Wahkiakum track and field kicks off 2025 season

Entering competition with the most athletes the team has had in years, Wahkiakum track and field has two in particular - Sam Dela Cruz and Mayleonna Casey - who return after having made it to state in 2024. Competing as an eighth grader last year, Casey has co-Head Coach Tina Merz's confidence she "will make it" with continued commitment. "Robby Chandler was one place from making it to state in the Javelin and has a fire under him to make it this year," said Merz of yet another of her returning athletes. Another "natural athlete" Merz notes as one to watch for is newcomer Jayden Stoddard, who will likely compete in the Men's 100M and High Jump. "Mason Waldek will be fun to watch in the Long Jump and Triple (Jump) as he can fly," said Merz. "Joseph Merz already PR'd (personal record) in the High Jump as a freshman in the first meet, so with hard work, I see big gains for him also. Frankly, most of our athletes, with the work, could make it to districts and state."

Competing in the Adna Meet last Thursday, March 20, Casey had the best individual effort for both sides with her first-place time of 14:07.00 in the Women's 3200M and second-place time of 6:06.52 in the Women's 1600M. Sam Dela Cruz had a second-place finish in the Women's 300M Hurdles with a time of 56.68 and a third-place finish in the women's 100M with a time of 14.43. Clara Hogue's time of 15.36 was good enough for seventh in the Women's 100M. In team competition for the girls, Casey, Hogue, Dela Cruz, and Annelise Vik came in second with a personal-record time of 58.61 in the Women's 4X100M Relay. In field competition for the girls, Dela Cruz took first in the women's Triple Jump with a distance of 31 feet, and Hogue had a personal record with her 12 foot, 9 inch distance in the Women's Long Jump, which was good enough for second place. Haileeahna Nielsen came away with a second-place finish in the Women's Javelin with a distance of 89 feet, and Vik's personal record distance of 71 feet, 2 inches was good for fifth place. Nielsen and Vik also had sixth-place finishes in Women's Shot Put and Women's Discus with distances of 24 feet and 66 feet, 10 inches respectively.

For the boys, Stoddard earned third place in the Men's 100M with a time of 12:44. Noah Sandhu took third in the Men's 3200M with a time of 12:08.72, followed directly by Cody Vicars, whose time of 12:52.22 earned him fourth place. Sandhu also got an eighth-place finish in the Men's 1600M with a time of 5:42.01. The team of Stoddard, Chandler, Dom Diaz, and Mason Waldek took fourth in the Men's 4X100M Relay with a time of 50.42. In the field for the boys, Stoddard earned third place in the Men's High Jump with a height of 5 feet, with Joseph Merz tying him with the same score. Kyle Gonzales took fourth in the Men's Discus with a distance of 84 feet, 1 inch and took eighth in the Men's Shot Put with a distance of 29 feet, 9 inches. Jason Shervey took fourth in the Men's Shot Put with a distance of 34 feet, 5 inches, and Waldek managed fourth place in the Men's Long Jump with a distance of 17 feet, 2 inches. Chandler managed fifth place in the Men's Javelin with a distance of 107 feet, 9 inches and eighth place in the Men's Discus with a distance of 80 feet. Josiah Garret rounded out the boys on the individual side with his 32 foot, 5 inch effort, good enough for fifth-place finish in the Men's Triple Jump.

The team's next meet is Thursday, March 27, at 3:30 p.m. at Ilwaco High School. "Our goals are to prepare every day the best we can with our unpredictable weather, compete, encourage each other, and improve every week," said Merz. "It is our first year competing in the 1B so we look forward to that."