Big efforts at the 2022 Shoreline Invite include meet record performances across numerous events
SHORELINE - When Shorecrest's Amado Toyo raced for the first time at the Shoreline Invite in 2019, he truly got an understanding of what it was like to perform at your best at this meet.
"I remember my freshman year I was watching everybody because I was in the first and second heat," Toyo said. "I was seeing others running low 39s and I was like, 'I think I can do that'."
Three years had now passed since he last raced at the Shoreline Invite, and Toyo finally got to race again at his home invite this past Saturday. All the waiting was certainly worthwhile taking home the individual crown in the boys 300-meter hurdles running a personal best time of 38.70 seconds.
"This just shows what I can do going forward," Toyo said. "The last three weeks I have been stuck at that 39 and been trying to break in the 38s, but it feels pretty good now."
From start to finish, Toyo was well out of blocks and wasn't even close. The senior finished nearly three seconds ahead of the competition despite tripping up on his second hurdle and still came away with a lifetime best. He now ranks second in the state this season behind Foster's Lyricc Lopez.
"My coaches are happy, and my parents are happy," Toyo said. "I'm especially happy because I'm excited moving forward. We got WESCOs in two weeks, and then districts and state. Excited to see when I go there."
As the postseason arrives here in the next few weeks, Toyo thinks there is still more to be done, and he expects himself to go further than what he already has accomplished going forward. He currently ranks first in 3A for the event, but second through fourth athletes are within a second of him.
"I don't feel satisfied yet," Toyo said. "Till I run at Tacoma and show what I can do there, I think I can leave my mark there as well as here because this is a special meet to me."
The boys 400 highlighted the meet with three record breaking runs set by three of the top 400 runners in the state. Foster's Lopez led the way with a personal best run of 46.65 to take the title, followed by Seattle Prep's Will Floyd (47.22) and Sehome's Jake Andrews (47.37) also running personal best efforts. Between the three, they now rank top 30 in the nation led by Lopez at third.
Floyd also won the 100 and 200 titles to go along with his personal best 400 run as he ran 10.87 in his first race of the day, followed by a personal best 21.38 in the 200 to conclude his meet.
"I definitely felt great," Floyd said. "I was happy to get first, and in the 400 I definitely liked having Lyricc and Jake out there for the kick especially since my first 200 wasn't what I wanted, but I'll definitely take my time for sure."
Both Lopez and Andrews were second to Floyd in the 100 and 200 races as Andrews was second in the 100 running 10.91 and Lopez ran a personal best 21.51 placing second in the 200.
For the second weekend in a row, Bear Creek's Braelyn Baker and Bellevue's Alex Buck battled it out in the sprints. This time in the girls 200, Baker took the win in a new personal best effort of 24.71 to edge out Buck at the line.
"There was a lot of anticipation for it," Baker said. "In this one, I was just trying to stay focus and not really think about the conversation about who's next to me but try to get to what my goals are for my race. I knew if I reached my goal, there would be a good chance of me getting in the top three."
Two of the state's premiere girl's sprinters have had quite the season as sophomores as they both rank first and second in the state in the 100 and 200. Baker has run 11.87 in the 100 to Buck's 11.91, which were both personal best efforts when they raced each other at the Eason Invite last weekend. Now they have run 24.71 and 24.73 to go along with their already impressive season
"I was really excited to run with her," Baker said. "Last time I did, I got a great PR. I think competition is really important especially in running events."
Buck ran the 100 early on in the day taking the win in 12.17 over Shorewood's Gilana Wollman (12.39).
Sehome had a trio of winners on both boys and girl's side. Carter Birade kicked things off in the boys 110 hurdles running 14.60 to take the win over Shorecrest's Toyo (14.82), and Zack Munson won the boys 3,200 running 9:06.80 as he outkicked Bishop Blanchet's Will Schneider (9:08.93).
Jayda Darroch won the girls 400 in a 57.68 effort and pulled two Garfield girls under 60 seconds to finish second and third in Lucy Richardson (57.96) and Takiyah Blue (58.89).
In other distance events, Newport's (Bellevue) Sam Jacobsen led multiple PR efforts in the boys 1,600, taking the win in a time of 4:11.13. Bishop Blanchet freshman phenom Vincent Recupero was second in 4:11.80, followed by Sehome's Munson in third at 4:11.88. Nine runners in total ran 4:20 or faster.
Eisenhower's Isabela Alvarado led 10 girls to run under 5:10 en route to winning the 1,600 title in a personal best 4:59.03 in a comeback effort.
"I was little scared at the beginning because I got boxed in for a second, but I just kept my eye on who was leading," said Alvarado. "I felt pretty good though and I've been trying to do the same race plan every time. Looking at my competition I was a little bit nervous, but it was good."
Skyline's Anna Callahan took second in 5:01.62, and Lewis and Clark's Audrey Thronson was third in 5:03.21.
Alvarado's teammate Kara Mickelson won the girls 800 title in another comeback effort outkicking Lake Washington's Alexa Matora (2:16.20) to run 2:14.30 - just a second off her personal best. Stanwood's Leia Jones was third in a personal best 2:16.60.
Bishop Blanchet's Lily LaPorte won the girls 3,200 in a personal best 10:43.29. Skyline's Rebecca O'Keefe was second in 10:53.18, and Eastlake's Jane Roos finished in third running 10:55.91.
Eastlake's Connor Hom held off Lakes' William Ryan IV (1:58.66) in the boys 800 running 1:57.30 for the win. Curtis' Lalik Buggs ran 1:58.81 in heat three to place third overall in the field.
Enumclaw's Ellie DeGroot won both the girls 100 and 300 hurdle races running 15.86 and 46.30, moving her combined win total between the two to nine this season. Curtis' Abigail Klein was second in both of the events running 16.06 and 48.20.
For more results from this invite, click here.
To see more photos, click here.
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