26 East Jefferson track and field athletes qualify for Districts

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The East Jefferson Rivals track and field teams brought their “A” game at Vashon Island High School over the weekend, with 26 Rivals athletes qualifying for the upcoming district championships.

While the meet wasn’t scored, the preliminary round whittled down the competition from 24 athletes to eight in anticipation for Districts on Saturday, May 19 in Renton.

Numerous Rivals athletes stepped up to produce a bunch of best-ever performances — 23 total on the day for the teams — with the warm, dry weather helping out.

Team highlights included Kaylen Pray finishing second in the girls 100-meter, with all top five runners within 0.1 seconds of each other. Pray’s 12.95 mark put her at less than 0.01 away from the top spot.

Her 12.95 mark also puts Pray at the fastest 100-meter mark of any Port Townsend or Chimacum high school athlete in the last decade, according to coaches.

Aliyah Yearian dominated in the girls distance events, snagging the gold in the 800-meter, 1600-meter, and 3200-meter races.

On the javelin, Ellise Gardner (111-3) and Reid Martin (151-2) won the girls and boys javelin competitions at the meet, respectively, with both throwing 10-plus feet farther than their closest competitors.

Henri Huber earned three personal-best marks in the 800-meter, 1600-meter, and triple jump. Huber’s triple jump result (35-5) and 3-foot improvement earned him a qualification for the district championship.

Freshman Leah Ferland went into the girls 3200-meter run seeded in ninth, but ran a race that was both savvy and determined. She started back in the pack, but steadily picked off the runners ahead of her as they began to suffer in the 80-degree heat.

In the end, Ferland recorded a 40-second personal best in the event (13:38.73), to place fifth and qualify for Districts.

Later in the day, she came back to also run a personal best in the 1600-meter race, finishing 11th.

Austen Hammer, continuing to come back from a strained hamstring in late April, added nearly a foot to his personal best in the shot put (33-6.75) to move from 11th seed to a qualifying eighth-place finish. He also took 0.3 seconds off his seasonal best and 0.1 seconds off his lifetime best in the 100-meter race.

The Rivals girls distance team generally dominated the competition, with EJ athletes making up half of the field for the district championship races.

The full list of Rivals athletes to qualify for Districts include: Addy Asbell (shot put, 4x200 relay, 4x100m relay alternate); Adelynn Johnson (discus); Aliyah Yearian (800-meter, 1600-meter, 3200-meter, 4x400 relay); Audrey Matthes (4x100 relay, 4x200 relay); Camryn Hines (800-meter, 1600-meter, 4x400 relay); Ellise Gardner (javelin); Fiona Fraser (1600-meter, 3200-meter, 4x400 relay); Hilina Taylor-Lenz (1600-meter, 4x200 relay, 4x400 relay alternate); Kaylen Pray (100-meter, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay); and Leah Ferland (3200-meter).

Also qualifying: Sienna Emerson (javelin, 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay); Stephanie Sanchez (100-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay); Sylvia Butterfield (3200-meter); Austen Hammer (shot put, 4x100 relay); Connor Paterson (triple jump, long jump, 4x100 relay alternate, 4x400 relay alternate); Dillon Page Castillo (4x400 relay); Gary Zambor (4x100 relay); Henri Huber (triple jump, 4x400 relay alternate); Indigo Gould (high jump); Jasper Dances (4x100 relay); Manaseh Lanphear Ramirez (100-meter, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay, long jump - berth declined); Reid Martin (javelin); Sebastian Manza (1600-meter, 3200-meter, 4x400 relay); Soare Johnston (3200-meter); Tanner Haddenham (300-meter hurdles); and Toby Fulton (4x400 relay).