Blad, Calvert Place at Track & Field Championships

Freshman Maria Blad made a surprising run at the finals of the 100 meter hurdles and Enumclaw had two competitors place at the WIAA state track and field championships on Saturday at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Blad won a spot in the finals following a solid preliminary showing and was one of two freshman to hang with the upper classmen in the race.

“It’s pretty crazy, I have to keep reminding myself that I’m actually at state,” Blad said after receiving her medal.

Hannah Calvert also placed eighth for Enumclaw in the 800 meter run, posting a time of 2:20.18 to round out the scoring for the Hornets.

The tournament was hampered the first two days by inclement weather that brought rain in droves, casting a cloud over certain competitions. Nonetheless, a number of records were broken and several reigning champions repeated in their respective divisions.

Kasen Williams of Skyline provided highlights in the boys 4A division, taking home three state titles to cap off his remarkable senior season. The future University of Washington football player swept the long, high and triple jump competitions, setting a new state record in the triple – an event his father once owned the state record in – with a jump of 50 feet, 9 ¾ inches.

“Me and my dad kept saying, ‘it’s got to come back in the family,’” Williams said of his record-setting jump. “So I threw something out there…and just gave it a shot.”

Perhaps the highlight of the three-day event came in the final field activity, the 4A boys long jump. Williams took home the win, but not before a spirited battle with a field that included Edmonds-Woodway’s Alec Fellows, Kentwood’s BJ Arceneaux and Justin Browne of Gig Harbor.

The Renton boys track team dominated the 2A field behind, taking first place behind a combined five state titles between P.J. Benedictus and Justin Bennett.

Benedictus repeated as the triple-jump champion and finished second in the long jump and high jump, while Bennett took first in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, as well as anchoring the first place 4X100 meter relay team.

Alanna Coker of Juanita High School repeated as the 3A girls triple-jump champion and finished second in the 100-meter dash. Coker was seeded second in the 200-meter dash following the preliminary round, but finished fifth after suffering a minor leg injury in the triple-jump competition.

Overall team winners were as follows: 4A girls – Kentwood; 4A boys – Kent-Meridian; 3A girls – Holy Names Academy; 3A boys – North Central; 2A girls – Sehome; 2A boys – Renton.