A look back at invite highlights of the weekend of March 26, 2022, in high school track.
If you watched or paid any attention to the winter indoor season, you noticed Arlington's Aiden Emerson was putting up some really good numbers, especially in the mile.
Well, as the old saying goes, "Hard work pays off."
Emerson's fast start to his senior season has been a testament to what he has done over the last few months for training, and it proved to be in his favor once again at the CV Invite over the weekend at Central Valley High School in Spokane.
The Arlington senior dominated the boy's field in the 1,600, running an impressive solo effort of 4:11.84 to win by 17 seconds over second place finisher Lewis and Clark's Evan Bruce, who ran a personal best 4:28.18.
A few hours later, Emerson hit the track again to run in the 800 where he won his third consecutive race of the season in the event running 1:57 to beat out teammate Kellon Langford's personal best time of 1:59.57.
Arlington also got two wins from hurdler Parker Duskin as he won both the boy's 110 and 300 hurdles in 15.23 and 41.12.
Lewis and Clark's Noah Barbery blazed the track with his speed coming away with new personal best marks in the boy's 100 and 200 as he ran 10.80 and 21.77. Both times rank second in the entire state.
Gonzaga Prep's Caleb Richardson ran a 28 second PR to win the boy's 3,200 in a new lifetime best 9:23.53.
On the girl's side, Central Valley's Cassidy Haddad picked up two wins in the 100 and 300 hurdles, running a personal best 16.00 and a season best 47.83. Teammate Hailey Patterson also won two events in the 100 and 200, running personal best times of 12.93 and 27.09.
Lewis and Clark's Alice Groza won the girl's 1,600 in a personal best 5:13.03. Central Valley's Nicole Bissell was second, also running a personal best 5:17.38.
Kent-Meridian Invite
Stadium's Alfonso twins ran lifetime bests at the Kent-Meridian Invite in close battles in their respective races.
Jacob took the boy's 1,600 title running 4:17.96 to edge out Central Kitsap's Blake Reynolds time of 4:17.98, arguably the race of the day. Luke was third in that race running 4:22.88. Then a few hours later, Luke won the 800 outkicking brother Jacob in 1:58.95. Jacob's second place time was 1:59.06.
Lake Washington's Cooper Smith continued to bring his 300 hurdles time down for the third straight meet, winning the boy's race in a personal best time of 41.46.
Freshman distance runners on the girl's side were the stars of the meet as they came away with personal best times in their events.
In the 1,600, five of the six runners went under the 5:20 barrier were freshmen, led by Auburn Riverside's Julia Couch winning time of 5:16.03. Other freshmen standouts included Eastlake's Sally Roos (2nd, 5:16.50) and Fiona Wolf (6th, 5:19.79), Stadium's Katelyn Galloway (2nd, 5:16.50), and Central Kitsap's Taylor Palmer (4th, 5:18.84).
Eastlake's Jane Roos won the 3,200 in 11:06.10, and then Lake Washington’s Alexa Matora ran 2:19.18 to win the 800 to round out the top freshmen performances.
Eastlake's Ava Hagwell won both the 200 and 400 in 26.09 and 59.30. She also ran a 57.4 anchor leg for the Wolves 4x400 relay team that took first.
Ray Cross Invite
Richland's Hannah Chang continues to impress in hurdles in the early portion of the season, coming away with two more wins in the 100 and 300 at the Ray Cross Invite at Ephrata High School.
Chang started off in the 100 hurdles, running a personal best 15.42 to win by almost two seconds. Then in the 300 hurdles, she ran another personal best 48.44 to edge out Odessa's Hayden Schuh.
Chang's teammate Alyssa Marsh picked up two wins of her own in the 100 and 200, running a personal best 12.91 and a season best 27.09. Hailey Summers also won a race for Richland in the 400, running 59.99.
On the distance side, two events were won in personal best efforts by Cascade's (Leavenworth) Lauren Muscott in the 800, running 2:17.75, and then by Ellensburg's Kate Laurent in the 1,600, running 5:10.16.
Myles Newshouse of Sunnyside made his 800 debut, winning the boy's race in 2:00.02.
Tiger Invite
Camas' Madison Hubbard ran a state best in the girl's 100 at the Tiger Invite at Battle Ground High School, running a personal best 12.09. She also ran a personal best in the 200 later on in the day clocking 25.99 to place second in the event.
The girl's 400 came down to the finish between two sophomores in La Center's Shaela Bradley and Washougal's Jamie Maas as Bradley took the win in a personal best time of 58.66. Maas also ran a personal best time of 59.40.
Reigning 1A state cross country champion and Seton Catholic's own Alexis Leone ran an impressive solo effort in the girl's 1,600, running a lifetime best of 5:09.84. Second place finisher Elle Thomas of Washougal ran 5:17.20. Thomas then won the 3,200 in 11:25.31.
Prairie's Kara Mattson blew the hurdle field away in the 100 hurdles, racing to 15.82 to win her sixth individual event in two meets this season.
Other Highlights
Emerald Ridge's freshman phenom JaiCieonna Gero-Holt won three events at the South Sound Running's Frosh/Soph Invite at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, including a season best in the 100 hurdles and a state leading time of 15.04. She also won the 200 in a personal best 26.25 and the javelin in a personal best throw of 124-05.
Selah's 4x800 relay team shined at the Ramos Relays at the Linda Smith in Selah, breaking its school record in the event running 8:19.81. The team comprised of Sam Anderson, Eric Swedin, Jonathan Orozco, and University of Arizona signee Cooper Quigley. Quigley ran an anchor leg time of 1:54. The same group won the DMR in 11:27.37.
Curtis' Eliza White won the girl's mile at the Curtis Viking Relay Championships at Curtis High School, outkicking South Kitsap's Lauren Laws to run a personal best 5:14.64. Laws ran 5:16.19. Peninsula's Hannah Lee was third in a personal best time of 5:17.55.
(K-M Invite)
Alexa Matora is from Lake Washington, not Lakeside. She is the daughter of L.W.'s Co-Head Coach Lyuda Vasilyeva.