Thanks to Mother Nature, it was a tale of two days at the West Central District Track and Field Meets at Mount Tahoma High School Friday and Saturday.
The two-day meet started out under beautiful, sunny 70-degree weather Friday, which produced impressive preliminary times, jumps and throws. But it was pretty much back to this spring’s norm of rain and cold Saturday when a bulk of the berths to the state meet were on the line.
The Federal Way School District had an impressive number of athletes overcome Mother Nature’s challenges to qualify for next weekend’s Class 3A and 4A state meets, which will also be held at Mount Tahoma Friday and Saturday.
None were more impressive than Thomas Jefferson senior Kayla Adams. The University of North Carolina-bound thrower swept the shot put and discus at the district meet. Adams outdistanced Bethel’s Bev Coleman by two and a half inches in the shot put with a throw of 45-3 1/2 and easily won the discus with a toss of 137-1. Adams won the Class 4A shot put two years ago as a sophomore.
Adams was joined on the top step of the podium by teammates Lindsey Dahl and Montana Pellegrini. Dahl won the javelin with a personal-best throw of 134-11 and will also compete at the state meet in the triple jump (seventh place, 34-11), 300-meter hurdles (seventh, 49.40) and long jump (ninth, 16-5). Pellegrini won the pole vault with a school-record leap of 11-0.
Federal Way High School snagged a pair of district titles and finished in a tie for third in the team standings.
Sophomore Majerae Gates won the 100 meters in a blazing time of 12.21 and senior Jasmine Johnson won the 800 meters in 2:14.74. Gates finished second at last year’s state meet in the 100.
Much like Dahl, Federal Way’s Jaleecia Roland also had an impressive all-around performance at the West Central District Meet. Roland, who will also compete on the Husky track team in the fall, finished second in the triple jump (36-10), third in the 100 hurdles (15.82) and fourth in the high jump (5-2).
On the boys’ side, Federal Way’s Meron Simon continued his strong season by topping the impressive field in the 3,200. The University of Washington-bound senior outkicked Olympia’s Nate Brennand to win in a time of 9:18.07. Simon will also run the 1,600 at state after finishing sixth in 4:21.22.
Other district state qualifiers:
• Decatur High School junior Drew Thompson will participate in a pair of events during the 2011 Class 3A State Track and Field Meet at Mount Tahoma after finishing in the top five Saturday.
Thompson finished an impressive second in both the high jump and 110-meter hurdles in the 3A meet. Thompson ran a time of 15.59 in the hurdles and cleared 6-4 in the high jump.
• Thomas Jefferson senior Aaron Jeong will run in the 100 meters at state after finishing third Saturday in a time of 11.07.
• Jefferson senior Chase Braxmeyer qualified in the 1,600 meters after finishing fourth in 4:19.27.
• Todd Beamer junior Austin Hitchcock finished in third place in the 300 hurdles Saturday. Hitchcock ran a time of 40.45 in the finals after clocking a 39.81 in the preliminary round. Hitchcock finished 14th in the 110 hurdles (16.33).
• Beamer freshman Alanna Vann will run in a pair of events at the state meet. Vann finished fifth in the 100 meters (12.60) and sixth in the 200 (26.35).
• Federal Way sophomore Albert Havili ended up second in the discus with a throw of 152-6.
• Beamer freshmen Miranda Vaara and Marinah Bentley both will jump at state. Vaara finished fifth in the high jump with a leap of 5-1 and Bentley was fifth in the triple jump (35-4 3/4).
• The Beamer 4×100 relay team of Vann, TreAnna Culp, Keturah Saddler and Sydney Rogalia finished sixth in 49.92.
• A pair of Decatur pole vaulters will participate in the state meet. Sophomore Sydnee Patin and freshman Anna Paradee both cleared 9-0 at the district meet, but Patin snagged fourth place and Paradee was fifth because of a few misses during competition.
• Federal Way’s Ta’Mara Richey was seventh in the girls long jump (16-10 1/4).
• The Gator 4×100 relay team of Leah Johnson, Desi Kamm, Paradee and Sierra Shugarts grabbed the fifth and final state berth at districts. The foursome ran a time of 50.93.
• The Federal Way girls 4×100 relay team of Bianca Arizpe, Roland, Richey and Gates was fourth overall in 49.55 and the 4×400 relay team of Khiana Duncan, Arizpe, Richey and Johnson finished eighth in 4:09.34.
• Decatur junior Tori Zellerhoff was fourth in the 3,200 meters in a time of 11:28.40.
• Gator senior Brandon Siliga ended up in fourth place in the shot put with a throw of 50-7 3/4.
• Federal Way’s Terrance Chambers finished fourth in the 200 (22.41).
• Federal Way’s Patrick Crews will run the 800 at state after finishing sixth (1:57.69).
• The Eagles’ boys 4×100 relay team of Jeremiah McNeal, DJ May, Kerson Lubin and Michael Tate finished sixth (43.09), and the 4×400 relay team of May, Crews, Simon and Tate snagged fourth (3:25.35).
• May finished sixth in the long jump with a leap of 21-9.
