Prep track and field: Five storylines to watch for at the state track and field championships

May 27-We've done it.

Ten months later, the 2025-26 high school athletic season will come to an end on Saturday with the state track and field championships plus the state title games for baseball. Yet at every corner of the state, from Vancouver to Orting to Spokane to Bellingham, there will surely be a school participating at either Eisenhower High School or Mt. Tahoma High School for state track.

It begins at 3 p.m. on Thursday and will conclude at sunset on Saturday. Three days of events, triumphs and heartbreak will close the book on the athletic calendar.

Here are five storylines to keep an eye on for the final three days of the track and field season.

Onalaska's Barrick, Thayer aiming to re-write record books

The Loggers' stars have been two of the most dominant field event participants this season and both Luke Barrick and Ethan Thayer have an opportunity to stamp their cases as the best in the state and classification.

For Barrick, the reigning Class 2B state champion in the pole vault, it was a banner performance last spring when he broke the 2B record. What he's been chasing is the all-time mark, currently 17-feet even by former University star Tyson Byers back in 2002. He's had several cracks at 17-01, but hasn't cleared it yet. The Idaho State recruit's biggest challenger will be Newport's Lucas Croswhite, who cleared 15-feet at the NE2B meet on May 5.

Thayer has not lost in either the shot put or discus since April 4. All he's done since then is reset his PR in both events numerous times and will be the top seed in both this weekend. He'll have quite the back-to-back on Friday with the discus first then the shot put.

The junior will attempt to break his biggest competition - River View's Miguel Cruz - 2B record in the shot of 59-04.75 and if he throws 11 feet in the discus, would be near former Rainier star Jeremiah Nubbe's mark of 203-07.

Can Rainier's Jazzy Shumate navigate a potential grueling final day?

Since the start of the season, the goal for the Mountaineers senior leader has been to run and medal in four events in Yakima. Shumate is going to have the opportunity to do so with her schedule of the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes plus the 300-meter hurdles.

She'll run twice on Thursday - the prelims for the open 100 and 300 hurdles - then do the other two prelims on Friday. If she makes the finals in all four events, her Saturday will be a full day.

The open 100 will be at 11:40 a.m., then just over a two-hour break until the 400. In between her finish of the 400 to the start of the 300 hurdles will be roughly a 40-minute window. Then it'll be an hour after the hurdles into her final event, the open 200.

Shumate has the ninth best time from districts in the hurdles and is on the outside looking in for both the 100 and 200. Her best chance at a medal and potentially a state title is the 400, where she has the fourth-fastest time from last week amongst the Class 2B field.

Tumwater's Hedin looking to cap career with elusive individual state title

Throughout her four-year career, Cassidy Hedin has been a key cog in a couple state championship relays. She hasn't shined in the individual events until last year when Hedin took seventh in the 300-meter hurdles.

And while Tumwater is attempting to win a fourth consecutive 800 relay title, one that Hedin will be a part of, her hurdle event is the only shot she has for an individual gold medal. The senior is coming off her best race of the season at the Class 2A District 4 meet, running a new PR of 45.16 seconds.

Still, her top competition are two runners that are nearing sub-43 in Mark Morris' Elsie Herold and Nathan Hale's Hailee Foster. Hedin will be in the third preliminary heat on Thursday.

Tenino throwing duo leaving with hardware?

Two of the most consistent throwers for the Beavers this spring are now seeking medals on the east side in their respective events. Jeremiah McKague has been best at shot put while Parker Minerich is a discus ace.

McKague is coming off a PR toss of 50-05.50 at the Class 1A District 4 meet, just the second time his best throw has eclipsed 50 feet. He's currently got the sixth farthest throw amongst his 1A competition and he'll be in the second flight on Saturday.

Minerich was one placement off of making the discus finals last spring, but heads into this state meet with the fourth farthest throw in 1A at 162-04. He's coming off back-to-back victories at the Evergreen League and District 4 championships. What is working against the junior will be throwing out of flight one and having to wait through an entire second flight to see if he'll throw three more times.

Are the W.F. West boys a true contender for a 2A team trophy?

The Bearcats envisioned themselves after winning the Chehalis Activators team title they could be in the mix for a top-four finish at the state meet in Tacoma. A lot has changed in a month plus, but are they still squarely in the conversation?

The two stars of Maddox Sampson and Hayden Niemi will likely need a high placement in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles, respectively. Then the field events of Carson Smith (shot and discus), Peyton Santiago (javelin), Juan Gonzalez (high jump) and Mason Ruiz (pole vault) could have to not only make finals, but place top-five.

Ruiz set a new PR clearance at districts last week of 14-feet even while Santiago had the lead in the javelin until the final throw.

The big key will be Walker Sampson (100) and W.F. West's 400 relay out-performing its seed lines. It's a lot to ask, but crazier things have happened at a state meet.

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