WASHINGTON STATE MEET

Andre Korbmacher Edges Lyricc Lopez In 2A Hurdles Showdown;  Will Floyd Runs All-Time Best 200; Amanda Moll Takes Three Attempts At 15 Feet; Ethan Coleman Doubles 4:06/8:49

By Keenan Gray for DyeStat

It had been three years since the last state track and field meet took place in Washington, but the long wait finally ended when the 2022 edition returned in both Tacoma and Cheney on May 26-28. 

The 4A/3A/2A state championships saw 14 meet records broken at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma in the three-day meet, highlighted by Squalicum junior hurdles standout Andre Korbmacher in the 2A boys 110- and 300-meter hurdles. 

Korbmacher began in the 110s on Friday, running a 2A meet record time of 13.83 seconds to win his first of two state titles as he took down the record time of 14.17 by Devin Leibel of White River from 2013. Korbmacher’s time is also the fastest among all classifications as he surpassed Rainier Beach’s Cecil Bowie’s time of 13.86 from 1987. 

PHOTOS by Jacob White | INTERVIEWS

"Even though it wasn't a PR, that was one of the best races," Korbmacher said. "I felt so good, so clean, and that 4.0 headwind just slowed me down a little bit, so I'm really happy with my performance."

On Saturday, the matchup the whole state was waiting for in the 2A boys 300 hurdle final featured Washington’s all-time record holders in the boys 110 and 300 hurdles in Korbmacher and Foster’s Lyricc Lopez. The two were even from the gun and into the homestretch, each of them clearing hurdle after hurdle right next to one another. 

Lopez clipped the final hurdle with his foot, giving Korbmacher the advantage in the end as the two leaned across the tape for a photo finish. Waiting for the clock with results to pop up, Korbmacher saw his name first and read a new lifetime best time of 36.30 was the winning effort. Lopez ran 36.33, just .07 off his state record time.

“Being able to race him and really having someone to push me was so much fun,” Korbmacher said. “I’m just glad I got to get out there and ran with him.”

Three more meet records were also set in the 2A field. 

Sehome’s Jake Andrews ran 21.25 in the boys 200, beating out East Valley’s (Spokane) Rodrick Fisher’s time of 21.37 from 2017. Andrews also won the 400 in 48.05 and then took second in the 100 behind teammate Carter Birade, who ran 10.50.

Sehome also got wins from Zach Munson in the boys 3,200 (9:12.61) and its 4x400 relay team (3:21.76).

Selah’s Cooper Quigley erased White River’s Marcus Dickson's record time of 4:10.79 in the boys 1,600 from 2012, running 4:08.69. 

Shelton’s Alauna Carsten won the girls 3,200 meters in 10:44.36, taking down Bellingham’s Annika Reiss' effort of 10:47.77 from 2019. 

W.F. West’s Seth Hoff threw a near nine-foot PR in the boys javelin with a winning throw of 184-02.

Bellingham’s Chayse Flick-Williams jumped a seven-inch PR in the girls long jump, recording a mark of 18-7. She also won the 100 in a personal best 12.34. Boys teammate John Twedt won the triple jump going 45-8.75. 

The Sehome boys won the overall team title scoring 88 points behind nine podium finishes and five individual titles. Tumwater won the girls team title scoring 78 points with 12 podium finishes, two individual titles, and one relay title.

In the 3A meet, Seattle Prep’s Will Floyd completed the rare sprint triple crown, winning the boys 100, 200, and 400 races in dominating fashion. 

After winning a national title in the winter season at AAU nationals, Floyd set the bar high for himself heading into the outdoor season with intentions of running faster times than he did as a sophomore.

"Last year was my first year of high school track so I wasn't expecting much coming into the season," Floyd said. "In the winter, obviously indoor nationals was awesome, and I think that kind of just gave me the hunger to come out here and do my best this high school season."

Floyd began Saturday’s racing winning the 100 in a personal best time of 10.52. Two hours later, he came back to win the 400 by almost three seconds, running 47.13. All it took now was winning the 200.

Winding down the bend, Floyd was well out front on the homestretch, driving hard down the final 100 with a five-meter gap on his competition as he leaned at the tape to come away with his third win. He ran 21.01. The triple crown was complete.

"It's kind of a surreal feeling," Floyd said. "Obviously it's my first state experience with a lot of people here and I'm a little tired, but last race of the season I put everything out there."

His 200 effort was also an all-time wind-legal state best, unseating Ellensburg legend Ja’Warren Hooker’s all-time meet record mark of 21.02 from 1997.

Capital’s Amanda Moll and Hana Moll delivered as per usual in the girls pole vault finishing first and second with Amanda setting a new meet record with a height of 14 feet, 6 inches, breaking West Seattle’s Chloe Cunliffe’s clearance of 14-0 from 2019. Hana matched Cunliffe’s height to finish in second behind her sister. Amanda took three promising attempts at a national record 15 feet. 

Amanda also won the girls long jump in a jump of 17-8, and Hana won the 100 hurdles in a personal best 14.66. They also helped the Cougars win the 4x100 relay title as the team ran 49.24.

Walla Walla’s javelin phenom Dash Sirmon made his presence felt on his first throw as he hit a mark of 216-3 to surpass Bellevue’s Robert Hintz’s meet record mark of 211-0 from 2009. From there, Sirmon consistently went past 200 feet en route to winning a state title. Sirmon also won the long jump in a jump of 23-0.75. 

Bellevue’s Alex Buck completed the 100/200 sweep in the girls finals, running 11.97 and a personal best 24.49.

Bishop Blanchet’s Will Schneider completed the distance triple crown winning the boys 1,600 and 3,200 titles along with his cross country title from the fall. Schneider ran a lifetime best 4:07.65 in Thursday’s 1,600 edging out Arlington’s Aiden Emerson (4:07.67), and then won the 3,200 on Saturday in 9:00.36. 

Emerson bounced back in the boys 800, winning his main event by almost two second in a time of 1:52.78.

Hazen’s Olivia Conklin ran a personal-best 43.52 in the girls 300 hurdles to win her lone state title of the meet.

Meadowdale’s Tresley Love took home the girls 400 title, running a time of 57.00. 

Auburn Riverside freshman Julia Couch ran a PR of 2:13.81 in the girls 800, becoming the first freshman girl in 3A to win a state title in this event since Eastside Catholic great Kate Jendrezak did it in 2017.

Bishop Blanchet freshman Lily LaPorte won the girls 1,600 in a three-second PR of 4:57.71, beating Kennewick’s Macy Marquardt in the final 100. Marquardt got her back in the 3,200, as she won in a PR of 10:25.34.

Hermiston OR’s Bailey Young won both the girls discus and shot put titles. She threw a PR of 134-5 in discus on Thursday, and then threw 46-8.25 on Friday in shot.

Yelm’s Brayden Platt cracked 60 feet for the first time in his career after winning the boys shot put with a throw of 61-06 – a three-foot personal best for the sophomore.

The Garfield girls completed the 4x200 and 4x400 relay sweeps, winning the 4x200 in 1:42.90 and the 4x400 in 3:59.81.

Spanaway Lake boys won the 4x100 relay title in 42.23.

Walla Walla won the boys team title scoring 66 points with nine podium finishes and three individual titles. Capital took home the girls title scoring 54 points. The Cougars had seven podium placers, three individual winners, and one relay title.

In 4A, Olympia’s Ethan Coleman ran 8:49.00 to win the boys 3,200 on Saturday taking down former Mead legend Chris Lewis’ time of 8:50.65 set in 1989. Coleman also won the 1,600 on Thursday, running a personal best effort of 4:06.28. 

Isabella Nilsen of Newport (Bellevue) won the girls pole vault en route to setting a new meet record height of 13-1.50. Nilsen’s former teammate Ashleigh Helms held the record of 13-0 from the 2019 meet.

Emerald Ridge’s freshman star JaiCieonna Gero-Holt came away with three state titles in her first state meet, winning the girls 100 hurdles (14.71), the long jump (18-4.25), and high jump (5-8). She also took seventh in javelin with a throw of 113-7.

Federal Way’s Esther Akinlosotu had a full weekend of competition, placing in three events led by her first place run in the girls 100, clocking 11.97. She then was second in triple jump (38-0.25) and third in long jump (17-7.25). Teammate Cassandra Atkins won the triple jump with a jump of 38-1.50.

South Kitsap’s Ella Hopper won the girls 300 hurdles in a time of 43.88, and also was a member of the Wolves 4x200 (1:42.08) and 4x400 (3:54.29) winning teams. 

Tahoma’s Ryan Lewis used a comeback effort to win the boys 800 final, running a personal best 1:52.27, dropping two seconds off his previous best from the prelim round. 

Eisenhower’s Kara Mickelson ran the race of her life in the girls 800, shaving off three seconds to clock a new PR of 2:10.95 to win by three seconds. Mickelson then took second in the 400, running 57.42.

Bellarmine’s Ella Borsheim capped off her illustrious career winning the girls 1,600 in a time of 4:54.17. She then ran her final race in the 3,200 on Saturday in a second-place effort of 10:29.94.

Hanford’s Katelynn Geltson won the girls discus by over 24 feet, throwing 151-11. She was also second in shot put (42-6.25) and second in the javelin (132-9).

Central Valley’s AJ McGloflin fell short of tying former CV great Brent Harkin’s height of 7-1 in the boys high jump, but still managed to clear 6-10 en route to winning the state title. 

Kentridge’s Saydi Orange fell four feet short of her PR in the girls javelin, but managed to win a state title with a throw of 153-9.

Bothell swept the shot put titles as Luka Vincic won the boys competition with a throw of 55-2.75, and Haedyn Bambolo won on the girls side throwing 43-3.25. 

Chiawana’s Kade Smith jumped more than a foot past his PR in the boys triple jump, going 46-0 to win the state title. 

Lake Stevens’ boys won the 4x100 and 4x400 titles, running 42.51 and 3:20.69. The Vikings also claimed the team title scoring 58 points behind nine podium finishes and the two relay titles. 

Curtis won by three points over South Kitsap for the girls title scoring 68 points. The Vikings had 12 podium finishes and two individual titles won. Ava Simms and Eliza White won those two individual races with Simms winning the girls 400 in 57.10, followed by White in the girls 3,200, running a personal best 10:29.66.

To round out the other record-breaking performances, the ambulatory side of the meet saw four records of its own go down. Bothell’s Logan Powell won both the boys discus and javelin as he threw 90-7 in discus and 74-2 in javelin. Central Valley’s Brandon Thomas threw 42-4.50 in the boys shot put. Eisenhower’s Nick Burton ran 26.95 to set the 200 record. 

Over at Eastern Washington University in Cheney for the 1A/2B/1B meet, Klahowya’s Kelton Gagnon, Bear Creek’s Braelyn Baker, Rainier’s Jeremiah Nubbe highlighted the small-school meet.

Gagnon won all three boys distance races in the 1A meet, including breaking College Place’s Kenneth Rooks’ 800 record time of 1:53.56 as he ran 1:52.78. He won the 1,600 in a personal best effort of 4:14.01 and then won the 3,200 in 9:29.43. 

Baker won four state titles in total in the 1A meet, coming home with the girls in the 100 (12.39), the 200 (25.18), the 300 hurdles (45.20), and long jump (18-7.50).

Nubbe set two meet records in the shot put and discus competing in the 2B meet. He threw a personal best 56-10 in the shot put, taking down the 2B meet record of 56-5.25 set by Seth Bridge of North Beach in 2017. Then Nubbe threw 203-7 in the discus, setting an all-classification meet record once held by Jose Padilla of Chelan, who threw 195-0 in 2016. 

Team Champions - 

Class 4A - Lake Stevens boys 58 points, Curtis girls 68 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Walla Walla boys 68 points, Capital girls 54 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Sehome boys 88 points, Tumwater girls 78 points - RESULTS

Class 1A - Connell boys 59 points, King's girls 51 points - RESULTS

Class 1B - Mt. Vernon Christian boys 87 points, Pope John 2 girls 73 points - RESULTS

Class 2B - Rainier boys 67 points, St. George's girls 113 points - RESULTS