The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears track team traveled to the home of last season’s girls and boys Division II state champion, Sitka. The Wolves girls are two-time defending state champs and have won three of the last four state titles (they were runner-up in 2022) and the Wolves boys are almost always top six contenders at state, with runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019.
“We were really happy to go compete in Sitka,” JDHS co-head coach Jesse Stringer said. “Competing against Sitka High at their home meet is always challenging. They hold both the boys and girls 2024 state championship titles, but JDHS gave them strong competition. They always put on a great meet, and it’s special to compete on a dirt track where the lines are placed in chalk the day before competition. All teams battled the weather on the first day as it rained approximately two inches with a temperature of about 40 degrees. Our team did great cheering each other on in the weather and did our best to stay positive.”
The JDHS boys nipped the Wolves by three points in the team standings for first place, 93-90. Ketchikan placed third with 43, followed by Wrangell with 13 and Yakutat with two. The Sitka girls won the team scoring with 123.5 points, JDHS was second with 64.5 and Ketchikan third with 44.
“We traveled with approximately 70 athletes,” Stringer said. “It was great to have full relay teams and be represented in all events. Our upperclassmen are doing a fantastic job as leaders and examples, while the underclassmen have a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. The team spirit was great with lots of face paint and camaraderie. Team efforts such as Ferguson Wheeler in the 110 hurdles, who scraped out a few points for us, and Owen Janes in the 3,200 brought our boys team home with the Sitka Invitational win. It’s rare for either of their teams to not win at their home meet with the last time being 2022 when the KayHi girls team took the win.”
In this file photo Sitka’s Connor Hitchcock leads Juneau-Douglas’ Owen Woodruff, Sage Janes and Nick Iverson and the pack in the 1,600 meters during the Capital City Invitational Track & Field Meet in Juneau on April 26. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)
Friday finals included the high jump, shot put, triple jump, 3,200 meters, 800 meters and hurdles.
For the boys finals Friday, Sitka senior Connor Hitchcock won the 3,200 in 9:58.2 with JDHS senior Nick Iverson second in a personal record 10:08.5 (3. junior Boomchain Loucks 10:17.5 Wrg; 4. senior Owen Woodruff 10:20.0 JD; 5. sr Sage Janes 10:35.8 JD; 8. sr Finn Lamb 11:53.1 JD; 12. sophomore Zacheriah Bos 12:15.5 JD; 14. freshman Carson Kautz 12:27.0 JD; 16. sr Elijah Levy 12:38.0 JD).
WRG’s Loucks won the boys 800 in 2:07.3 (2. Hitchcock 2:07.8 SIT; 4. Lamb 2:18.2 JD; 8. Bos 2:29.4 JD; 9. so Gage Keller 2:29.5 JD; 10 fr Anderson Murray 2:32.3 JD; 11. so Caden Morris 2:33.4 JD; 11. John Polasky 2:33.4 JD; 15. so Gavin Holt 2:38.8 JD; 16. fr Frisco McGuire 2:40.0 JD; 17. fr Emmett Hightower 2:40.1 JD; 21. fr Finnan Kelly 2:54.0 JD).
SIT sr Rowan Olney-Miller won the 110 hurdles in 20.1 (2. so Tristen Lemerond 21.3 KTN; 3. sr Ferguson Wheeler 22.5 JD).
JDHS jr Richard Tupou won the shot put with 38’4.5” over KTN jr Jack Dunn with 37’10.5” (3. fr Leonidas Taualo-Tasi 37’10.25” JD; jr Walter Haute-Law 35’1.75” JD; 6. sr Gunnar Tarver 33’4” JD; 8. sr Asher Fink 33’1” JD; 12. jr Warren Koski 31’5.25” JD; 14. sr Dominic Wery Tagaban 30’2.5” JD; 15. jr Jonah Mahle 29’1.25” JD; 21. sr Oliver Lamkin 27’1.25” JD; 23. fr Craig Thorsteinson 22’4.75” JD).
SIT’s Olney-Miller won the high jump with 5’10” (2. sr Trey Colbert 5’10” KTN; 4. sr Carter Harralston 5’4” JD; sr Carson Carrlee, Polasky NH JD) and JDHS sr Johnathyn Kestel won the triple jump in 39’4.5” (2. McLaughlin 38’6.5” SIT; 4. Morris 33’7.5” JD; 6. Tarver 33’2.5” JD).
For the girls finals Friday, Sitka senior Marina Dill won the 3,200 in 12:04.7 with classmate Aliyah Merculief second in 13.27.8 and JDHS junior Siena Farr third in 14:00.1 (6. jr Zoe Lessard 16:51.7 JD; 7. so Makia Silva 18:40.0 JD).
SIT sr Clare Mullin won the girls 800 in 2:23.2 with KTN sr Carol Frey second in 2:39.9 (5. jr Della Mearig 2:59.8 JD; 6. so Adele Fanning 3:03.4 JD; 7. sr Acey Wall 3:08.6 JD; 8. so Ellie Jo Wall 3:11.8 JD; 12. sr Bailey Roguska 3:35.2 JD).
SIT’s Dill won the shot put with 32’4” and classmate Elise Brady was second 31’4” (3. sr Ayla Keller 29.7” JD; 4. sr Maxie Lehauli 29’6.75” JD; 5. jr Meliame Tupou 28’3” JD; 6. jr Issy Martin 26’1” JD; 7. sr Amelia Lockwood 25’5.5” JD; 12. fr Kira Jenkins 22’7.25” JD; 17. jr Eva Goertzen 19’6.5” JD).
SIT jr Emma Heuer won the high jump in 4’6” and SIT sr Melody Peacock won the triple jump in 28’11.5” with JDHS’ Shelton-Walker third with 25’10.25. Heuer also won the 100 hurdles in 18.1 (2. so Mariah Colbert 19.3 KTN; 3. fr Addie Hartman 19.7 JD; 4. jr Kira Tupou 20.3 JD).
For the girls Saturday, JDHS sr Cailynn Baxter won the long jump with 14’4” (2. Heuer 14’0.5” SIT; 4. fr Lydia Goins 11’10.5” JD; fr Freya Shelton-Walker, Zoey Brown-Cortes ND JD).
SIT sr Elise Brady won the discus with 96’6” (3. Martin 86’5” JD; 4. Lockwood 76’3” JD; 5. Lehauli 73’9” JD; 7. Tupou 71’10” JD; 11. Keller 64’2” JD; 15. Goertzen 53’3” JD; 18. Jenkins 42’3” JD).
SIT jr Natalie Hall won the 300 hurdles in 54.4 with JDHS’ K. Tupou second in 1:01.7.
JDHS fr Bella Connally won the 100 in 13.2 with KTN sr Clara Odden second in 13.7 (4. Baxter 14.2 JD; 7. Hartman 14.7 JD; 8. fr Shandiin Frommherz 14.8 JD; 11. Tupou 15.2 JD; 13. Goins 15.9 JD; 16. Brown-Cortes 16.1 JD; 19. Koelsch 16.7 JD; 20 so Saige Sowa 16.9 JD; 21. sr Nevaeh Alexander 17.9 JD).
SIT jr. Adalyna Moore won the 200 in 30.2 (4. Frommherz 32.6 JD; 6. Goins 34.5 JD; 7. Alexander 34.4 JD; 10. Koelsch 37.2 JD).
SIT’s Mullin won the 400 in 1:03.8 (2. Odden 1:05.8 KTN; 3. Hartman 1:10.9 JD; 4. Frommherz 1:11.8 JD) and Mullin won the 1600 in 5:23.3 (2. Dill 5:44.9 SIT; 4. Mearig 6:32.8 JD; 6. Fanning 7:03.0 JD; 7. A. Wall 7:03.5 JD; 9. E. Wall 7:11.1 JD; 10. Lessard 8:02.4 JD; 11. Roguska 8:02.4 JD).
JDHS’ Connally, Baxter, Frommherz and Hartman won the 4×100 relay in 56.7 (4. JD’s K. Tupou, Farr, Shelton-Walker, so Sabine Auger 1:04.4; 5. JD’s Fanning, Alexander, Koelsch, Brown-Cortes 1:04.9; 8. Lockwood, Jenkins, Martin, M. Tupou 1:13.2).
KTN won the 4×800 in 12:19.3 (2. JD’s Mearig, A. Wall, Farr, Silva 12:51.1; 3. JD’s Lessard, Roguska, E. Wall, Fanning 13:20.0).
KTN won the 4×400 in 4:37.9 with SIT second in 4:47.9.
“As always, it is so neat to see high schoolers having the most epic travel experiences, that include whale and bear watching, where most kids ride a bus to their event,” JDHS co-head coach Brandi Adams said. “This spring’s weather has been a bit tough to practice and compete in, but these students are resilient. As I spend the bulk of every meet at the shot and disc rings, while in Sitka it is still a great place to be able to cheer on the runners to the finish line, see the jumpers hit the pit and have unobstructed views of the whole track.”
“It was such a treat to see some very specific details of the throwers’ form just ‘click’ and give the throwers the reassurance that all of their hard work hasn’t been for nothing. There were a handful of PRs set in both shot and disc for guys and gals. Which were especially great to see in Friday’s exceptionally wet weather. We returned to the school after the meet ended Friday with pruney fingers. Saturday brought dry skies, improved attitudes and some great disc distances, especially for the guys, with Gunnar Tarver taking first with a technically good-looking throw and a PR.”
For the boys on Saturday, JDHS sr Johnathyn Kestel won the long jump with 18’8.5” (2. jr Cole McLaughlin 17’5.5” SIT; 6. so Orion Paden 16’5.5” JD; 8. sr Gavin Gerrin 15’6” JD; 10. Morris 15’3.5” JD; 12. Iverson 14’5.5” JD; 15. Carrlee 12’11” JD).
JDHS’ Tarver won the discus with a PR throw of 120’7” (2. Dunn 118’1” KTN; 4. Tupou 114’0” JD; 6. Haube-Law 97’7” JD; 7. Taualo-Tasi 96’5” JD; 8. Mahle 92’9” JD; 15. Lamkin 77’10: JD; 18. Koski 69’11” JD; 19. Fink 67’5” JD; 22. Thorsteinson 49’4” JD).
JDHS’ Wheeler won the 300 hurdles in a PR 48.1 with Kestel second in a PR 48.5 (4. Tarver 52.9 JD).
SIT sr Carter Harralston won the 100 in 11.9 (2. jr Calder Prussian 12.0 SIT; 3. Paden 12.2 JD; 7. jr Isaac Phelps 12.7 JD; 8. Carrlee 12.8 JD; 8. Gerrin 12.8 JD; 8. so Krew Ridle 12.8 JD; 12. so Bryden Roberts 13.1 JD; 18. Keller 13.8 JD; 22. fr Ethan Ward 14.7 JD; 22. so Isiaiah Carillo 14.7 JD).
SIT’s Prussian won the 200 in 24.2 with JDHS’ Finley Hightower second in 24.9 (3. Kestel 25.6 JD; 5. Paden 26.4 JD; 7. Phelps 27.2 JD; 13. Keller 29.9 JD; 15. Ward 31.0 JD; 16. Carillo 33.8 JD).
KTN so Henry Vail won the 400 in 56.8 (2. F. Hightower 1:00.0 JD; 4. Iverson 1:01.4 JD; 5. sr Ben Sikes 1:03.0 JD; 6. Holt 1:05.1 JD; 7. fr E. Hightower 1:06.4; 8. Jenkins 1:06.9 JD; 9. Ward 1:08.8 JD; 10. Roberts 1:09.3 JD).
SIT’s Hitchcock won the 1600 in 4:44.2 with WRG’s Loucks second in 4:44.5 (6. Bos 5:19.3 JD; 9. Keller 5:40.3 JD; 10. E. Hightower 5:42.5 JD; 12. McGuire 5:44.0 JD; 13. Murray 5:44.3 JD; 14. Morris 5:47.1 JD; 15. Kautz 5:49.1 JD; 19 Holt 6:00.5 JD; 22. Kelly 6:19.7).
KTN won the 4×100 in 48.3 with JDHS’ Harralston, Phelps, Carrlee and Gerrin second in 49.7 (3. JDHS 50.1; 8. JDHS 55.6).
SIT won the 4×400 in 3:51.5 (2. JDHS 4:03.7; 4. JDHS 4:15.8; 5. JDHS 4:20.5; 7. JDHS 4:39.9).
SIT won the 4×800 in 9:45.8 with JDHS second in 10:34.0 (Janes, Lamb, Wheeler, Woodruff).
“Our throwers set the pace of the meet for the team with high-scoring finishes in both the guys and girls shot put,” Stringer said. “It was a challenging weekend with throwers working to keep their footing in the pouring rain…Although we’re really excited about the standout performances by those that won their events, it takes a lot of second-, third- and fourth-place finishes to get a team win in track and field. It also takes the team working together while on the road to cheer each other on and keep morale up while sleeping on gym floors and being away from home.”
JDHS will travel next weekend to Ketchikan.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
