Squalicum sophomore Grace Oswin had never been to the state track and field championships, not even as a spectator.
The scene at the 2A/3A/4A state meet at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma can be intimidating, even for a seasoned veteran. Newcomers can easily be lost in the overwhelming spectacle of it all.
“This was my first time at state, so it was a completely new experience for me,” Oswin said. “I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It’s so different than the usual meets.”
The venue may have been different, but for Oswin and several other Whatcom County athletes, the outcomes were very much consistent with the success they have been achieving all season.
Oswin finished second in the 2A girls’ 800, while Bellingham’s Jakob Chamberlain (boys, discus) and Benjamin Doucette (boys, 110 hurdles), Sehome’s Ben Malquist (boys, shot put), and Abby Johnson (girls, 1600) and the Lynden girls’ 4×400 relay team all capped their year with state championships.
“It was just a great experience,” Oswin said. “This was my last year in 2A. (Squalicum) is moving up to 3A next year. So, it’s nice to get second in our last year here. Hopefully, I can continue to improve and run faster next year in 3A. There are some fast girls (in 3A). I’m really going to have to work hard in the offseason.”
Malquist continued Sehome’s strong trend of producing gifted shot putters as the junior became the fourth different Mariner over the last decade to win a state championship in the event. His winning throw of 51-11 bettered runner-up Austen Daisa’s mark of 50-9.75.
Last year, former Sehome athletes Drew Norvell and Tyler Haggen finished first and second, respectively, in the shot put. The Mariners also received state shot put titles from Ryan Macdonald (2010) and Steven Ayers (2007).
Malquist should have an excellent shot at repeating next season — a feat that was last achieved at the 2A level by Jonathan Buchanan of East Valley (Yakima) in 2009.
While Malquist will attempt to win back-to-back state titles in 2017, Chamberlain, who also finished sixth in the shot put, closed out his senior year by doing just that in the discus, becoming the first athlete to win consecutive boy’s discus state titles in the 2A classification.
His winning throw of 177-04 was nearly 20 feet farther than any other competitor and is the second-best throw all-time at the 2A state meet, trailing the 180-3 set by Sehome’s Macdonald in 2010.
Doucette gave the Red Raiders their second state champion after the senior upset River Ridge’s Josh Braverman to win the 110 hurdles. Braverman, who went on to win the 300 hurdles state title, entered the meet as the event’s favorite after posting the event’s top time (14.06) in the 2A classification earlier in the season.
After finishing third in the event as a sophomore and second last year, Doucette covered the distance in a speedy 14.42 to claim the top prize. Braverman was second, finishing the race in 14.58.
Johnson became the second Mariner in the last five years to win the 2A girls’ 1600, joining Emily Pittis, who won the event in 2007.
Johnson, a junior, posted a winning time of 5:07.05 — more than 2 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. She also finished third in the 3200.
Lynden’s girls’ 4×400 relay team of Lauren Zwiers, Sierra Smith, Cassidee Barclay and Jasmyne Neria looked razor sharp taking first place in the event. The team posted a winning time of 4:02, which came on the heels of the 4:01.67 preliminary time they registered.
It was a bit of redemption for the quartet after finishing second in the 4×200 relay earlier in the day. The Lions (1:45.52) were runner-ups by the slimmest of margins to the winning team from Granite Falls (1:45.52).
Neria also picked up a second-place finish in the 400.
Sehome also received placings in the girls’ meet from Kate Ross (fourth, 800), Skylar Walston (fifth, pole vault) and Mary Carbee (sixth, shot put), while Bellingham’s Chloe Roth (fourth, pole vault), and Annika Reiss (eighth, 1600) also made an appearance on the podium.
Sehome’s Colton Johnson finished second in the 2A boys’ 3200 and a fifth place in the 1600. The Storm also received a sixth-place finish from Rile Allsop in the 800.
Local boys’ placing at the 2A meet include Squalicum’s Andrew Napier (third, shot put), Bellingham’s Nicholas Oesterling (fifth, javelin), and Lynden’s Christian Payne (fifth, 100) and Grant Scarlett (third, long jump).
Payne and Scarlett also teamed up with Travis Marquez and Brandon Swarthout to finished second in the 4×100 relay.
