TRACK AND FIELD: Pyeatt, Larson dominate distance events

BREMERTON — Sequim’s Riley Pyeatt and Port Angeles’ Lauren Larson combined to win or contribute to five first-place finishes at the Olympic 1A/2A/3A League Championships held in Bremerton this weekend, with the two Olympic Peninsula rivals having an epic battle in the 800 meters.

Larson entered the 800 with the fastest time among 2A girls in the state at 2 minutes, 17.90 seconds, set at an April 17 meet. Pyeatt, who had only run the 800 once this season before Saturday, ended up winning with a time of 2:18.17, two seconds ahead of Larson’s 2:20.42.

On Thursday, Pyeatt won the 400-meter championship with a time of 57.35, a Sequim school record and the fastest 2A girls time in the state.

Larson already won the league 1,600-meter title Thursday. Though she had only run the 3,200 once all year, Larson entered the long-distance race Saturday and won the league championship with a time of 11:39.05.

The girls’ races at league were won by a total of three athletes. North Kitsap sprinter Alyssa Cullen won the 100 (with Pyeatt second) and the 200, Pyeatt won the 400 and the 800 and Larson won the 1,600 and 3,200.

Pyeatt also ran the anchor leg in the Sequim girls’ 4×400 relay team that took first place. The team of Taryn Johnson, Anastasia Updyke, Maci Cogburn and Pyeatt won with a time of 4:13.16.

The Sequim girls ended up third at the 11-team meet with 87 points. Central Kitsap, a 3A school, won with 162.25 points. Cullen’s school, North Kitsap, took second at 105 points. Cullen also won the triple jump and was part of a first-place 4×200 team.

The East Jefferson girls had a solid meet, taking sixth with 53 points, while Port Angeles was seventh with 50 points.

Another winner for Sequim was Jolene Vaara, who took first in the 100-meter hurdles Thursday with a time of 16.76. Johnson was second in the 300 hurdles with a time of 51.23.

The best finish for East Jefferson was by Aurin Asbell, who took second in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 5¼ inches. Asbell was also third in the high jump with a height of 4-8 and fourth in the triple jump at 30-5. Her teammate Lia Poore was third in the triple jump at 30-9.

East Jefferson’s Gina Brown finished fourth in the discus with a distance of 87-7.

Boys

On the boys’ side, East Jefferson had the strongest showing from the Olympic Peninsula, with 44 points, good for seventh. Sequim finished in eighth place with 37 points and Port Angeles was ninth at 34 points. North Kitsap, despite only winning two events, took first with team points with 114.

There were four league champions from the Olympic Peninsula.

Port Angeles’ Xander Maestas was a league champion, winning the 300 hurdles Saturday with a time of 43.98. East Jefferson’s Tanner Carstensen won the triple jump with a distance of 39-9¼.

On Thursday, Sequim’s Logan Laxson won the long jump with a distance of 21-0 and East Jefferson’s Bjorn Danaan-Devas won the javelin Thursday with a throw of 160-1.

Sequim’s Mirek Skov came in second in the pole vault with a height of 9-6. East Jefferson’s Anson Jones was fourth in the shot put with a distance of 39-11¼.

With no state track meet this year, this was the local athletes’ only chance at postseason track and field.

Team scores

Boys

North Kitsap, first, 114; Central Kitsap, second, 102; Bremerton, third, 92.5; North Mason, fourth, 75.5; Klahowya, fifth, 72; Kingston, sixth, 48; East Jefferson, seventh, 44; Sequim, eighth, 37; Port Angeles, ninth, 34; Olympic, 10th, 29; Bainbridge, 11th, 15.

Girls

Central Kitsap, first, 162.25; North Kitsap, second, 105; Sequim, third, 87; Klahowya, fourth, 84; Bainbridge, fifth, 60; East Jefferson, sixth, 53; Port Angeles, seventh, 50; Olympic, eighth, 34; North Mason, ninth, 32; Kingston, 10th, 20.75; Bremerton, 11th, 14.