Track & Field: Pyeatt, pack of Wolves advance to state

With one of her most loyal fans on her mind, Sequim’s Riley Pyeatt was off to the races. And each time, there was no one ahead of her.

Pyeatt scored three individual wins and helped the Wolves’ 4×400 relay earn another first place, helping Sequim’s girls earn second place at the 2A West Central District meet and lead a host of locals in earning berths in this week’s 2A state final.

Sequim’s combined boys and girls squads racked up six district titles and 16 top-six placings overall, earning berths at the state 2A/3A/4A tournament held at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma May 26-28.

Pyeatt ran an exhaustive schedule of races and picked up wins in the 400 (59.13), 800 (2:17.82) and 1,600 (5:17.94).

With “For Tim” scrawled on her back, she dedicated her races at last week’s district meet to her grandfather, who recently passed away.

“He loved track … definitely a big supporter of me,” Pyeatt said, following the district’s first day of events at North Mason High School in Belfair on May 20.

“All of this today and tomorrow [is] for him.”

While some of Sequim’s results were expected, several others were pleasant surprises, coaches noted — most notably, senior Rileigh Van Dyken’s district title in the pole vault.

Sequim High senior Rileigh Van Dyken clears 8 feet 9 inches to win the West Central District 2A pole vault title — an improvement on her personal best by more than a foot. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Sequim High senior Rileigh Van Dyken clears 8 feet 9 inches to win the West Central District 2A pole vault title — an improvement on her personal best by more than a foot. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Van Dyken’s previous best mark was 7 feet 6 inches, achieved once in her junior year and three times this season.

A technical change made just a week ago helped Van Dyken clear 8 feet 9 inches — a personal best by more than a foot — to top the district field by 15 inches.

Sequim coach Brad Moore said he saw Van Dyken was coming up short, so an adjustment to keep her center of gravity low and pinning her leg back helped add significant elevation; hence, the improvement.

“We had just enough time to integrate it [before district]; I still have to remind her,” Moore said.

“I think there’s definitely more [height] there,” Moore said of Van Dyken’s potential.

Also earning district titles were Adrian Brown in the 110 high hurdles (15.67 seconds, a personal best), Jolene Vaara in the high jump (5-0) and Sequim’s 4×400 relay team (Pyeatt, Kaitlyn Bloomenrader, Eve Mavy, Hi’ilei Robinson; 4:04.70).

Brown also took second in the 300 hurdles (40.67, another personal best), while his brother Andrew, a freshman, broke his own freshman record in the high jump (5-10) to place second and earned a state bid in the 110 hurdles (16.96), placing fifth.

Sequim’s Adrian Brown, center, and Andrew Brown, left, race to first and fifth place finishes in the 110 high hurdles at the West Central District 2A meet in Belfair on May 20. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Sequim’s Adrian Brown, center, and Andrew Brown, left, race to first and fifth place finishes in the 110 high hurdles at the West Central District 2A meet in Belfair on May 20. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

Their efforts helped Sequim’s boys place sixth overall in the district team scoring.

Also earning state berths for the Wolves were Bloomenrader and Mavy in the 800 (2:24.33 and 2:25.40, fourth and sixth), Mavy in the 1,600 (5:22.22, fifth), Robinson in the 100 (12.99, fourth), Mirek Skov in the pole vault (11-0, fourth), and Sequim’s girls 4×200 team (Bloomenrader, Mavy, Katie Morris, Anastasia Updike), who took third in 1:50.07.

SHS senior Henry Hughes missed a state berth by one place — and 0.03 of a second — in the 400 meters after running a personal best 52.62 in the event.

Check out state track and field live results, heat sheets and more at wiaa.com/subcontent.aspx?SecID=322.

Sequim’s boys took the 2A state title in 2019 — the only boys team state championship in school history — before the COVID pandemic canceled the 2020 season. Teams held regional finals in 2021.