Area track and field athletes rank among state’s best

Enumclaw’s girls 4x400 relay team sits in the No. 1 spot.

Plateau track and field athletes find themselves ranked among the state’s best in a handful of running, jumping and throwing events.

Keeping tabs of such things is the athletic.net website. Through meets of last week, here’s what the site reported.

Ranked No. 1 in their classifications are the girls’ 4×400 relay teams from both Enumclaw High and White River. The EHS quartet of Gracie Neu, Johanna Brown, Mia Ammons and Kayla Carlson posted a time of 4 minutes, 6.77 seconds during the March 30 Liberty Invitational; not only is that the top time among 4A schools, it’s currently the best statewide.

The White River foursome of Taylor Schmidtke, Tori Schmidtke, Emma Robbins and Maria Hawthorne finished their 4×400 race in 4:11.56 during the March 30 Holder Relays in Yakima. Their top 2A time leaves them No. 5 statewide.

Also top-ranked is Bonney Lake High junior Cayan Dibble, No. 1 among Class 3A runners in the 800 meters. He climbed to the top of the list April 4 when he clocked a time of 1 minute, 57.40 seconds against district rival Sumner. That time places him No. 5 against all runners in the state, regardless of school size.

In the 3A ranks, Dibble is No. 5 in the 1600 meters. His time of 4:22.72 also came against the Spartans.

Here’s a look at other area athletes listed among the state leaders.

ENUMCLAW

Carson Christensen is No. 2 among Class 4A long jumpers and No. 3 in the state; his leap of 22 feet, 6 inches came during the April 6 Arcadia Invitational.

Kale Engebretsen moved up to No. 3 on the Class 4A list in the 300-meter hurdles. His season-best time of 39.88 seconds came April 13 at the Pasco Invitational.

Freshman Addie Neu sits at no. 5 among Class 4A runners in the 800 meters. Her time of 2:18 also came at the Liberty Invitational.

The EHS boys 4×400 relay moved to the No. 4 spot in the 4A ranks during the April 13 Pasco Relays. Finishing in 3:28.02 were Ricky Portillo, Ethan Eilertson, Kale Engebretsen and Royal Snyder.

Enumclaw’s 4×200 relay team of Gracie Neu, Brown, Ammons and Carlson finished in 1:48.32 at the Liberty Invitational, leaving them No. 5 on the 4A list.

SUMNER

David Davydenko is No. 2, both in the 4A ranks and statewide, in the triple jump. The junior flew 47 feet, 3.5 inches during the April 13 Pasco Invitational.

The Spartans’ Taylor Holmes, a sophomore, sits No. 4 among Class 4A girls in the pole vault. Her effort of 11 feet, 1 inch came April 4 against Bonney Lake.

WHITE RIVER

Jackson Gibbon finds himself among the leaders in two events. He is currently No. 2 among the Class 2A athletes in the shot put (and No. 4 statewide), with a toss of 54 feet coming during an April 4, three-team meet at Highline Memorial Stadium. In the discus, he turned loose a toss of 157-4 on March 28, putting him No. 4 in the 2A ranks.

Tori Schmidtke is No. 3 on the Class 2A list in the 400 meters after finishing in 1:00.59 at the Holder Relays.

White River’s 4×100 relay team is No. 5 on the 2A list with a time of 51.12 seconds. Posting that time at the Holder Relays was the crew of Taylor and Tori Schmidtke, Robbins and J’Kira Wolbrecht.

BONNEY LAKE

Ashley Hollenbeck, a sophomore, ran the 400 meters in 59.55 against Sumner High. That lands her No. 5 on the 3A list.