Birade, Andrews, Munson all capture individual state titles
TACOMA - Complete domination. It's really the only way you can describe how the weekend went for the Sehome boys at the 2022 4A/3A/2A State Track and Field Championships.
Led by senior Carter Birade, and juniors Jake Andrews and Zack Munson, the Mariners combined to score 88 points to win the 2A boys team title by 37 points over Aberdeen on the final day of competition on Saturday at Mt. Tahoma High School.
Between the three boys, they combined for nine podium finishes and five individual state titles. Andrews had the most state titles of the three with two, winning the 200- and 400-meter races.
"It's been amazing," Andrew said. "Not having state for the first three years of my high school career, this means a lot having to show everyone what I've been working on."
Andrews won the 400 title first in a time of 48.05 seconds, beating out Selah's Shaun Salveson (49.34) for his first win. He then ran a 2A meet record time of 21.55 in the 200 final outkicking Rochester's Talon Betts (22.19).
Birade ran a personal best effort to win the 100 in a time of 10.50 earlier in the day, edging out teammate Andrews (10.56) to claim his lone individual title. Birade also took second in the 110 hurdles final (14.28) on Friday behind club teammate and school rival Andre Korbmacher of Squalicum.
Both Birade and Andrews were also key members to the Mariners' 4x400 state champion team that ran 3:21.76 to beat Squalicum by .02 hundredths, and then were on the second place 4x100 team, which ran 43.18.
"We've been telling each other the whole season we just got to come out here and do our best," Birade said. "A lot of us train together outside of this so it's just fun for all of us. We come from Whatcom County to here, and it's pretty much the same guys and it's a lot of friendly competition."
Munson captured his first state title in the 3,200, running away from the field in a time of 9:12.61. Columbia River's Daniel Barna was second to him in a personal best time of 9:17.43.
"Coming back after not being around for the cross season and being able to share this experience with a bunch of talented athletes is huge," Munson said. "When a bunch of really dedicated athletes are in one environment and putting the hard work in to a common goal is something really special."
Between the three, Munson and Andrews will be the ones returning next year in hopes of leading a repeat. Birade graduates this June and is set to sprint and hurdle for Cal St. Fullerton next school year.
Korbmacher came away with the upset of the meet in the boys 300 hurdles final, taking down top ranked Lyricc Lopez of Foster at the line, running a personal best and meet record time of 36.30. Lopez ran 36.33 tumbling into second.
Bellingham's Will Giesen pulled off an incredible feat as well in the 800 final, diving past heavy favorite Selah's Cooper Quigley right at the line to come away with the win in a personal best time of 1:54.11. Quigley's second place effort was run in 1:54.21 - a personal best as well for him.
Seattle Prep's Floyd Completes Sprint Trifecta
The sprint triple crown was there for Will Floyd's taking, and the Seattle Prep junior didn't fall short of completing this rare feat.
Floyd put together one of the greatest meet performances in recent state history, coming away with three 3A state titles in the 100, 200, 400 races, becoming the first 3A athlete to do so since Rainier Beach's Attrail Snipes at the 2006 meet.
Months before entering his second year of track after winning an indoor national title in the 400 back in March, Floyd set the bar high for himself heading into the outdoor season with intentions of running faster times than he did as a sophomore for Seattle Prep.
"Last year was my first year of high school track so I wasn't expecting much coming into the season," Floyd said. "In the winter, obviously indoor nationals was awesome, and I think that kind of just gave me the hunger to come out here and do my best this high school season."
Floyd ranked top three in the entire state all season long in each sprinting event. Outside all classifications combined, he was way ahead of his competition at the 3A level, putting him prime position to contend for the sprint triple crown.
It took a personal best effort to win his first race of the day in the 100, clocking 10.52 to beat Eastside Catholic's Dylan Davis (10.66). Then he ran the 400 and dominated it from start to finish, winning by almost three seconds in a time of 47.13 over Capital's Sean Jackson (50.01).
His race of the meet came down to the 200 final to complete the trifecta.
Winding down the bend, Floyd was well out front on the homestretch, driving hard down the final 100 with a five-meter gap on his competition as he leaned at the tape to come away with his third win.
Why was this race so important, you ask? The all-time state 200 record was set by Ellensburg's Ja'Warren Hooker from 1997 in a time of 22.02. Floyd ran 22.01.
"It's kind of a surreal feeling," Floyd said. "Obviously it's my first state experience with a lot of people here and I'm a little tired, but last race of the season I put everything out there."
Bishop Blanchet's Will Schneider and Vince Recupero went first and second in the 3,200 final, led by Schneider taking the win in a time of 9:00.36, just a second off his personal best. Recupero was also off a second from personal best time, running 9:01.97.
Walla Walla's Brody Hartley finished in third, running a personal best 9:02.16. Behind his three races and three podium finishes in the three-day meet, Hartley helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back state team titles as they scored 66 points to beat our Arlington by nine.
Arlington's Aiden Emerson came up big in the 800 final after finishing in second in the 1,600 on Thursday, running a time of 1:52.78. Hartley was second in a personal best 1:54.28.
Emerson's teammate and future Washington State teammate Parker Duskin also picked up a state title win in the 300 hurdles final, running a personal best time of 38.61 to Lincoln's (Tacoma) Jonathan Frazier (40.01).
Olympia's Coleman Goes Out a Champ, Breaks Chris Lewis's 3,200 Meet Record
Former Mead star Chris Lewis's state meet record in the 3,200 made it feel like no one could ever touch his time again when he 8:50.65 at the 1989 4A state meet. Ethan Coleman showed otherwise.
Two days after winning the 1,600 state title on Thursday, Coleman hit the track one last time in an Olympia uniform to run the 3,200 as he came out of the race with another state title after running 8:49.00 to set a new 4A meet record. It was one of the best solo efforts since former Lincoln (Tacoma) star James Mwaura ran 8:46.87 back in 2018 in the 3A meet.
The Notre Dame signee defeated Kamiakin's Isaac Teeples for the second time this week, winning by over 16 seconds in a race that was his from the start.
Teeples capped off his high school career with three second place performances in the three day meet, including this 3,200 in 9:05.22, and then a gutsy 800 race earlier in the day on Saturday, running a personal best 1:52.74.
Coleman's teammate Connor Johnson pulled off a miraculous win in the 400 final, taking down top ranked Trayce Hanks out of Lake Stevens in a race that went down to the thousandths to determine the winner. Johnson came out on the upper hand running 48.831, and Hanks ran 48.835.
Tahoma's Ryan Lewis pulled off his biggest win ever in his three-year high school career in the 800 final, putting together a personal best effort of 1:52.27 - a two second drop from his previous personal best effort in Friday's prelims.
Federal Way's Isaiah Davis ran a season best effort to win the 100 final in a time of 10.81 over Union's Tobias Merriweather (10.94). Merriweather got Davis back in the 200 final later on in the day, running a personal best 21.80. Davis took second in a time of 22.06.
Puyallup's Maurice Woodring won the 300 hurdles final in a personal best effort time of 38.73. Kentridge's Alex Conner was second in a time of 39.19, which was also a personal best time.
Klahowya's Gagnon Runs Away with Distance Triple Crown at Small School Meet
After winning the 1,600 on Thursday, Klahowya's Kelton Gagnon won the 1A 800 and 1,600 finals to complete full week of racing at Roos Field on the campus of Eastern Washington University in Cheney at the 1A/2B/1B state championships.
Gagnon began Saturday morning off in the 800 final, running a state meet record time of 1:52.78 to win the first race of the day defeating Lynden Christian's Andrew Luce (1:55.22). Later on, the Weber State commit finished the day winning the 3,200 final in a time of 9:29.43 over La Center's Joseph Blanshan (9:38.25).
Seattle Academy's Reggie Witherspoon III won both the 100 and 200 finals. He beat Coville's Allan McKeraghan (11.14) in the 100, running 11.02, and then beat Hoquiam's Giovanni Foster (22.39) in the 200, running 22.38. Life Christian's Dominique Valrey won the 400 final in a personal best time of 50.52 over Zillah's Carson Favilla's personal best time of 51.72.
Quincy's Jalen Spence took home the 300-hurdle title, winning his final in a personal best 40.24 to Freeman's Daniel Watts personal best time of 40.28. Meridian's Jordan Hallmark won the 110-hurdle final in 15.91. Spence was second at 16.20.
Ocosta brothers Matthew Idso and William Idso won state titles of their own to highlight the 2B meet. Matthew won the 400 final in a time of 51.17, passing by Ilwaco's Ayden Woodby (51.80). Williams took the 100 final in 11.50, defeating Onalaska's Kole Taylor (11.65).
Napavine's Lucas Dahl won the 200 final easily over Ocosta's William Idso (23.02), running a time of 22.29.
After false starting in the 110-hurdle final, La Conner's Tommy Murdock bounced back in the 300-hurdle final, running 40.76 to beat Davenport's Evan Gunning (41.96). Chief Leschi's Moses Moody ran a personal best 15.84 to win the 110-hurdle final. Raymond's Morgan Anderson was second in 15.88.
Goldendale's Alden Williams won the 800 final in a personal best time of 2:00.21, passing by Davenport's Jarger Jacobsen, who also ran a personal best time of 2:01.35. Northwest Christian's (Lacey) Asher Ingrem held off Chewelah's Cole Foster by two seconds (9:52.76) to win the 3,200 final in a personal best time of 9:50.37.
Crosspoint's Zach Lamkin won both the 100 and 200 finals over Mt. Vernon Christian's Owen Heinze in the 1B state meet, as Lamkin ran 11.37 and 23.14. Heinze's second place efforts were done in 11.61 and 23.28.
Evergreen's Sam Plocher was also a double state champion in the hurdle races, running 15.90 in the 110 final and 41.84 in the 300 final. Pe Ell's Carter Phelps was second in the 110 final (16.62), while Wellpinit's Colin Hughes was second in the 300 final (42.48)
Grace Academy rounded out the sprint finals, winning the 400 in a time of 51.97. Heinze was also second in this event, running a personal best time of 52.65.
Lopez's Ethan Patrick took home the 800 title in a personal best time of 2:02.94, defeating Pope John Paul II's Trevor Dugo personal best time of 2:03.58. Dugo picked up a win in the 3,200 final, running a personal best 10:22.84 to win by six seconds over Mt. Vernon Christian's Alexander Hoksbergen (10:28.69).
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