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5 Washington high school (WIAA) track and field 2023 championship storylines worth following

Plenty of meet records will be on reset-the-standard watch in Tacoma and Yakima this weekend

One familiar site will again be center stage for the event called "Star Track" - while another one will get its first crack at hosting a WIAA event.

The three-day Class 4A/3A/2A track and field championships return to Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma for a 15th consecutive season starting Thursday.

And after the Class 1A/2B/1B meet concluded its longstanding run at Eastern Washington University, it comes to Yakima this week - at Eisenhower High School.

Here are five storylines worth monitoring Thursday through Saturday:

SHORT SPEED ... AND LOTS OF IT!

Curtis 4x100 boys relay team 2023

This spring, there's been a bit of a short-distance speed explosion on the boys' side, particularly in the 100-meter dash.

Heading into the weekend, 14 boys - ranging from Class 4A-1A - have posted times of 10.70 seconds or faster in that race, led by Mead's Dominick Corley (10.45).

While it's not the 10.2-second speed of an Ellensburg's Ja'Warren Hooker, the overall quality of depth has been astounding.

Jacob Lawson, the boys coach at Curtis High School, oversees the only program with two boys in the top 14 - junior LeRoy Horton (10.58) and senior Titus Morris (10.69). He pointed out reasons for the overall jump, ranging from year-round training (Bellevue-based GSL Speed has made a big impact), to coaching eduction to athletes' weight training and overall understanding of how their bodies function.

Oh, and one more reason - the warmer weather.

"Washington has never really been known for sprinters," Lawson said. "States like Florida, California and Texas have, and their common denominator is good weather."

One note: Seattle Prep's Tyler Floyd, who set the all-time record in the 200 last season, is not competing this weekend because of a hamstring injury.

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GOLDEN ERA OF GIRLS POLE VAULTING

Amanda and Hana Moll, Capital pole vaulters, class of 2023

By now, most in the pole-vaulting world know of the trend-setting Moll twin sisters at Capital High School, who each have cleared the height of 15 feet.

Amanda Moll became the first girl to do it during the indoor season in January with her 15-11/2 at Reno's Pole Vault Summit.

Hana Moll accomplished hers this spring at the Arcadia Invitational, going 15-0 to become the No. 1 outdoor-season high school vaulter in the country (Amanda is No. 2 at 14-71/4).

Both wrap up their careers in the event Friday at 12:30 p.m. in the Class 3A meet before heading off to the University of Washington where they will compete for current club (NW Pole Vault Club) and high school assistant Tim Reilly.

"They can both do 14-6 in their sleep," Reilly said.

The one that seemingly gets lost in the shuffle is Bainbridge junior Ella McRitchie, who just recorded her career-best vault of 14-0 at last weekend's Class 3A bi-district meet in Kent. She is tied for seventh in the country.

"She is a phenomenally strong person," Reilly said. "She is a world-class rock climber."

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UPDATE ON BEST ATHLETE IN THE STATE

JaiCieonna Gero-Hol, Emerald Ridge girls track and field, class of 2025

So what's in store for Emerald Ridge sophomore JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, the top female high school multi-event standout in the country who is ranked No. 1 in Washington in three events?

Gero-Holt will defend her WIAA titles in the Class 4A girls high jump, the long jump and 100-meter hurdles - and compete against in the javelin after placing seventh as a ninth grader.

Bob Frey, the Emerald Ridge track coach, noted that Gero-Holt is primed for a big performance in her best event - the high jump.

"She's had great practices this week ... so we are excited," Frey said.

Then there's the much-anticipated showdown in the long jump with Federal Way junior Cassandra Atkins, the state leader at 20-03/4.

A week ago, it was a close competition as Atkins (18-103/4) narrowly held off Gero-Holt, who set a career-best at 18-93/4 to finish second.

"That is probably the event we expect her to be better in a hurry because her speed has gotten so much better," Frey said.

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YELM ALL-AMERICAN THROWER UPPING MARKS

Brayden Platt, Elite 11

Yelm junior Brayden Platt continues to make folks think he could someday chase down Mount Tahoma thrower Vince Goldsmith's longstanding mark in the boys' shot put (69-11).

Heading into the WIAA meet, Platt ranks No. 1 in the state in the shot put (63-113/4), and discus (174-9), and is No. 2 in the javelin (189-7, trailing Central Kitsap's Roderick Schenk at 203-11).

Platt, also arguably the state's top football recruit in the 2024 class, has been trending in the right direction, especially in the past month.

He has posted a mark of 60-0 or better in the shot put in five of his past six meets, including his career-best 63-113/4 last weekend at the Class 3A bi-district championships in Kent.

"We've worked on his foot positioning a lot in practice," said Cami Stovall, Yelm's throws coach. "Once he is in the correct spot, he's gone off."

A week before that at the 3A SSC championships, he threw his personal-best 174-9 in the discus.

Stovall said much of the focus this week will be shortening Platt's run-up in the javelin.

"His best throw has been on the seven-step run-up," Stovall said. "We will be focusing on power instead of speed."

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FEDERAL WAY PAIR SOARING THROUGH AIR

Roman Hutchinson, Federal Way, class of 2023

It's been quite a past six weeks at Federal Way High School in the long jump.

First, in late April, senior Roman Hutchinson set the boys' school record, going 24-2 at the Shoreline Invitational. It was the state's best mark in six years - since Shadle Park's Jakobe Ford went 24-6 in 2017.

And after coming close to the 20-0 mark at the South Sound Classic in April, Atkins finally cleared it (20-03/4) at the 4A/3A NPSL championships nearly two weeks ago. It was also a school record - and best mark seen in the event since Monroe's Hannah Ganashamoorthy in 2018.

"They are just athletic," said Quinn Gillis, the co-coach at Federal Way. "It's not just speed, it's athleticism, concentration and practice. It is them diving into the sport."

Hutchinson appears headed off to Army while Atkins, a junior, is looking at Ivy League schools.

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4A/3A/2A schedule: Session I Thursday is 3 p.m.-7:45 p.m. Session II Friday is 9 a.m.-1:50 p.m. Session III Friday is 2:40 p.m.-6:10 p.m. Session IV Saturday is 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

1A/2B/1A schedule: Session I Thursday is 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Session II Friday is 9:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Session III Saturday is 9:45 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tickets: Single-day pass Thursday is $7 for adults, $5 for students/senior citizens. Single-day pass Friday is $11/$8. Tournament passes are $25/$19.