State Track & Field, Day 1: South Sound emerges in 1600M finals, 100M prelims
Amin Fidaar of Rogers High School had the final stretch of Thursday’s 4A Boys 1600M run all to himself when an unexpected challenger appeared in the senior’s rearview mirror: Olympia’s Quenton Lanese, a freshman who wasn’t going to fade quietly.
Suddenly, the pair were shoulder-to-shoulder in the final 50 meters. And though it required a photo-finish to crown a gold medalist at the WIAA State Track & Field meet, Fidaar never gave up the ground.
“The freshman [Lanese] was insane,” Fidaar said after claiming the 4A Boys title by two-hundredths of a second. “He gave me (a) challenge.”
In a show for the packed house at Mount Tahoma, Fidaar (4:04.57) and Lanese’s (4:04.59) shootout featured the two fastest 4A mile times recorded in state meet history. Both bested Carl Moe’s (Auburn Riverside) record that stood since 2003, along with the 4:04.77 all-time mark set by Lakes’ Izaic Yorks (3A) in 2012.
Anacortes’ Dylan Rowell ran the fastest mile in state meet history (4:03.65) regardless of classification Thursday, clearing the 2A Boys field by nearly nine seconds.
Central Kitsap’s Mana Voss (4:06.55) added another South Sound mile title, prevailing by one hundredth of a second in the 3A Boys 1600M run over Shorewood’s Max Billett (4:06.56).
BONNEY LAKE’S WEST WINS 1600M, SETS SCHOOL RECORD
Latham West set two goals ahead of Day 1 of the WIAA state meet, where she was among the favorites to claim the 4A Girls 1,600-meter dash at Mount Tahoma:
- Break the 4-minute, 50-second barrier for the first time.
- Win.
Alone on the final stretch, West realized both were within reach.
“I could see the finish line and saw the time, and thought, ‘Oh my God,’” she said. “It feels absolutely amazing. Words cannot describe how bad I wanted this.”
Perhaps to avoid toppling over in exhaustion, the Bonney Lake senior quickly spotted her parents and head coach behind the finish line’s boundary fence for well-earned hugs. It was more than a state title and personal-best — it was an all-time Panthers program record (4:48.99) with a winning margin of nearly two and a half seconds.
“I’ve been working for this for so long,” West told The News Tribune. “I’ve had some disappointments. I’ve never thought of myself as a mile runner… but I was out there to have a race plan and just enact it today, and it worked.”
BALLARD, FERGUSON HEADLINE 100M PRELIMS
Class 4A’s fastest man is one step closer to cementing his crown.
Spanaway Lake’s Dwight Ballard cruised through Thursday’s preliminary rounds of the 4A Boys 100M Dash at the WIAA State Track & Field championships, punching his ticket for Saturday’s final at Mount Tahoma High School.
Ballard, a senior, owns the state’s fastest 100-meter time in any classification this spring, posting 10.51 seconds at the 36th gearUP Easton Invitational in Snohomish on April 25. He won the third of four preliminary heats in Tacoma on Thursday afternoon with a 10.92.
“I’ve got to thank Jesus,” Ballard said. “And my coaches, the players around me, and just all the relationships I’ve built through this sport have all helped me get where I’m at. I’ve got to give all thanks to them.”
Would you believe it’s his first full year running track for the Sentinels? Ballard participated in just one track meet for Spanaway Lake in 2025, then caught 15 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown at wide receiver for the football team last fall.
When Ballard told head football coach Cameron Robak of his intention to run full-time this year, he gave the speedster an offseason training program to fill the gap.
“Now we’re here,” Ballard smiled.
Up next? The 100M Dash finals, scheduled for approximately 11:25 a.m. at Mount Tahoma on Saturday.
“It’d be amazing to come out here on Saturday and have another (strong) run,” Ballard said. “It’d be amazing.”
Sumner’s Izear Ferguson, the 4A District 3/4 champion at Kent-Meridian High School last weekend, posted the meet’s fastest preliminary 4A time (10.83 seconds) Thursday. Spartans sprinter Braylon Pope, a UW football commit, qualified for Saturday’s final alongside Ferguson with a 10.97.
“Just working hard, competing with my guys at practice,” Ferguson said. “Making sure there’s no off-days, just keeping us all motivated and ready to go. Working hard in the weight room, on the track, just making sure there’s no off-days.”
In Class 2A, Tumwater’s Jaxon Budd prevailed in the fourth of five preliminary heats, posting a 10.89 and securing a lane in Saturday’s final. The T-Birds senior added a gold medal in Thursday’s 2A Boys Long Jump, setting an all-time state meet record (24-2).
“Can’t wait to get in the finals and see what I can do,” Budd said after his 100-meter dash. “I’m just staying focused at practice, just working hard. Building a good bond with the teammates, all that stuff.
“I’m just mentally really focused in.”
Clover Park senior Elvis Kariuki won the second of five preliminary Class 2A heats (10.95), the fourth-fastest 2A time Thursday afternoon.
“I’ve worked for it,” Kariuki told The News Tribune. “My sophomore year, I wasn’t fast. I used to imagine myself at state, but I didn’t give up on myself. I (knew) I’d get there, and now we’re here.”
Here’s a complete list of South Sound qualifiers for Saturday’s 100M Dash finals:
4A BOYS — Izear Ferguson, Sumner; Dwight Ballard, Spanaway Lake; Romeo Cabansag III, Kentwood; Braylon Pope, Sumner; Wesley Isenberger, Rogers
4A GIRLS — Frankie Skipper, Curtis; Iren Derricks, Emerald Ridge
3A BOYS — JoMierre Askew-Poirier, Lincoln; Cannon Howard, Silas; Ramon Jones, Lincoln
3A GIRLS — Eva Carlson, Silas; Ania Samya Condry, Mount Tahoma; Beatriz Silva Navarro, Bellarmine Prep
2A BOYS — Jaxon Budd, Tumwater; Elvis Kariuki, Clover Park
2A GIRLS — Ashlyn Hufana, Tumwater
MEET NOTES
- Spanaway Lake’s Kayla Williams took home the gold in the 4A Girls Triple Jump (41-2.5). Sumner’s Savannah Ferencz finished runner-up (38-6.25) and Curtis’ Jazzlyn-Rei Smith finished third (37-10.5).
- Liberty of Issaquah’s Sutton Flint set a state meet record in the 3A Boys 110M Hurdles in Thursday’s preliminaries (13.82 seconds).
- Nathan Hale’s Kela Noji shattered a 28-year-old state meet record in the 2A Girls 100M Dash preliminaries (11.80), taking down Alexis Yeater of Steilacoom’s 11.95 mark from 1998.
- Sehome’s Kjirsten Ludeman posted a new state meet record in the 2A 1600M run (4:49.33).
- Bainbridge’s 2A Girls 4x200 Relay (Ollie Tietje, Ema Delecki, Maya Zick, Catherine Torrell) set a state meet record (1:40.70) in Thursday’s preliminaries. West Valley of Spokane’s 2A Girls 4x400 Relay also set an all-time mark (3:55.07).
TEAM LEADERS
4A BOYS — Olympia (20), Mead (18), Issaquah (10), Rogers (10)
4A GIRLS — Sumner (11), Wenatchee (11), Bonney Lake (10), Curtis (10), Mead (10), Spanaway Lake (10)
3A BOYS — Shorewood (24), Central Valley (15), Central Kitsap (10)
3A GIRLS — Mercer Island (21), Gig Harbor (12), Mount Spokane (11)
2A BOYS — Anacortes (16), Tumwater (13), Washougal (13)
2A GIRLS — Sehome (28), Tumwater (11), Cedarcrest (10), Selah (10)
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 8:52 PM.
