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STATE TRACK AND FIELD
4A/3A/2A Star Track XXX: Today-Saturday, Mount Tahoma Stadium, Tacoma
1A/2B/1B state meet: Friday-Saturday, Roos Field, Eastern Washington University, Cheney
SOUTH SOUND ATHLETES TO WATCH
-- Necy Wade, River Ridge, sprints, senior
After sweeping the 100 (12.35 seconds) and 200 (25.38) meters at the District IV meet for the second consecutive year, Wade looks to become a two-time state champion in the 2A girls 100 meters. She won last year’s 100 at state in 12.44. Blaine’s Cherish Morrison, who has defeated Wade at state three times, is the top seed in both events (12.22 and 25.01). Wade, an alternate in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, has a chance to win four medals, which would give her 15 state medals in four years at Star Track.
-- Rashon Smith, Timberline, hurdles, senior
Smith is 3A’s top-ranked 300 hurdler with a school-record time of 38.47 set at the Shelton Invitational in late April. He burst onto the scene at state last year, placing third in the 110 hurdles and fifth in the 300 hurdles. He’s expected to challenge Decatur’s Drew Thompson (38.90 seed time), last year’s runner-up, and Hanford’s Joseph Collett (38.91) for the 300 state title, as well as be a contender in the 110 hurdles. Last year’s 300 winner, Peninsula’s Jacob Gilman, is not in the field and not competing in the event because of injuries.
-- Andrew Brown, Tumwater. sprints, junior
Brown is a favorite to capture his second state 2A state 400 meters title. He has rewritten the record book in the 400 this season, lowering the school-record time he first set as a sophomore three times this spring. His 48.51 at the Shelton Invitational not only ranks him first in 2A, but fourth overall in the state for all classifications. Brown’s personal-best time is nearly one-and-a-half seconds ahead of the next-best time in 2A this spring – 49.92 by Sequim’s Jayson Brockelsby.
-- Lucas Graham, Northwest Christian, distance, senior
Graham, who will run at Cal Baptist next fall, is favored to win three races – the 2B boys 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Graham has placed in the top eight in all three distance races in his three pervious state appearance, and is the defending 800 and 1,600 state champion. Graham’s top time in the 1,600 is 4:12.99, which is the fastest time by a Thurston County runner since Tumwater’s Dave Smith ran a 4:09.28 in 1988.
-- Lexi Fesenbek, Olympia, sprints, senior
Fesenbek, bound for Northwest Nazarene in soccer, ran a personal-best 57.77 in the 4A girls 400 at last week’s 4A West Central District III meet at Mount Tahoma. Two years ago at Star Track, Fesenbek placed fourth in the 400 (58.42) with what stood as a personal-best time until last weekend. She’s seeded third behind top-seeded Leiran Cornish of Snohomish and Chante Sposter of Todd Beamer.
