Track & Field: Wolves earn eight district titles, 14 state berths

By Michael Dashiell • May 23, 2023 2:00 pm
Sequim Gazette file photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Andrew Brown competes in the high jump at the class 2A state meet in 2022. Now a sophomore, Brown earned three West Central District titles in Renton last week and looks for his first state title in Tacoma this coming weekend.
Sequim Gazette file photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Andrew Brown competes in the high jump at the class 2A state meet in 2022. Now a sophomore, Brown earned three West Central District titles in Renton last week and looks for his first state title in Tacoma this coming weekend.

A pack of Wolves earned plenty of hardware with strong finishes at the West Central District meet, and they’ll look for more at the prep finals in Tacoma this weekend.

Jolene Vaara and Andrew Brown were district champs three-times over, as Sequim earned 14 berths for the Class 2A state meet, scheduled to run in conjunction with 3A and 4A state meets from May 25-27 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Brown took home three individual titles, sweeping the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdle events and the high jump. Brown clocked in at 15.63 seconds in the 110 high hurdles on May 17, the first day of districts, edging Tenichi Gordon of North Kitsap by 0.03 of a second. He added a win in the 300 hurdles on May 20 in 41.80 seconds, edging Parker Nickerson of Port Angeles by 0.08 of a second. He also won the high jump in a personal best 6 feet, 1 inch — just ahead of Sammamish’s Jamil Thomas (6-0).

Vaara broke her own school record in the long jump with a 17-2.5 for a district championship on May 17, the third-best 2A mark in the state thus far, and added a title in the high jump three days later with a 5-2 leap — tied for second-best among 2A girls.

She added a district title in the 4×400 on Saturday, joining teammates Kaitlyn Bloomenrader, Katie Morris and Ivy Barrett with a 4:10.61 finish — nearly six seconds faster than runner-up Franklin Pierce. (SHS’s 4×400 team won last year’s state title and look to repeat on May 27.)

Vaara nearly had four district titles, as the Wolves’ 4×200 relay team (Barrett, Bloomenrader, Morris and Vaara) placed second on May 17, a half-second behind Sammamish.

Barrett and Mirek Skov also punched their state tickets in style with district titles. Barrett won the 400 in 59.50 seconds — her fastest 400 and the second-fastest 2A mark in the state. Bloomenrader took fourth in the same event, finishing in a personal-best 1:01.1, also earning a state berth.

Skov set a personal best with a 14-7 mark in the pole vault — the best 2A boys mark in the state, 1 inch better than WF West’s Lucas Hoff. Sequim teammate Brody Anderson, who placed fourth at districts with a vault of 10-6, will join Skov at the state meet.

Bloomenrader added a state berth in the 800 meters with a 2:24.45 finish and will compete in four state events (400, 800, two relays).

Also earning state berths were freshman Ahrya Klinger, who placed fifth in the pole vault (8-0), and Sean Southard, a sophomore, who was sixth in the 400 meters (52.57).

Sequim’s girls, who led the district meet in scoring after day one, finished third with 65 points behind district champ Orting (75) and Olympic (65.33).

Sequim’s boys racked up 48 team points to place sixth, with Olympic League rival North Kitsap taking the district team title (86) and Bremerton second (68).

At districts’ Sequim’s Barrett set a personal best in the 200 meters,placing ninth in 27.10 seconds and missing anther state berth by 0.36 of a second.

Dawn Hulstedt was ninth in the 1600-meter race, finishing in 5:54, and Laila Sundin was ninth in the pole vault at 7-6, a personal best.

Ayden Humprhies was 12th in the long jump (19-2). Liberty Mavy was 14th in the 3200 meters (13:43) while Morris placed 16th in the 100 in 13.74 seconds, a personal record. Skov was 16th in the discus (102-6).