Izzy Kizer
Valdez’s Izzy Kizer saved her best performance for when it mattered most, producing personal bests and collecting medals in all three events she competed in at the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska State Track & Field Championships in Palmer.
The sophomore leaped to a massive mark to win the long jump, edged the competition in the 100, and ran a phenomenal anchor for the third place 4×100.
On day one, Kizer ran to a personal best in the 100 (13.01), ranking her third going into the finals. After beginning her season at the Russ Edwards Big C Relays and competing at sizable meets throughout the season, Kizer was adequately prepared for her second appearance at the Big Dance.
The Buccaneer lined up with seven of the top girls in the state, going stride-for-stride with the leaders in a spectacular race, finishing in 13.09 seconds — the top three competitors were separated by one-tenth of a second.
In the long jump, Kizer flew to the lead on her first jump, soaring to 16 feet, 6.75 inches and setting her second personal best of the meet. The mark improved her former best by over three inches and would end up being the top mark across both divisions at the state meet.
With clean handoffs and strong competition, the Buccaneers flew around the oval in a season-best time (53.44), finishing behind Kenai Central (52.46) and Tri-Valley (52.91) for bronze.
Girls Division II 200m Finals. Photo by Peter Pounds.
Tri-Valley sisters McKinley and Taylor Eddington assembled some remarkable performances, after running to top times in school history. McKinley won the 100 hurdles (16.56), finished runner-up in the 300 hurdles (47.41) and 4×100, and placed fifth in the 100. Taylor, who won the Division III cross country title last fall, impressed in the short sprints with runner-up finishes in the 100 (13.12), 200 (26.82), and 4×100.
Grace Christian’s Brennyn Edwards added three medals to her career count. The senior, who won the 200 and 400 back in 2021 along with podium finishes in the 100 and long jump, rebounded after missing the state meet her junior year. Edwards stormed to victory in the 200 (26.54) and 4×200 (1:51.32), while placing third in the 100 (13.19) and ninth in the long jump.
Ourea Busk
Perhaps one of the most inspiring performances was Unalakleet’s Ourea Busk, who became the first track and field state champion in school history after winning the 400 (1:01.22).
The freshman burst onto the scene last fall, finishing third at the Division III cross country state meet. Busk, who has been a force in her region since sixth grade, made her track and field debut this season. Her inaugural mark in the 400 at the Palmer Invitational qualified for the state championships, and after leading the preliminary heats, the state final was just Busk’s fourth official race at the distance. The freshman won her first state title like a veteran, starting strong and gradually pulling away from the competition in the home stretch, etching her name into Alaska and Unalakleet history.
Sitka was stronger than ever, going 1-2-3 in the 1,600, finishing 1-2 in the 800, and winning the 3,200. Clare Mullin, the defending state champion, led the contingent in the 1,600 (5:21.87), followed by Anna Prussian and Marina Dill. Mullin also repeated in the 800 (2:24.85), where Dill finished runner-up.
Prussian, the Division II champion in cross country, secured her first state titles on the track in the 3,200 (12:12.59) and 4×800 (10:43.16), while leading off in the 4×400 that finished runner-up. Teammate Ada Parker added a decisive win in the triple jump (32 feet, 6.5 inches) to secure her first state title.
The Sitka girls captured the team title with 115 points, while Kenai Central finished runner-up with 88 points.
Homer’s Brightly Thoning won the high jump (4 feet, 10 inches) in a personal best, while the Mariners also took home the 4×400 (4:18.69).
Redington’s Alexia Pike earned top honors in the discus (119 feet, 9 inches), improving by a staggering ten feet, while ACS’ Jieaya Siatini secured the win in the shot put (36 feet, 10 inches), achieving a four-foot personal best.
Reagan Graves
On the boys side, Kenai Central’s Reagan Graves closed out his senior campaign with four medals, earning wins in the 200, 4×100, and 4×200, in addition to finishing runner-up in the 100.
Graves clocked the top times in the short sprints on day one, making him the favorite for the finals. In a close battle for first, Delta Junction’s LJ Clark edged the Kardinal, 11.37 to 11.45 seconds, respectively.
Less than an hour later, Graves was back on the podium after anchoring his team to gold in the 4×200 (1:35.97). The same teammates returned for victory again, this time in the 4×100 (45.70).
While Graves had already competed five times over two days, he made his final race one to remember, speeding to the top spot in the 200 (23.29), clocking a personal best in the process.
Before this year, Graves’ best finish at a state meet was seventh. This year, the veteran Kardinal improved drastically, slicing 0.58 seconds from his time in the 100 and 1.4 seconds in the 200. The consistency led to stronger races and running under 12 seconds in all ten of his races — a time he had only eclipsed once prior to this year — demonstrating that hard work and patience can eventually pay off.
Seamus McDonough
In the distance events, it was Homer’s Seamus McDonough who secured his first state title in the 3200 (9:28.34) in a sit-and-kick style race over Grace Christian’s David Sliwinski, after being second fiddle on three previous occasions. McDonough scored his second title of the meet running a leg on the 4×400 (3:32.43) — a school record for the Mariners. And while he finished with a pair of runner-up showings on day two, the senior also broke the school record in the 1,600, which had stood for 43 years.
Grace Christian’s Robbie Annett ran the race of his life, upsetting the pre-race favorites to win the 800 (2:00.53) and 1,600 (4:24.67), setting personal bests in both events. The sophomore also placed fourth in the 3,200 and ran a leg on the runner-up 4×400.
The Grace Christian boys amassed 105 points to claim the team title, while Sitka and Homer tied for second place with 81 points.
Grace Christian’s Robbie Annett edges Homer’s Seamus McDonough in the 800m Finals. Photo by Peter Pounds.
Teammate Geremu Daggett earned his first state title in the 110 hurdles (15.83), in addition to placing runner-up in the 300 hurdles (41.43) and 4×400. Thrower Charlie Beck reigned in the ring, improving by nine places from last season to win the discus (135 feet, 1 inch) and secure bronze in the shot put.
ACS’ Nolan Warren defended his title in the 300 hurdles (41.32), while Sitka cruised to victory in the 4×800 (8:39.64).
Ben Eielson’s Niko Alvarado took top honors in the 400 (51.78), while also finishing runner-up in the 200 (23.45), setting personal bests in both events.
Petersburg’s Hendrik Cumps was a double winner, collecting titles in the long jump (19 feet, 0.75 inches) and triple jump (40 feet, 7.75 inches), setting an 11-inch personal best in the latter.
Nikiski’s Truit McCaughey won the shot put in decisively (45 feet, 6 inches), while Hutchison’s Zane Robinson tied his personal best en route to victory in the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches).
View full meet results here.