Juneau-Douglas High School senior Tim McKenna, third from right, and junior Dalton Hoy, far right, round the second turn in the 800-meter run on Friday at the Capital Invitational track and field meet at TMHS. (Richard McGrail | Juneau Empire)

Juneau-Douglas High School senior Tim McKenna, third from right, and junior Dalton Hoy, far right, round the second turn in the 800-meter run on Friday at the Capital Invitational track and field meet at TMHS. (Richard McGrail | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain sweeps Capital Invite

The Thunder Mountain High School boys and girls won first place in the Capital Invitational track and field meet on Saturday at TMHS.

The Falcons boys scored 110 points to topple Ketchikan (108 points), Sitka (92 points) and Juneau-Douglas High School (66 points).

The TMHS girls led all teams with 152 points, edging Sitka (128 points), and JDHS (112 points).

TMHS coach Scott May sees a close Region V Championships meet (May 18-19, at TMHS) brewing between the three 4A boys teams.

“I think it’s anybody’s meet,” May said. “We were counting ourselves out at the beginning of the season but I think we have a chance and I think (JDHS) has a chance and I think Ketchikan has a chance.”

Here are some of the JDHS and TMHS highlights from this weekend’s meet.

Sprints

After running the seventh-fastest qualifying time in the 100-meter dash, JDHS junior Bailey Wery Tagaban came in second in the finals on Saturday. The junior reached the finish line in 13.72 seconds, just 0.02 seconds behind Skagway’s Jennifer Hansen.

TMHS’ Tzadi Hauck (13.85), Mary Neal Garcia (14.37) and Chayla Ault (14.46) finished fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Falcons senior Erick Whisenant won his second 100-meter dash of the season. Whisenant finished in first in 11.99 seconds, TMHS freshman Ali Beya was second in 12.04 seconds, and Ketchikan’s Lester Credito was third in 12.05 seconds.

Whisenant and Beya again went 1-2 in the 200-meter dash and only .06 seconds separated them this time.

TMHS senior Mikayla May came in second in the girls 200 behind Sitka junior Joei Vidad.

Distance

JDHS sophomore Sadie Tuckwood remained undefeated on the season in the 1600 and 3200-meter races. In the 1600 on Saturday, Tuckwood took the lead in the first 200 meters and lapped several runners en route to her 5 minutes, 21 seconds win. Fellow Crimson Bear sophomore Anna Iverson came in second and TMHS senior Erin Wallace came in third.

Tuckwood’s blistering 11:05 in the 3200 on Friday is the fastest in the state this season and the second-fastest in school history.

TMHS freshman Hannah Deer, Tuckwood’s biggest challenger in the 1600 last weekend, saved her energy for the 400 and 800-meter dashes.

In the 400, Deer and Sitka senior Tatum Bayne ran side-by-side over the final 200 meters, but Deer outkicked Bayne in the homestretch to win in 1:02.

“I had a lot of people rooting for me which is awesome and they told me, ‘The last 100, your legs are going to feel like Jell-O — but just push through it, don’t even think about it,’” Deer said.

The freshman apparently employed the same tactic in the 800-meter race later in the afternoon. Deer took the lead in the final 25 meters from Petersburg senior Erin Pfundt, clocking a 2:28.

Falcons teammate Josh McAndrews also shined in the 400 and 800: taking first in the 400 and second in the 800 meters.

“I feel like each race is repetition, so each race I get better,” said McAndrews, who is in his first season with the Falcons.

JDHS junior Arne Ellefson-Carnes won his second 1600-meter run of the season, putting on the jets just after rounding the first lap.

He said he wanted to pick up the pace early on after coming in third in the 3200 meters less than 24 hours earlier.

“I didn’t want the mile to come down to the last 400 meters,” Ellefson-Carnes said. “So I just didn’t ever want to be in a comfortable pace where you sprint the last 400. I decided I might as well try to take it here since I didn’t do place-wise as well as I wanted to do in the 32(00).”

The tactic paid off as Ellefson-Carnes maintained the lead for the rest of the race, winning in 4:42. Sitka’s Skyler McIntyre and Dominic Bociocco came in second and third, respectively. TMHS sophomore Tucker Kelly, JDHS junior Shadrach Stitz and Skagway junior Danny Brady finished all within a second of one another, each clocking a 4:51.

Hurdles/Throws/Jumps

Falcons junior Audrey Welling took first in the long jump with a jump of 14 feet, 8 inches. Welling was also first in the 100-meter hurdles and second in the 300-meter hurdles. Wery Tagaban won first in the triple jump.

Capital Invitational

Team Scores

Boys — 1) TMHS 110; 2) Ketchikan 108; 3) Sitka 92; 4) JDHS 66; 5) Petersburg 42; ) Thorne Bay 38; 7) Skagway 30; 8) Gustavus 20; 9) Haines 12.

Girls — 1) TMHS 152; 2) Sitka 128; 3) JDHS 112; 4) Petersburg 57; 5) Skagway 35; 6) Ketchikan 15; 7) Haines 10; 8) Gustavus 4.

Top-3 Results

Girls 100 Meter Dash — 1, Hansen, Jennifer, Skagway, 13.70. 2, Wery Tagaban, Bailey, JDHS, 13.72. 3, Clifton, Bailey, Sitka, 13.76.

Girls 200 Meter Dash — 1, Vidad, Joei, Sitka, 27.25. 2, May, Mikayla, TMHS, 28.92. 3, Hansen, Jennifer, Skagway, 29.37.

Girls 400 Meter Dash — 1, Deer, Hannah, TMHS, 1:02. 2, Bayne, Tatum, Sitka, 1:04. 3, Clifton, Bailey, Sitka, 1:05.

Girls 800 Meter Run — 1, Deer, Hannah, TMHS, 2:38. 2, Pfundt, Erin, Petersburg, 2:39. 3, McKenna, Katherine, JDHS, 2:43.17.

Girls 1600 Meter Run — 1, Tuckwood, Sadie, JDHS, 5:21. 2, Iverson, Anna, JDHS, 5:48. 3, Wallace, Erin, TMHS, 5:57.

Girls 3200 Meter Run — 1, Tuckwood, Sadie, JDHS, 11:05. 2, Cowan, Maia, Petersburg, 11:53. 3, Iverson, Anna, JDHS, 11:56.

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles — 1, Welling, Audrey, TMHS, 16.87. 2, Bartolaba, Haley, Sitka, 17.21. 3, Kranz, Madison, Sitka, 17.94.

Girls 300 Meter Hurdles — 1, Bartolaba, Haley, Sitka, 49.23. 2, Welling, Audrey, TMHS, 51.29. 3, Kranz, Madison, Sitka, 52.10.

Girls 4×100 Meter Relay — 1, Sitka, 55.17. 2, TMHS, 55.31. 3, JDHS, 55.63.

Girls 4×200 Meter Relay — 1, Sitka, 1:54. 2, TMHS, 1:58. 3, Skagway, 2:32.

Girls 4×400 Meter Relay — 1, Sitka, 4:35. 2, Ketchikan, 4:54. 3, TMHS, 4:59.

Girls 4×800 Meter Relay — 1, JDHS, 10:36. 2, Petersburg, 11:14. 3, Sitka, 11:56.

Girls High Jump — 1, Hansen, Jennifer, Skagway, 4-02. 2, Coonrad, Kendra, Petersburg, 4-02. 3, Sloan, Gabby, TMHS, 4-02. 4, Frayley, Ayah, JDHS, 4-02.

Girls Long Jump — 1, Welling, Audrey, TMHS, 14-08. 2, Garcia, Mary Khaye, TMHS, 14-00.25. 3, Kivisto, Kianna, Petersburg, 13-10.

Girls Triple Jump — 1, Wery Tagaban, Bailey, JDHS, 32-06. 2, Kivisto, Kianna, Petersburg, 32-00.75. 3, Hauck, Tzadi, TMHS, 30-09.

Girls Shot Put — 1, Kish, Ciara, TMHS, 28-10.25. 2, Olsen, Ashley, Sitka, 26-09.75. 3, Rehder, Trinity, JDHS, 26-01.25.

Girls Discus Throw — 1, Davis, Jessica, Sitka, 95-09. 2, Kish, Ciara, TMHS, 78-04. 3, Wheeler, Becca, Haines, 75-05.

Boys 100 Meter Dash — 1, Whisenant, Erick, TMHS, 11.99. 2, Beya, Ali, TMHS, 12.04.3, Credito, Lester, Ketchikan, 12.25.

Boys 200 Meter Dash — 1, Whisenant, Erick, TMHS, 24.72. 2, Beya, Ali, TMHS, 24.78.3, Goebel, Gavin, Skagway, 25.12.

Boys 400 Meter Dash — 1, McAndrews, Josh, TMHS, 55.44. 2, Beam, Bradey, TMHS, 56.56.3, Buxton, Tabor, Sitka, 56.81.

Boys 800 Meter Run — 1, Pate, Joseph, Sitka, 2:03. 2, McAndrews, Josh, TMHS, 2:11. 3, Brady, Danny, Skagway, 2:11.

Boys 1600 Meter Run — 1, Ellefson-Carnes, Arne, JDHS, 4:42. 2, McIntyre, Skyler, Sitka ,4:45. 3, Baciocco, Dominic, Sitka, 4:46.

Boys 3200 Meter Run — 1, Baciocco, Dominic, Sitka, 9:44. 2, McIntyre, Skyler, Sitka, 9:45. 3, Ellefson-Carnes, Arne, JDHS, 9:47.

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles — 1, Tripple, Titus, Thorne Bay, 16.62. 2, Taylor, Isaac, Petersburg, 17.91. 3, Carlson, Christopher, Ketchikan, 19.35.

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles — 1, Tripple, Titus, Thorne Bay, 43.41. 2, Suzuki, Shafer, TMHS, 46.06. 3, Credito, Ivers, Ketchikan, 47.16.

Boys 4×100 Meter Relay — 1, Ketchikan, 48.02. 2, JDHS, 48.51. 3, TMHS, 48.73.

Boys 4×200 Meter Relay — 1, TMHS, 1:40. 2, Thorne Bay, 1:46. 3, Ketchikan, 1:46.

Boys 4×400 Meter Relay — 1, Sitka, 3:47. 2, Ketchikan, 3:53. 3, TMHS, 4:02.

Boys 4×800 Meter Relay — 1, JDHS 8:51. 2, TMHS, 9:09. 3, Ketchikan, 9:34.

Boys High Jump — 1, Taylor, Isaac, Petersburg, 5-06. 2, Lass, Garrison, Sitka, 5-04. 3, Suzuki, Shafer, TMHS, 5-02. 4, Mathews, Hunter, Ketchikan, 5-02.

Boys Long Jump — 1, Luhr, Aiden, Petersburg, 18-08. 2, Dulay, Grant Alphege, Ketchikan ,18-01. 3, Dumag, Aedon, Sitka, 17-08.25.

Boys Triple Jump — 1, Taylor, Isaac, Petersburg, 40-09. 2, Dumag, Aedon, Sitka, 38-06. 3, Meyer, Nolan, Ketchikan, 36-03.

Boys Shot Put — 1, Tua’au, Matthew, Gustavus, 47-07.75. 2, Wong, Brendan, Ketchikan, 41-02. 3, Tripple, Titus, Thorne Bay, 39-11.

Boys Discus Throw — 1, Tua’au, Matthew, Gustavus, 127-04. 2, Rhoads, Joey, Ketchikan, 118-11. 3, Wong, Brendan, Ketchikan, 118-00.

Juneau-Douglas High School junior Steven Ireland-Haight races in the 300-meter hurdles preliminaries on Friday at the Capital Invitational track and field meet at TMHS. (Richard McGrail | Juneau Empire)

Juneau-Douglas High School junior Steven Ireland-Haight races in the 300-meter hurdles preliminaries on Friday at the Capital Invitational track and field meet at TMHS. (Richard McGrail | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain High School senior Josh McAndrews sprints his way to the fastest qualifying time in the 400-meter dash (55.03 seconds) on Friday at the Capital Invitational track and field meet at TMHS. McAndrews raced in the 400 finals on Saturday. (Richard McGrail | Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain High School senior Josh McAndrews sprints his way to the fastest qualifying time in the 400-meter dash (55.03 seconds) on Friday at the Capital Invitational track and field meet at TMHS. McAndrews raced in the 400 finals on Saturday. (Richard McGrail | Juneau Empire)

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast for the week of March 25

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

The aging Tustumena ferry, long designated for replacement, arrives in Homer after spending the day in Seldovia in this 2010 photo. (Homer News file photo)
Feds OK most of state’s revised transportation plan, but ferry and other projects again rejected

Governor’s use of ferry revenue instead of state funds to match federal grants a sticking point.

The Shopper’s Lot is among two of downtown Juneau’s three per-hour parking lots where the cash payments boxes are missing due to vandalism this winter. But as of Wednesday people can use the free ParkSmarter app to make payments by phone. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Pay-by-phone parking for downtown Juneau debuts with few reported complaints

App for hourly lots part of series of technology upgrades coming to city’s parking facilities.

A towering Lutz spruce, center, in the Chugach National Forest is about to be hoisted by a crane Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, for transport to the West Lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to be the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service)
Tongass National Forest selected to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Eight to 10 candidate trees will be evaluated, with winner taking “whistlestop tour” to D.C.

Annauk Olin, holding her daugher Tulġuna T’aas Olin, and Rochelle Adams pose on March 20, 2024, after giving a presentation on language at the Alaska Just Transition Summit in Juneau. The two, who work together at the Alaska Public Interest Research Group’s Language Access program, hope to compile an Indigenous environmental glossary. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Project seeks to gather Alaska environmental knowledge embedded in Indigenous languages

In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, the word… Continue reading

The room where the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee holds its meeting sits empty on Tuesday. A presentation about an increase in the number of inmate deaths in state custody was abruptly canceled here. (Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
Republican lawmakers shut down legislative hearing about deaths in Alaska prisons

Former commissioner: “All this will do, is it will continue to inflame passions of advocacy groups.”

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Monday, March 25, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Employees at the Kensington Mine removing tailings from Johnson Creek on Feb. 17 following a Jan. 31 spill of about 105,000 gallons of slurry from the mine, although a report by the mine’s owners states about half slurry reached the creek 430 meters away. (Photo from report by Coeur Alaska)
Emergency fisheries assessments sought after 105,000-gallon tailings spill at Kensington Mine

Company says Jan. 31 spill poses no risk to Berners Bay habitat, but NOAA seeks federal evaluation.

Dozens of people throw colors in the air and at each other during a Holi festival gathering Monday night outside Spice Juneau Indian Cuisine. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Holi festival in Juneau revives colorful childhood memories for some, creates them for others

Dozens toss caution and colored cornstarch to the wind in traditional Hindu celebration of spring

Most Read