4A district track: All about coming back strong

Every athlete hopes for a few good breaks during a season.

Before this track and field season, Lexington Reese and Jossilyn Blackman each had the worst kind of break — the one that involves a bone.

That made the championships they won during Day One of the Class 4A District 4 championships Monday just a little sweeter.

Reese, a senior at Mountain View, won the javelin with a personal-best throw of 193 feet, 11 inches. Reese didn’t think he’d have that opportunity when he fractured his wrist midway through football season.

“It has been a journey,” Reese said. “My first thought when I broke it was ‘I’m going to miss track season.’ “

He underwent surgery in October and wasn’t cleared to throw until mid-February. Surprisingly, he felt strong from the beginning of the season.

“It was like I never stopped,” he said.

Reese can now turn his focus toward the state meet. His javelin toss of 193-11 is the third-farthest 4A mark this season.

Blackman, a senior from Battle Ground, won both the javelin and shot put Monday.

She too wasn’t sure what the track season would hold. She was diagnosed with a compression fracture in the top of her foot just as the season began in March.

She was able to throw with a walking boot earlier in the season. Only now does Blackman feel like she’s regaining the form that saw her place third in shot and fifth in javelin at last year’s state meet.

Monday, Blackman threw season-bests of 128-10 in the javelin and 40-2½ in the shot put. She credits her positive attitude with helping her bounce back from the injury.

“I’ve just been very positive this season,” Blackman said. “Knowing that I’m going to come back and compete against the best has been a good feeling.”

Finals in 11 events were held Monday at McKenzie Stadium. This year’s district meet has taken on added weight.

In previous years, the top three finishers in each event qualified for the bi-district meet. This year, with no bi-district meet, the top two finishers advance directly to the state meet, which is May 28-30 in Tacoma.

For some athletes, that extra pressure brought out their best.

Skyview’s Kaden Harbertson won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 18.47 seconds — a personal best by 4½ seconds.

But Harbertson was just as excited about his teammate and close friend Mason Scheidel, who ran a personal best by 10 seconds to finish second in 4:19.44.

“I’m so excited we’re both headed to state,” Harbertson said. “Right at the 200 mark, I saw Mason on my right shoulder. I said ‘we can go, we can do this and go one-two.’ That’s exactly what we did.”

While Harbertson still had springs in his steps, Scheidel spent a few minutes lying on the infield turf telling his coaches, “I’m so tired.”

Scheidel said having Harbertson in the race helped him pull away from Camas brothers Yacine and Said Guermali, who finished third and fourth, respectively.

“You’re not alone out there,” Scheidel said. “Your best friend is hurting right along with you.”

Camas teammates Alissa Pudlitzke and Emma Jenkins also helped each other race to state. They ran shoulder-to-shoulder for most of the 3,200 before Pudlitzke pulled away to win 10:51.79.

Evergreen’s Tupre Wickliff cleared 6-feet-6 to win the high jump, two inches higher than he had ever cleared.

Wickliff is peaking in the high jump at the right time. Only within the past two weeks did he match his best mark from last season of 6-4.

“I started off hitting six-two, but then kind of got stuck,” Wickliff said. “I wanted to finally pass six-four. I’m happy I got it today.”

Wickliff and Skyview’s Peyton Fredrickson, who has cleared 6-10, both cleared 6-6 Monday. But Wickliff won since he needed one jump to clear that height, while Fredrickson needed three.

The district meet concludes Tuesday at McKenzie Stadium.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Class 4A District Meet

At McKenzie Stadium

Day 1 Finals

Top two qualify for state

Team scores — Skyview 53, Mountain View 14, Evergreen 13, Camas 8, Union 7, Battle Ground 6, Heritage 4.

1600 — 1, Kaden Harbertson (S) 4:18.47; 2, Mason Scheidel (S) 4:19.44; 3, Yacine Guermali (C) 4:22.03.

Javelin — 1, Lexington Reese (MV) 193-11; 2, Brad Decker (S) 173-1; 3, Costel David (E) 170-4.

High jump — 1, Tupre Wickliff (E) 6-6; 2, Peyton Fredrickson (S) 6-6; 3, Aaron Yewman (S) 6-5.

Shot put — 1, Conner Jensen (S) 53-2; 2, Ethan Tonder (MV) 50-4; 3, Bailey King (U) 49-5.5.

Triple jump — 1, Marcus Lord (S) 43-2.5; 2, Joseph Carroll (BG) 42-6.25; 3, Alec Dronen (S) 42-4.25.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Class 4A District Meet

At McKenzie Stadium

Day 1 Finals

Top two qualify for state

Team scores — Camas 44, Battle Ground 32, Union 28, Skyview 16, Heritage 5.

3200 — 1, Alissa Pudlitzke (C) 10:51.79; 2, Emma Jenkins (C) 11:07.20; 3, Allie Connell (U) 11:46.43.

800 relay — 1, Union (Makayla Woods, Kennedy Breier, Jai’lyn Merriweather, Dai-lyn Merriweather) 1:42.37; 2, Camas (Tamaki Murata, Karsyn Quade Rachel Gray, Jordan Davis) 1:44.12; 3, Heritage (Emily Anderson, Angelica Nichols, Aleasha Wallace, Jewell Paden) 1:46.58.

Pole vault — 1, Caleigh Lofstead (C) 12-0; 2, Laura Shannon (BG) 10-9.5; 3, Jacinda Rose (S) 10-6.

Triple jump — 1, Emily Wilson (U) 35-2; 2, Nicole Carlson (U) 33-10; 3, Emily Duong (BG) 32-9.75.

Shot put — 1, Jossilyn Blackman (BG) 40-2.5; 2, Nicole Corbett (C) 37-3; 3, Mirella Kalani (S) 35-0.

Javelin — 1, Jossilyn Blackman (BG) 128-10; 2, Emily Griffith (BG) 111-05; 3, Nicole Corbett (C) 109-9.