Ketchikan’s Jason Lorig and East Anchorage’s Olyvia Mamae
10.69 seconds.
That’s what it took to win the Region V Track and Field Championships.
Meet record, school record, personal record, and the fastest time by an Alaskan high school boy, ever, regardless of conditions.
Ketchikan sophomore Jason Lorig blazed to the jaw-dropping mark at Thunder Mountain’s track in Juneau, surpassing the all-time state mark of 10.76 seconds set by East’s Colton Herman in 2019.
And while no wind reading was recorded, Lorig will get another chance to rewrite history at the ASAA/First National Bank of Alaska Track & Field State Championships this week, challenging Herman’s official state meet record of 10.86 seconds.
The Kayhi King doubled back to take gold in the 200 (22.98), silver in the long jump (19 feet, 8.5 inches) and ran a leg on the runner-up 4×100 relay.
Another multi-winner from the Southeast was none other than Sitka’s Clare Mullin.
The sophomore sped to the state-leading time of 2:18.27 in the 800, a season-best of 5:16.50 in the 1600, and ran a leg on the winning 4×400 relay, in addition to placing third in the long jump. The four-time state champion looks primed to set the pace and defend a few of her state titles this week.
More history was made at the Region IV Championships.
A’lante Owens-Player
Bartlett’s A’lante Owens-Player hopped, skipped, and jumped his way to 45 feet, 0.25 inches in the triple jump.
The mark not only extended his undefeated reign in the event to 15 consecutive meets — dating back to the spring of 2022 — but was a lifetime best by nearly eight inches.
Owens-Player becomes just the ninth Alaskan to surpass the 45-foot barrier in high school, ranking No. 8 all-time. The Bartlett Golden Bear also added a fifth-place showing in the long jump and competed in the preliminary heats of the 200.
East Anchorage boys ran within a hundredth of a second of the state record in the 4×100 relay, set by Bartlett in 2018. The T-Birds’ time of 43.25 seconds ranks No. 2 all-time in Alaska prep history, while runner-up Chugiak clocked the No. 4 time in 43.40 seconds.
Eagle River’s AJ Szewczyk maintained his efficient form, winning both the 110 hurdles (15.74) and 300 hurdles (42.22), in addition to placing top six in the 100 and 200.
AJ Szewczyk
Szewczyk, who is the defending state champion in the 300-meter hurdles, is also the No. 8 performer in the 110-meter hurdles (14.67) among Alaska prep athletes. The Wolves junior has remained undefeated in both hurdle events this season.
East’s Olyvia Mamae continued her dominant season, with another triple crown. The T-Bird senior, who ranks No. 5 in Alaska prep history for the 100 hurdles (14.97), cruised to victories in the 100 (13.26), 200 (26.98), and 100 hurdles (15.27). Mamae has remained undefeated among Alaska competition in all three events this season.
Chugiak’s Campbell Peterson added two more region titles to her resume, by winning the 3200 (11:23.10) and 1600 (5:22.19) in convincing fashion. The senior also finished runner-up in the 800 (2:25.07) to teammate Addison Capozzi (2:24.51).
The Mustangs were able to celebrate the girls team title, after winning the middle distance, long distance, and high jump events, while also collecting three of the four relay titles. Their school record of 9:39.70 in the 4×800 relay, run earlier in the season, is the sixth-fastest time in Alaska prep history.
Region III
Region III featured a variety of showdowns amid top talent in small and large schools.
Seamus McDonough
Homer’s Seamus McDonough took the top spot in the 3200 (9:31.64) and 1600 (4:27.00), followed closely by Grace Christian’s David Sliwinski, Robbie Annett, and ACS’ Preston Merchant in both races.
The 800 featured similar competitors, while Kenai’s Gregory Fallon, the defending state champion, edged McDonough for the win, running personal bests of 1:59.46 and 1:59.56 — the top two times in the state this season.
Colony’s Matthew Rongitsch and Ella Hopkins pulled off distance triple crowns.
Matthew Rongitsch
Rongitsch, a senior, repeated as region champion in the 3200 (9:43.05) and 1600 (4:25.00), in addition to winning the 800 (2:00.87), while sophomore teammate Ella Hopkins defended her 800 title (2:27.61), adding the 1600 (5:22.04) and 3200 (11:58.00) crowns to her accolades.
Soldotna swept the girls relays, while Kenai’s Emma Beck extended her state lead by over two feet in the discus (123 feet, 1 inch).
REGION VI
Region VI continued with a historic mark in the field events.
West Valley’s Alex Emers, the defending state champion in the high jump, soared to victory and a school record of 6 feet, 7 inches, becoming the No. 7 performer in Alaska prep history. The mark is the highest clearance by a prep since Bartlett’s Bryce Hellman (6 feet, 8 inches) in 2016.
The Lathrop Malemutes had a strong showing, sweeping the girls relays and jumps to capture the team title, while West Valley took the short sprints and long-distance events.
Taylor Eddington
Division III cross country champion Taylor Eddington of Tri-Valley was a quadruple winner at the Region II Championships, sprinting to victory in the 100 (13.27), 200 (27.90), long jump (15 feet, 2.75 inches), and ran a leg on the winning 4×100 relay, while Ninilchik’s Adelyn McCorison threw the shot put to the second-best distance in the state this season (36 feet, 10.5 inches).
Anderson’s Robert Price and Kenneth Larsen became their school’s first track and field state qualifiers in 14 years, with strong marks in the shot put and discus. The town of 170 residents is located in the Denali Borough, 75 miles southwest of Fairbanks.
The ASAA/First National Bank of Alaska Track and Field Championships are slated for May 26-27 at Palmer High School.