishing sixth in long jump and fourth in triple jump. Heading into his senior season, Hutchinson is already off to a great start during indoor. He's matched his personal best in the long jump and has exceeded his previous best in triple jump going 46-01.5.
Titus Morris, Curtis
The potential had always been there for Titus Morris - it just took longer than others. After starting the year with inconsistent marks in long jump, the Curtis standout found his groove halfway through the season at the Shoreline Invite and exploded from there. He went from jumping 20-09 in the first meet of the year to jumping 23-03.25 at his district meet before going on to win the 4A state title the following week. His success continued in long jump through the summer as he earned all-American honors at Nike Outdoor Nationals, placing eighth, and won the USATF Pacific Northwest Junior Olympic championship. Entering his final year of high school competition, Morris opened with a mark of 22-08.75 this indoor season.
Brayden Platt, Yelm
When it mattered most, Brayden Platt delivered in enormous ways. The state's top returning thrower brings in high expectations for various events after a sophomore season unlike any other. The Yelm star took home three state medals from his first 3A state championship meet, highlighted by a shot put state title as he threw a personal best mark of 61-06. He then added two runner-up finishes in the discus and javelin to complete a busy state meet. Platt continued to compete in the summer at Nike Outdoor Nationals, finishing the year with a pair of all-American finishes in both the shot put and javelin. He finished second in javelin with a personal best throw of 214-00.5 and seventh in shot put. Platt opened his junior year with just one outing at the Washington High School Invitational where he won shot put with a mark of 60-09.25 and finished third in weight throw with a mark of 53-10.5.
Kade Smith, Chiawana
No one could have predicted what Kade Smith was able to do in his first season of competing in triple jump. Given his experience though, he had a pretty good first year that resulted in an unlikely finish. Throughout the season last spring, Smith had consistently hit marks between 40 and 43 feet to put himself among top five jumpers in the state, but it wasn't until postseason where he really began to shine. At districts, he jumped a mark of 44-08.5 to win the district title, almost a foot and a half improvement. The following week in Tacoma, Smith then jumped even further to win the 4A state title in a mark of 46-00.
Others to watch:
Tyler Bates, Aberdeen
- Threw personal best marks of 170-00 in hammer, 162-05 in discus and 47-11 in shot put. Placed first in discus and ninth in shot put at 2A state.
Azad Khan, Mercer Island
- Jumped personal best marks of 43-07.25 in triple jump and 21-02.5 in long jump. Place fifth in triple jump and 19th in long jump at 3A state.
Rodney Minette, Central Valley
- Threw a personal best mark of 54-08.5 in shot put. Placed third in shot put at 4A state.
Gage Pedro, Timberline
- Jumped a personal best mark of 44-01 in triple jump and threw 48-00 in shot put. Placed sixth in shot put and seventh in triple jump at 3A state.
Troy Petz, Lynden
- Jumped a personal best mark of 22-02 in long jump. Placed first in long jump at 2A state.
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