EUGENE, Ore. — Not content with their state track and field championship, the Sequim 4×400 relay team traveled to the Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and won a national championship going up against elite teams from around the United States.
The Sequim foursome of Hi’ilei Robinson, Kaitlyn Bloomenrader, Eve Mavy and Riley Pyeatt, running as the Sequim Track Club, finished in a time of 4 minutes, 3.22 seconds, bettering their state championship time of 4:03.82 and winning in the “Emerging Elite” classification. They beat teams from Arizona, Virginia, California and Colorado.
Meanwhile, Jack Gladfelter of Port Angeles, running in the same meet, got on the podium, finishing third in the 2-mile run in a time of 9:14.54, a personal best. Gladfelter also placed fifth in both the 1,600 and 3,200 in the recent state 2A track and field meet.
In the Sequim 4×400 race held Saturday, Pyeatt ran a dramatic anchor leg. Sequim was second in the race when she took the baton from Mavy. Tumwater runner Annabelle Clapp had a huge lead on Pyeatt. Pyeatt was passed by the Snowflake Lobos’ (an Arizona team) Lydia Szabo, briefly dropping her into third place.
Pyeatt and Szabo both passed Clapp halfway through the final lap with Szabo having the most momentum and appearing like she was going to win the race going away. However, in the final stretch, Pyeatt poured it on and passed Szabo, who couldn’t match Pyeatt’s kick. Pyeatt ended up winning by 1.75 seconds.
To watch the race online, people can go to www.tinyurl.com/Sequim4x400.
Pyeatt also ran in the 800-meter run, also as an “emerging elite,” and picked up a top-10 finish, coming in seventh with a time of 2:15.19, just off her state championship time.
Photo courtesy of Joe Gladfelter Jack Gladfelter of Port Angeles celebrates finishing third in the 2-mile run at the Nike Nationals held at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
It was Pyeatt’s fourth-best time ever in the 800. She ran 2:14.23 to win the 2A Washington Interscholastic Activities Association track and field championship in late May at Mount Tahoma High School. She also ran 2:14.29 and 2:15.16 earlier in the season.
Pyeatt just graduated from Sequim High School and will compete next year for Abeline Christian University in Texas.
Gladfelter had never competed in the 2-mile before, but the distance is similar to the 3,200 meters, one of his specialties. He also ran in the mile and finished 28th in the emerging elite with a personal-record 4:24.59. He had the fifth-best time among Pacific Northwest runners. A total of 54 runners competed in this event.
