4/10/2023
(Puyallup, WA) This Saturday is the setting for the 3rd annual Nike Union Athletics South Sound Classic track meet. A total of 62 teams will be competing in the day long event at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. The meet is hosted by the Emerald Ridge and Rogers High School’s track teams. As one of the newer invitational’s the meet has attracted an impressive 62 schools to come and compete.
The meet was first run in 2019 an d then returned last year after the Covid years put everything on hold. The events are the traditional running events of the 100m, 200, 400, 1600m, 3200m, 300m hurdles, 4×100 relay and 4×400 relay for both boys and girls. Also for the boys is the 110m hurdles and for the girls the 100m hurdles and the 4×200 relay. The field events are the same for both boys and girls with the throwing events of the shot, discus and javelin and the jumps including the high, long and triple jumps and pole vault.
Since there has been only 2 South Sound Classics it would not be a surprise to see many of the meet records be set on Saturday. Last year new marks were set in 10 of the boys events and 12 of the girls events.
This meet will feature some of the best track athletes in the state. As of this writing and from Athletic.net in the boys meet there are 6 events that have the top performer in the state so far this year and 9 event leaders in the girls meet. Unfortunately, several of those leaders will not be competing this weekend. Those that will be at the South Sound Classic include in the girls meet Brooke Lyons from Tahoma who is tops in the 400m with a PR 56.82. From Federal Way Cassandra Atkins has the top efforts in both the long jump at 18′ 8.5 and a PR in the triple jump of 39′.075.
Two top relay teams will also compete with Graham-Kapowsin’s 4×100 team of Lavender Bel, Yuna Daniels, Kamisha Hurse and Grace Peterson with a time of 49.63. Curtis will get things started in the 4×200 relay and trying to top their best in the state mark of 1:44.63 will be Lenice Walston, Noelle Lordahl, Azariah Miller and Ava Simms.
On the boys side, Lincoln’s (Tacoma) hurdler Jonathan Frazier has the best time in the 110m with a PR time of 14.48. He will also try to overtake Kentridge’s Alex Conner’s time in the 300m hurdles of 39-flat. Kentridge will be at the meet but Conner is not running but Frazier is and will try to take the top spot in both hurdles events.
Meantime, in the field events Central Kitsap’s Roderick Schenk leads the state in the javelin with a toss of 186′ 7, Federal Way’s Roman Hutchinson has the best long jump at 23′ 8.5 and in the Pole Vault Curtis’s Andrew Shirley at 15′ 1.
The weather for Saturday is supposed to be as good as we can expect right now with a high near 60-degrees and a 25% chance of showers so here’s hoping a dry day to see the best efforts from a great line-up of teams in what should be a spectacular showcase of a big chunk of the state’s track and field athletes. First events get underway at 10am. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under and seniors our a family pass for $20.
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