Track: Gig Harbor and Peninsula Finish Strong at State Competition

Justin Browne medaled in four events for , and Jacob Gilman won a state title for to lead a strong showing for Gig Harbor high schools at the WIAA state track and field competition on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Gig Harbor sent 18 athletes to the three-day competition and finished 11th overall for the boys and 16th overall for the girls.

The boys side was led by Browne, who made the most of his appearance at state. The junior finished sixth in the long jump, fifth in the triple jump, eighth in the 100 meter dash and ran the anchor leg of the fifth-place 4x100 meter relay team of Jesse Cauble, Brandon Gagliardi, Garret Steuk and Browne.

“It’s my first year going to state, so I’m satisfied with at least medaling in all four events,” Browne said 

Hunter Trunk finished fourth in the triple jump for the Gig Harbor boys, putting together a best distance of 45 feet, 2 ¾ inches.

Will Drinkwater rounded out the scoring for the Gig Harbor boys with a fourth-place finish in the 800 meter run.

The Gig Harbor girls were led by Courtney Jost. Jost finished fifth in the 4A girls long jump and took seventh in the triple jump. Dallas Edge finished seventh in the 100 meter hurdles, while Kelly Williams placed sixth in the 800 meter run.

Jacob Gilman led Peninsula, which finished a strong ninth overall, taking home the state title in the 3A boys 300 meter hurdles. Gilman only began practicing the event three months ago and let out an emotional yell as he crossed the finish line in first.

“I didn’t plan on running the 300 hurdles at all. It wasn’t even in my mind at the beginning of the year. My coach just threw me in,” Gilman said. “It worked out well.”

Peninsula also got a strong showing from Curtis King in the 3,200 meter run. King finished in sixth place with a time of 9:18.34. Luke Plummer finished fourth in the triple jump for Peninsula, posting a distance of 44 feet, 10 ½ inches. 

The tournament was hampered the first two days by inclement weather that brought rain in droves, casting a cloud over certain competitions. Nonetheless, a number of records were broken and several reigning champions repeated in their respective divisions.

Kasen Williams of Skyline provided highlights in the boys 4A division, taking home three state titles to cap off his remarkable senior season. The future University of Washington football player swept the long, high and triple jump competitions, setting a new state record in the triple – an event his father once owned the state record in – with a jump of 50 feet, 9 ¾ inches.

“Me and my dad kept saying, ‘It’s got to come back in the family,’” Williams said of his record-setting jump. “So I threw something out there…and just gave it a shot.”

Perhaps the highlight of the three-day event came in the final field activity, the 4A boys long jump. Williams took home the win, but not before a spirited battle with a field that included Edmonds-Woodway’s Alec Fellows, Kentwood’s BJ Arceneaux and Justin Browne of Gig Harbor. 

The Renton boys track team dominated the 2A field behind, taking first place behind a combined five state titles between P.J. Benedictus and Justin Bennett. Benedictus repeated as the triple-jump champion and finished second in the long jump and high jump, while Bennett took first in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, as well as anchoring the first place 4x100 meter relay team.

Alanna Coker of Juanita High School repeated as the 3A girls triple-jump champion and finished second in the 100-meter dash. Coker was seeded second in the 200-meter dash following the preliminary round, but finished fifth after suffering a minor leg injury in the triple-jump competition.

Overall team winners were as follows: 4A girls – Kentwood; 4A boys – Kent-Meridian; 3A girls – Holy Names Academy; 3A boys – North Central; 2A girls – Sehome; 2A boys – Renton.