STATE TRACK & FIELD DAY 1: Sequim’s Jolene Vaara earns 2nd in long jump; East Jefferson’s Aliyah Yearian is 2nd in 1,600

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 26, 2023

TACOMA — Two record-setting North Olympic Peninsula prep athletes performers finished high atop their respective podiums at the state track & field championships Thursday night.

Sequim junior Jolene Vaara earned second place in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 3.25 inches. Vaara set a new school record in the long jump earlier this season (17-1.25). She finished behind Bellingham’s Chayse Flick-Williams (17-7), the defending state champion in the long jump and 100-meters.

Vaara will compete in the high jump this morning. She is seeded second overall in that event.

East Jefferson junior Aliyah Yearian set a personal record time while earning second place in the girls 1,600-meter run at the Class 1A State Track & Field Championship at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima.

Yearian finished the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 2.33 seconds, just behind Seton Catholic’s Alexis Leone who set a personal best of her own in 4:59.3.

Yearian, who was named a WIAA Athlete of the Week for her three-win performance at the West Central District 3 Championships, will compete in the 800 and 3,200 races today and is seeded highly in both events.

Port Townsend schoolmate Camryn Hines finished 14th in the 1,600 (5:34.49) and in the boys 1,600, Sebastian Manza was 20th (4:44.37).

Port Angeles’ Parker Nickerson and Jack Gladfelter earned two top-eight finishes in other early action.

Gladfelter set a season record in his last 1,600-meter race as the senior placed eighth in 4 minutes, 22.28 seconds.

The Corban University track and cross country commit will run in the 3,200 and cap a sterling high school career today at 1:40 p.m.

Nickerson finished seventh in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 3.75 inches as the junior earned his first state place.

Sequim sophomore Andrew Brown cleared 6 feet in the high jump to earn seventh place.

Class 1B and 2B

Forks’ juniors Nate Dahlgren (119-10) and Walker Rondeau (109-04) placed 14th and 15th respectively, in the javelin in the Class 2B competition.

Neah Bay junior Ryana Moss finished fifth in the 1B girls 1,600 meters in 5:46.27.

Crescent freshman Naomii Sprague ended up ninth in the long jump (14-6.25).

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Contact Sports reporter Michael Carman at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.