State track: Maton repeats as 4A boys 1600 champion

TACOMA — No doubt, Daniel Maton says: he feels the pressure of being a defending Class 4A state champion.

A two-time defending champion, in fact.

“I was really nervous; it’s terrible,” the Camas High junior said. “People expect more out of you and high expectations. You’ve got to push harder and people expect you to go faster.”

Faster, Maton did Thursday in the 4A boys 1,600 meters event final as part of the opening day of the 4A/3A/2A state track and field championships. His winning time of 4 minutes, 7.50 seconds at Mount Tahoma High School beats his previous-best time of 4:11.24 he ran to win last year’s state title.

And his 4:07.50 time was awesome, he said.

“I knew it’d be fast,” he said. “I knew they’d make hard moves all race.”

The “they” who Maton speaks of are Issaquah’s Luke George, who finished runner-up to Maton Thursday and led for three laps and Mount Si’s Joe Waskom. All three raced last month’s Elite Mile at the Nike/Jesuit Relays, a race Maton won in 4:08.13.

That’s how he knew Thursday would be no different.

“I just wanted a fast last lap,” Maton said.

In fact, that final lap is when Maton made his move to overtake George as the race leader to eventually win his third state title. He’ll go for a fourth Saturday in the 800 should he get past Friday’s preliminaries.

Did Mason fulfill those lofty expectations others have set?

“I think so,” he said. “I hope so.”

While Maton defended his title, teammate Madison Peffers, the 2017 4A girls high jump champion, couldn’t be happier with her third-place mark matching a near-best 5-6, and a height that won her last year’s title.

That’s because two weeks ago at districts, the Camas senior only managed to clear 4 feet 10, which placed her fourth and one spot out of the top-three qualifiers for bi-districts.

But teammate Lucy George’s actions led to Peffers’ second chance. George, the 4A district high jump winner, scratched out of the event at bi-districts which let Peffers in.

Redemption time for Peffers.

“I’m definitely so thankful for that,” Peffers said. “For me, it was more of  ‘I’m going to win this thing for Lucy and I.’ ”

That win came at the bi-district meet clearing 5-6, one inch off her personal-best jump of 5-7 achieved earlier this spring. Thursday, she cleared 5-6 on her first attempt and she called reaching the podium for a second straight year “unreal”, especially where she was this time two weeks ago.

“It didn’t matter if I was going to win the meet or not,” she said. “It was I could come back from being so low and get back to that height again. It was more of a mental victory and in my head, I won.”

Columbia River’s Lucy Ianello felt like a winner, too, in her fourth-place finish in the 2A girls 1600 final. Just a freshman, not only did her time of 5:02.47 break future Washington State runner Allison Grant’s school record time from 2010 (5:04), Ianello ran a personal-best time by 12 seconds despite a hip that’s less than 100 percent.

Twelve. Seconds.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Ianello said after the race.

On the third lap, Ianello — the race’s lone freshman — climbed into to fourth and attempting to keep pace with the leaders in a fast-paced field — eventual winner, Gracie Long of Port Angeles and Kristen Garcia of Sedro-Woolley — went in Ianello’s favor.

“I felt like me trying to catch them,” she said, “made me go faster.”

Washougal’s Amelia Pullen placed 14th. Ianello also will run in Friday’s 800 prelim.

AROUND THE TRACK: Five area hurdlers reached Friday’s 100/110 hurdles: Camas’ Lucy George (4A girls), Hockinson’s Alyssa Chapin (2A girls), Prairie’s Valerie Schmidt and Katherine Kadrmas (3A girls) and Woodland’s Tyler Flanagan (2A boys). … All 1600 races were final Thursday. In addition to Ianello’s fourth-place time in 2A, Fort Vancouver’s Emily Phelps (5:05.34) and Prairie’s Meri Dunford (5:08.85) were sixth and ninth, respectively at 3A. Camas’ Emma Jenkins placed sixth in 4A (4:58.83), one of seven runners to clock sub-5-minute times. On the boys side, Ridgefield’s August Albers placed ninth in 2A (4:25.91). … Defending 2A girls high jump champion Sarah Retter of Woodland placed ninth (5-0). Teammate Nicole Guthrie tied for fourth (5-2) and Columbia River’s Giovanna Rhodes was seventh at 5-2 by number of misses. … Prairie javelin thrower Malaika Quigley’s personal-best throw of 113-7 placed her seventh in 3A. … Two Clark County boys field-event athletes placed fifth in their events: Washougal’s Tanner Lees (2A pole vault, 13-6) and Union’s Cody Laxson (4A long jump, 22-6.75). Laxson has the top seed mark for Friday’s 4A triple jump competition.

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GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

State track and field

At Mount Tahoma Stadium, Tahoma

Thursday’s results (event winner and locals)

Class 4A

High jump – 1, Emily DuFour (Eastmont), 5-8; 3, Madison Peffers (Camas), 5-6

Discus – 1, Jordan Fong (Kentlake), 137-7; 11, Maggie Wells (Camas), 112-9

100 hurdles (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Alaina Brady (Tahoma), 14.50; 6, Lucy George (Camas), 14.79

800 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Tahoma 1:41.40

1600 – 1, Sami Corman (Issaquah), 4:50.76; 5, Emma Jenkins (Camas), 4:58.83; 14, Halle Jenkins (Camas), 5:14.64

1600 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Issaquah 3:51.95; 11, Union 4:04.25; 13, Skyview 4:07.96

Class 3A

Javelin – 1, Carlie Gilbert (Bellevue), 127-7; 7, Malaika Quigley (Prairie), 113-4

Triple jump – 1, Lyric Harris (Garfield), 38-2.50; 11, Reymi Shelton (Evergreen), 34-9.50

100 hurdles (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Phoebe Salowey (Ingraham), 15.18; 7, Katherine Kadrmas (Mountain View), 15.87; 8, Valerie Schmidt (Prairie), 15.88; 14, Bayley Norwood (Fort Vancouver), 17.20

800 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Mercer Island 1:43.70

1600 – 1, Allie Janke (North Central), 4:55.48; 6, Emily Phelps (Fort Vancouver), 5:05.34; 9, Meri Dunford (Prairie), 5:08.85

1600 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Mercer Island 3:56.24; 11, Prairie 4:07.85

Class 2A

High jump – 1, Yareli Ochoa (Lakewood), 5-4; 4T, Nichole Guthrie (Woodland), 5-2; 7, Giovanna Rhoads (Columbia River), 5-2; 9, Sarah Retter (Woodland), 5-0

Discus – 1, Mayyi Mahama (Pullman), 147-1; 9, Kiersten De La Rocha (Washougal), 106-0

100 hurdles (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Tia Hill (Ellensburg), 15.08; 7, Alyssa Chapin (Hockinson); 15, Kiki Kallie (Washougal), 16.88

800 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Cheney 1:43.76

1600 – 1, Gracie Long (Port Angeles), 4:58.72; 4, Lucy Ianello (Columbia River), 5:02.47; 14, Amelia Pullen (Washougal), 5:17.87

1600 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Anacortes 4:00.62; 16, Woodland 4:25.56

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Class 4A

Shot put – 1, Joey Jensen (Issaquah), 57-8.25; 10, David MacDonald (Union), 47-8.50

Long jump – 1, Da’Vicious Wilson (Bothell), 23-7.75; 5, Cody Laxson (Union), 22-6.75

100 hurdles (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Koby Okezie (Todd Beamer), 14.51

1600 – 1, Daniel Maton (Camas), 4:07.50; 11, David Connell (Camas), official time not available.

1600 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – Official placings, times not available.

Class 3A

Triple jump – 1, Elijah Jackson (Chief Sealth), 46-4.75

Shot put – 1, Joshiah Vailo (Wilson), 55-1.25; 10, Angel Terry (Hudson’s Bay), 47-6.25

Ambulatory shot put – 3, Lincoln Glick (Fort Vancouver), 21-8.50

100 hurdles (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Jurrian Hering (Gig Harbor), 14.67; 15, Caleb Sagert (Prairie), 15.85

1600 – 1, James Mwaura (Lincoln), 4:08.52

1600 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Nathan Hale 3:24.47; 15, Prairie 3:34.27

Class 2A

Pole vault – 1, Kameron Kinkade (Pullman), 14-6; 5T, Tanner Lees (Washougal), 13-6

Long jump – 1, Iyan Manju (Bellingham), 21-6.25

Javelin – 1, Nicholas Oesterling (Bellingham), 190-8; 13, Bailey Jones (Hockinson), 155-2

100 hurdles (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Tyrell Edge (Franklin Pierce), 14.92; 7, Tyler Flanagan (Woodland), 15.95; 16, Isaac Hall (Woodland), 17.07

1600 – 1, Daniel Callahan (Selah), 4:18.80; 9, August Albers (Ridgefield), 4:25.91

1600 relay (prelims; top 8 to finals) – 1, Cheney 3:22.49