ORDER GAME PHOTOS
The final Idaho High School track state championships with the current classification system take place Friday and Saturday in the Treasure Valley and plenty of history is on the line.
Some athletes enter this weekend in the top 25 nationally with their respective personal best times and marks this season. Some of those same athletes as well as others have moved up Idaho's all-time lists in their respective events.
The potential for more historic times and marks awaits at both the 5A/4A state championships at Mountain View and the 3A/2A/1A state championships at Middleton. The first 5A/4A events begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday while the first 3A/2A/1A events begin at 9 a.m. Friday.
Here are the storylines to follow for the weekend.
*Please note this preview was submitted before heat sheets were posted*
Class 5A
District 3 has owned 5A state track for 19 years. The last time a title has gone to a team outside District 3 was 2004, when Lake City repeated as girls state champions.
Rocky Mountain has won seven consecutive 5A boys titles, including 11 of the last 12, while Boise has won three consecutive 5A girls titles. Boise enters this weekend having swept team titles at the 5A District 3 championships, including a 10-point victory margin over Rocky Mountain for the boys title. The last time a 5A school swept boys and girls track state titles was in 2016...by Rocky Mountain. Furthermore, Boise's last boys track state title was 1996.
Among the returning state qualifers for the defending boys track state champion Grizzlies are Landon Heemeyer (defending 3200 state champion), Brady Abbott (defending runner-up in pole vault) and Paul Anderson (pole vault medalist). Heemeyer's 3,200 and 1,600 personal bests 8:59.13 and 4:10.56 are not only the best in Idaho this season, but No. 5 and No. 7 all-time in Idaho, respectively. Braden Ankeny, who won three golds at the 2A state meet last year for Marsing, won 5A District 3 titles in the 200 and 400 for Rocky Mountain.
Among the returning state qualifiers for the defending girls track state champion Brave are Autumn Shomaker (defending long jump state champion, relays), Sophia Clark (defending 400 state champion, 200 and relays medalist), Audrey Orme (member of defending state champion 4x800, defending runner up in 1600), Allie Bruce (member of defending state champion 4x800), Mia Nelson (pole vault medalist), Adrienne Russell (4x200 medalist, long jump medalist), Grace Lanfear (hurdles, relays) and Samantha Smith (defending runner-up in 800, 4x400 medalist). Clark won the 400 at the District 3 championships in a personal best and Idaho No. 2 all-time 55.75, making her the fifth Idaho girl on record to break 56 seconds. Shomaker won girls long jump at the District 3 championships in a personal best and Idaho No. 2 all-time mark of 19-8, making her the fifth Idaho girl on record to surpass 19 feet. Additionally, Lanfear, Shomaker, Adrienne Russell and Clark ran a No. 1 Idaho all-time 1:39.69 for the 4x200 upon winning the event at the District 3 championships.
Keep an eye out for Noe Kemper (800, 1,600 and 4x800 qualifier, member of defending state champion 4x400), Jack Sheesley (member of defending state runner-up 4x800), Cooper Smith (200 medalist, member of defending state champion 4x400), Cael Williams (4x400 qualifier), Robert Terenzio (long jump medalist), Liam Hodson (returning pole vault medalist) and Jordan McDonald (defending state runner-up in high jump) for the Boise boys. Kemper's personal best 1:50.68 in the 800 is currently No. 10 in the U.S. this season and No. 2 all-time in Idaho, and his 1,600 personal best of 4:10.77 is No. 8 all-time in Idaho.
"Boys is gonna be a dog fight," said Rigby head track coach James Parrish, who is retiring following state track after 31 years at Rigby, the last 18 years as head coach. "It's the best top to bottom I've seen 5A since I've been coaching (at 5A)."
Centennial thrower Kai Twaddle-Dunham, defending state runner-up in shot put, swept boys throws titles at District 3 championships with massive personal bests of 61-7 in shot put (No. 7 all-time in Idaho) and 200-3 (No. 3 all-time in Idaho, No. 9 in the U.S. currently). He and Bishop Kelly's Rakeem Johnson this season became the first throwers in Idaho to surpass 200 feet in discus since Idaho all-time state record holder Ian Waltz of Post Falls (203-6 in 1995). Meridian's Carver Martin won boys long jump at the District 3 championships with 23-9.75, a personal best and Idaho No. 5 all-time mark.
Capital sophomore Christine Huckins achieved some historic firsts upon winning the girls 100 in 11.74 and the girls 200 in 24.21 at the District 3 championships. She is the first girl in Idaho to ever break 11.8 for the 100 and 24.3 for the 200 and is undefeated this season in both events. Additionally, Huckins and her 4x100 teammates won the event at District 3 championships in an Idaho all-time best 47.46.
Mountain View sophomore Quincy Keller also made history upon placing second in the 200 in 24.38 at District 3 championships. She and Huckins are the only Idaho girls on record to break 24.5 in the 200, both accomplishing the feat this season. Keller, a member of Mountain View's 4x100 and 4x200 teams, also placed second in the 100 finals in 11.99, her second time breaking 12 seconds this season.
Also from District 3, Timberline freshman Nadja Burkholder is undefeated this season in triple jump. She won districts with a personal best 38-1.5, the only 38 foot mark this season in Idaho. Centennial's Kolton Osborn won the boys 100 to return to state to defend his state title.
Rigby, which swept boys and girls team titles at the District 5-6 championships for the first time since 2018, qualified all eight relay teams for state and also has athletes to watch in Cody Cordingley, Eli Taylor and Abbie Scott. Cordingley is defending state champion in boys 110 hurdles, Taylor is a returning medalist in both boys hurdles and Scott is defending girls pole vault state champion. Taylor's personal bests of 14.13 (110 hurdles) and 37.51 (300 hurdles) are No. 8 and No. 2 all-time in Idaho. Taylor and Cordingley, along with Keanan Humphreys and Owen Golding are currently undefeated in the 4x200 this season, with their season best time of 1:26.84 No. 2 all-time in Idaho. Those same four boys also run the 4x100, and their season best 42.06 is No. 3 all-time in Idaho and No. 2 this season in Idaho behind the 41.90 run by both Mountain View and Rocky Mountain. Scott is undefeated in girls pole vault this season, winning the event at District 5-6 championships by clearing 13-4 (all-time eastern Idaho best, No. 2 all-time in Idaho, tied for No. 10 in the U.S. this season), making her the sixth girls pole vaulter on record in Idaho to clear 13 feet.
"Next week, we're going for it," Scott said upon winning districts of ambition to surpass Idaho's all-time best 13-9 set by Centennial's Eva Lowder in 2022.
Coeur d'Alene, which in November became Idaho's first boys cross country team to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals, currently leads Idaho with its boys 4x800 time of 7:49.96 from District 1-2 championships. That time run by Nike Cross Nationals runners Max Cervi-Skinner, Jacob King, Zackery Cervi-Skinner and Lachlan May leads Idaho this season and is No. 4 all-time in Idaho. Furthermore, Coeur d'Alene went 1-2-3 in the boys 800 finals, 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the boys 1,600 finals and 1-2-3-4-5 in the boys 3,200 finals at the District 1-2 championships.
Madison's Drew Davidson enters this weekend having won the District 5-6 championships with 15-7 in pole vault, an eastern Idaho all-time record and No. 9 Idaho all-time. He also broke a 37 year-old school record by clearing the height. His teammate, defending girls high jump state runner-up Brylee Smith, repeated as District 5-6 girls high jump champion and enters state having cleared a personal best 5-7.
Also from District 5-6, Thunder Ridge's Chelsea Uba returns as defending state champion in the girls 100 hurdles and has also qualified in the 300 hurdles and the open 100. The District 5-6 champion Highland girls 4x400 also returns to defend its state title in the event. Highland sophomore Spencer Van Orden swept boys hurdles titles and was part of the winning boys 4x400 at the District 5-6 championships, winning 110 hurdles in 14.09 (No. 4 all-time in Idaho) and 300 hurdles in 37.15 (No. 1 all-time in Idaho, No. 19 in the U.S. currently). She won medals in both events at state last year and is undefeated this season in discus.
Class 4A
Skyline head coach Chase Meyer's preseason predictions for 4A state track team champions have been spot on in recent years. In March, he tabbed the Bishop Kelly boys to add to their team title streak and the girls title to be up for grabs between Skyview, Twin Falls, Preston, Pocatello and Century. Following 4A District 6 championships, Meyer stuck with his Bishop Kelly boys title prediction and narrowed down his girls title prediction to Skyview, Twin Falls and Preston, adding how competitive District 5 has been. Preston won the District 5 girls title 81-54 over Century.
Bishop Kelly, three-time 4A boys state champions who have won six of the last seven boys team titles, won the 4A District 3 championships commandingly, 215-136 over Ridgevue. Skyview took the 4A District 3 girls title 178-154.5 over Bishop Kelly.
Returning state qualifiers for the Knights include Liam Duncan (800, 1,600), Charlie Goss (1,600, 3,200), Isaac Davis (800, 1,600), Cam Davis (defending high jump and long jump state champion) and Rakeem Johnson (shot put medalist, defending discus state champion). Johnson, who won both boys throwing event titles at the District 3 championships, achieved an Idaho No. 2 all-time mark of 201-4 for discus on May 1 at the Boise City Meet. That mark is currently No. 5 in the U.S.
Defending 4A boys 400 state champion David Gummersall, a Vallivue junior, ran a personal best 48.13 to win the event at the District 3 championships but broke his tibia and fibula during the 4x400 and will miss this weekend's state meet. Vallivue was on district and school record pace at the time of his injuries, which will require surgery.
The Skyview girls won three relays and the 100 (Melissa Eyer), 200 (Megan Cahoon), 400 (Isla Anderson), 800 (Sophia Krzemien), 3,200 (Camilla Freeman), long jump (Eyer) and triple jump (Brinna Nelson) at the 4A District 3 championships. The Hawks are defending state champions in the girls 4x100, and they return Cahoon (200 medalist), Makayla Naylor (100 medalist) and Eyer (long jump medalist) from that team.
Ridgevue senior Kaylee Wuest, who is defending 4A state champion in girls discus, won the district title for her seventh victory in the event this season to return to state.
Skyline, which last year won its first girls track state title since 1993, won its sixth consecutive 4A District 6 championship last week in Rigby. Skyline senior Nelah Roberts, who swept the distance event titles and was on the state qualifying girls 4x400 team at districts, will be going after her fourth consecutive state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 this weekend. Her personal bests of 10:14.68 in the 3,200 and 4:51.42 are No. 1 and No. 4 all-time on record in Idaho, and the 10:14.68 is currently No. 23 in the U.S. She also experienced another first last week at districts as a fellow District 6 athlete asked for her autograph before the 4x400.
"My biggest goal this season is to qualify for Brooks (PR in June in Seattle)," Roberts said at districts. "That will take 10 flat or sub-10 (for the 3,200)."
Roberts added that she hopes to improve on her 800 personal best of 2:14.33 and will attempt to break Lexy Halladay's overall state meet record and No. 1 all-time 1,600 time of 4:43.74 from 2019.
Idaho Falls repeated as District 6 boys champions. Senior Luke Athay returns to state track for the first time since 2021, when Idaho Falls competed in 5A. He swept the boys distance event district titles and was also a member of I.F.'s state qualifying 4x400 team.
Athay missed his entire junior year of cross country and track due to a stress fracture and surgery to repair it.
"I feel like I have a chance to win the 1,600 and 3,200," Athay said at districts. "I'd like PRs in both of them--4:40 for the 1,600 and nine flat for the 3,200."
Athay's teammate and fellow senior Parker Elliott won district titles in the boys 100 and 200 and was part of district title wins in the 4x100 and 4x200 (school record). A football player in his second season of track, Elliott has achieved personal bests of 10.60 (fastest in Idaho this season, District 6 all-time best) in the 100 and 21.32 (No. 4 all-time Idaho) in the 200.
Also from District 6, Hillcrest senior Mason Edwards repeated as district champion in both 4A boys hurdles events and contributed to Hillcrest's district title in the 4x400.
In district prelims, he ran 14.07 for 110 hurdles, No. 3 all-time in Idaho and an all-time District 6 best. He is undefeated this season in the 110 hurdles and has raced against the likes of Highland's Van Orden and Rigby's Taylor all spring.
"I probably wouldn't be this fast if it wasn't for them," Edwards said at districts.
Edwards' teammates Lucas Witte and Leah Pebley, both 4A state runners-up in boys and girls high jump, also return to state.
Twin Falls, which won the District 4 girls team title 197-117 over Burley, won all four relays. The Bruins are defending state champions in the 4x400 and return state qualifiers Tiffany Humpherys (400 medalist) and Morgan Graham from that team. Freshman Raelee Richardson, who placed second at the 4A cross country state championships, won district titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.
Burley, which won the District 4 boys team title 150-147 over Canyon Ridge, has a freshman girl to keep an eye on. Karlie Bair, younger sister of Gatlin Bair, won the 100, 200, 100 hurdles and long jump district titles. She is one of three girls in Idaho this season to break 15 seconds in 100 hurdles and one of five Idaho girls this season to surpass 18 feet in long jump.
Century senior Matejah Mangum is three-time defending 4A state champion in the girls 200--an event she has never lost at the high school level save for the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals--and is also undefeated this season in the 100 with a personal best and No. 2 Idaho all-time 11.82. A Utah signee, she also qualified for state in high jump, clearing a personal best 5-5 this season.
District 5 also has a multiple defending state champion in Pocatello senior Hailey Renzello. An Idaho State commit, Renzello is three-time defending 4A girls 800 state champion and is undefeated in the event this season.
Sandpoint, which swept team titles at the District 1-2 championships, has a returning individual state champion in senior Ivy Smith. Defending 4A girls shot put state champion and a returning medalist in discus, Smith swept girls throwing event district titles for the second consecutive year.
Class 3A
District 6 has had quite the shake up since Sugar-Salem repeated as 3A boys track state champions a year ago.
South Fremont won a program first 3A cross country state title in October and last week, Teton won its first boys track district championship since 2012 with a 74-62 victory over Sugar-Salem. Jack Joyce, a junior, won district titles in the boys 100, 200 and 400 for Teton.
Defending 3A boys high jump state champion Noah Tanner of South Fremont repeated as District 6 champion in the event. He and Bear Lake's Christian Bush are the only Idaho boys to clear 6-8 this season.
Sugar-Salem's Ryan Bingham won both District 6 boys throwing event titles. Bingham is defending 3A state champion in shot put and placed third in discus last year. His teammate Hagan Morris won district titles in both triple jump and long jump and is tied for the No. 2 best boys triple jump mark in Idaho for any classification this season (46-0.5).
The Sugar-Salem girls, who last won state track in 2021, did get a decisive district team title with a 72-point victory margin over South Fremont last week. The Diggers won District 6 titles in all four girls relays, went 1-2-3 in the 800 (Janyja Jackson, Sophia Dougherty, Abigail Anderson) and went 1-2 in 100 hurdles (Jayla Jackson, Kinsley Shawcroft). Defending 3A girls cross country state champion Sage Lyon of South Fremont claimed the District 6 girls 1,600 and 3,200 titles and enters this weekend with the fastest 3,200 time by a 3A girl this season.
Defending 3A girls track state champion Weiser won the District 3 title 149.5-121.5 over McCall-Donnelly. The Wolverines won three relays, the 1,600 and 3,200 (Claire Matthews won both) and the 400 (defending 400 state champion Kailee Lerew). Fruitland's Lydia Lindsey, who is two-time state champion in the 100 and 200 and defending state champion in long jump, defended her district titles in all three events and also won 100 hurdles. Her 18-11.5 to win long jump is currently No. 2 in Idaho this season. McCall-Donnelly won the District 3 boys title 178.5-97.5 over Fruitland, winning three relays, getting a distance event sweep from George Speirs and going 1-2 in pole vault (Van Vinson, Daniel Jackson).
Kimberly won both the girls and boys District 4 titles, claiming all four girls relays district titles in the process.
Snake River won both District 5 team titles, going 1-2-3 in both the boys and girls distance event finals. Marsh Valley's Corbridge Bastian and Lydia Townsend won four district golds each. Bastian, a senior, won the 100 and 200 and was part of the winning 4x100 and 4x200 relays. He won silver medals in all four of those events at state last year and enters this weekend undefeated in the 100, running a personal best 10.76 at districts. Townsend, a sophomore, won district titles in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, pole vault and high jump. She is defending 3A state champion in both hurdles eventd and high jump and is defending state runner-up in pole vault. Her 100 hurdles personal best of 14.39 is the fastest by an Idaho girl this season and is tied for No. 8 all-time in Idaho, and her personal best 12-3 in pole vault is the No. 2 best mark in Idaho this season. Marsh Valley won the boys and girls 4x100 and 4x200 relays and the boys 4x400.
Also at the District 5 meet, American Falls' Jordyn Kearn won both girls throwing event titles. Her winning mark of 44-7 in shot put is No. 5 all-time in Idaho and is the top mark in Idaho this season.
Timberlake won both team titles at the District 1 championships by narrow margins, claiming the boys title by four points and the girls title by two points. Caius Tebbe, who won three state medals last year, won district titles in boys 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and long jump and was second in triple jump.
Bonners Ferry senior Asha Abubakari swept district titles in girls throwing events and was also part of the winning 4x100. She is two-time defending 3A state champion in both girls throws.
Coeur d'Alene Charter's Annabelle Carr won district titles in the 1,600 and 800. She is defending 3A state champion in the girls 800, winning districts in a personal best 2:13.85, which leads Idaho this season.
Class 2A
Both the defending boys and girls state champion teams took second in their district meets last week.
Five-time defending girls state champion Melba took second at the District 3 championships to Nampa Christian, 185-133. Nampa Christian's Avery Reece won the girls 100, 200, 100 hurdles and long jump. Defending girls 800 state champion Brooklynn Dayley of Melba won the district title in that event and also won 300 hurdles and was part of the district champion medley and 4x200 teams. Her teammates Nyah Richardson and Emma Dillbeck tied for first in high jump to also return to state. Defending girls pole vault state champion Macie Kern of Cole Valley Christian won a third consecutive district title in the event to return to state.
Nampa Christian also won the boys title 157-131 over Cole Valley Christian, winning all four relays in the process.
West Side won the District 5 boys team title 113-82 over defending state champion Aberdeen, winning titles in the 200 (Trayce Stone), 400 (Stone), 800 (Ethan Willis), 1,600 (Ethan Willis), 300 hurdles (Aaron Willis), 4×400, sprint medley relay and pole vault (Corbin Thomsen).
Malad's Braylen Tripp, defending state champion in boys triple jump, won District 5 titles in long jump and triple jump to remain undefeated in both events this season.
Defending state runner-up Soda Springs won the 2A District 5 girls team title. Three-time 2A girls 400 state champion and two-time girls 200 state champion Jinettie Garbett of Soda Springs won those events as well as the 100 and was part of the winning 4x400, which is defending state champion. Defending 2A girls shot put state champion Izzy Shelton also won a fourth consecutive district title in the event for Soda Springs. Malad's Oaklie Hebdon, who is defending 2A girls 300 hurdles state champ, won districts in the event as well as triple jump. Defending boys high jump state runner-up Christian Bush of Bear Lake repeated as district champion in the event to return to state.
For the first time since 2015, Firth swept 2A District 6 team titles. The Firth boys won by seven points over North Fremont while the girls won by 112 points over Salmon. Levi Robbins returned to state upon placing second in all three boys distance event finals and as part of the winning 4x400. The Firth boys won three relays.
Returning girls state medalist Kynzie Nielson won the 800 and was part of the winning 4x400. Firth won all four girls relays. Her fellow state medalists Baylee Johnson (100, 200, 4x100, 4x400 district champion) and Daytona Folkman (triple jump, pole vault district champion) also won multiple golds.
Defending 2A boys 1,600 and 3,200 state champion Corbin Johnston of North Fremont won all three distance event district titles and was part of the winning sprint medley relay, which is also defending state champion. His teammates Brady Allen (100, 200 champion) and Roy Wynn (triple jump, high jump champion) also returned to state.
Ririe's Lucy Boone won the District 6 girls 1,600 and 3,200 to return to state in both events.
At the 2A District 4 championships, where Declo swept team titles, the Hornets got a girls distance event sweep from returning state medalist Olivia Wilson and Mara Rodgers repeated as long jump and 100 district champion to also return to state.
In District 1-2, St. Maries swept team titles. The boys won 122-108 over Grangeville while the girls won 97-84 over Grangeville.
Three-time 2A girls discus state champion Lindi Kessinger of Orofino won her fourth consecutive district title in the event and also won shot put and both girls hurdles events.
Class 1A
Five-time defending 1A girls state champion Raft River squeaked out a win over Murtaugh for the District 4 title, 151-149. Defending 1A girls 3,200 state champion Allie Black swept girls distance events while Heidi Harper swept the sprint titles. Casady Ward won shot put to return to state in the event and Sadee Knudsen also returned to state upon winning 300 hurdles.
Valley won the District 4 boys title, winning three total relays in the effort. Valley's Lexi Huettig, defending 1A state champion in girls pole vault, long jump and triple jump, won all three events at districts as well as the 4x100. Her 37-4.5 triple jump winning mark is currently No. 2 in Idaho this season and her 18-3.5 long jump winning mark is No. 3 this season.
Also in District 4, Hansen's James Kersey won discus and placed second in shot put to return to state in both events. He is defending state champion in boys discus.
Defending 1A boys state champion Victory Charter finished fourth in District 3. The boys team title went to Tri-Valley and the girls title went to Liberty Charter.
Tri-Valley's Claytin Harper, defending 1A boys state champion in the 100, won that district title as well as long jump and the 200.
Victory Charter's Luke Stockett swept all three boys distance event district titles and was on the winning medley relay. Stockett is defending state champion in the 3,200, and his 1,600 personal best of 4:11.42 this season is No. 9 all-time in Idaho. Two-time defending 1A girls 1,600 state champion and defending 800 girls state champion Anna Dixon of Greenleaf Friends won the 800 district title.
In District 5-6, Butte County won the girls title over Challis while Grace won the boys title by half a point over Butte County.
Defending 1A boys 800 state champion Garrett Hunt of Challis won the 1,600, placed second in the 800 and was part of the winning medley relay. His teammate Taylor Redick won the girls 1,600 and 3,200 titles to return to state. Challis freshman Lilly Stebbins, who cleared 5-8 earlier this season to tie for No. 6 all-time in Idaho, won district titles in girls high jump, both hurdles and was on the winning 4x400 to qualify for her first state meet.
Returning state medalist Ezra Hubbard of Rockland won the 400, 800 and was part of the winning 4x400. His 4x400 teammate and fellow state medalist Hayden Smith won the 3,200 and placed second in the 1,600. Their teammate Autumn Farr won the girls 200 and 400 district titles to also return to state.
Logos swept team titles at the District 1-2 championships as both the boys and girls won over Prairie. Sara Casebolt of Logos swept the girls distance event titles and was part of the winning 4x400 to return to state. Logos is defending state champion in the girls 4x400. Casebolt's 4x400 teammate Naomi Taylor won the 400 district title to also return to state.
Prairie's Sage Elven, defending 1A state champion in girls discus, placed second in shot put and won discus to return to state in both events.
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