ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Aliyah Yearian, Ellise Gardner, East Jefferson track and field

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 30, 2023

East Jefferson’s Aliyah Yearian and Ellise Gardner were both a big part of the Rivals girls finishing sixth as a team at this weekend’s 1A state track and field championships.

Yearian, who specializes in distance events, was the District 2/3 champion in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 two weeks ago.

At the state meet in Yakima, she had a personal-record time in the 800 to finish second in 2 minutes, 16.63 seconds. She uncorked another personal record in the 1,600 in 5:02.33 to pick up another second place. She completed her meet by finishing second in the 3,200, earning 24 team points for the Rivals.

Yearian had 11 first-place finishes this season for East Jefferson and will be back next year as a senior.

Gardner specializes in the javelin. This year she had seven first-place finishes in the javelin, including a district championship. She threw a personal-best 119 feet, 1 inch at state to finish second. That bettered her previous best by 6½ feet. She also is back next year for the Rivals.

Athletes of the Week is sponsored by Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles.