Shorewood boys win 3A Track Championship

Published 6:55 am Sunday, May 31, 2026

TACOMA — Entering the final day of the WIAA Track & Field State Championships at Mount Tahoma High School on Saturday, Shorewood held a significant lead in the boys 3A team scoring, with nearly three times as many points as second-place Central Valley.

Stormrays coach Joel Reese knew reinforcements were still on the way. After finishing second and third in the boys 3A 1,600 meters on Thursday, respectively, Max Billett and Elijah Graves were each set to run the 3,200 on Saturday.

“That confidence from the (1,600) just has them, they’re ready to go,” Reese said. “They know that they can run with anybody in that race, and they’re going to go out there and execute. They just know it’s going to be the cherry on top of an already amazing meet.”

Indeed, Graves and Billett each returned to the podium for the 3,200. Graves ran (9 minutes, 3 seconds) to place third, and Billett clocked in at (9:10.11) for sixth to add nine more points to the team scoring.

Their contributions marked the finishing touches for the Shorewood boys (68 points), who secured their first-ever track & field team title over Liberty (Issaquah) with 49, and Lincoln (Tacoma) with 44.

“We want to get out here and we want to get those titles,” Graves said immediately after the 3,200 ended. “Whether it’s going to get that state title or not, everything kind of helps towards the school.”

Jaden Marlow (30 points) scored the third-most of any individual at this year’s meet, with wins in the long jump (23 feet, 4.25) and pole vault (15-6) as well as a second-place finish in the 110 hurdles (14.57 seconds) and seventh-place finish in the discus (146-10). His brother, Tyler Marlow, won the javelin (185-8) on Thursday and placed fourth in the long jump (22-4) on Friday.

The Marlow brothers, Graves and Billett combined for every point the Stormrays scored en route to the victory.

“Those distance guys are something else,” Jaden said. “They just have that dog in them. At the right time, they show up.”

Added Tyler: “I think it’s amazing (seeing what Jaden did.) Having four events in that amount of time is pretty crazy, and doing it at that high a level, it’s really cool.”

After Graves and Billett’s success in the 1,600 on Thursday, the distance duo focused on getting as much rest as they could through Friday into Saturday.

Billett started out in the top three while Graves got boxed into the middle of the pack in the first couple of laps, but the two settled in a tight pack between fifth and seventh by around 1,000 meters. They slipped out of the top eight around the halfway point, but each worked their way back into scoring range across the final four laps.

“I got to the front of the pack early, but then it was pretty physical,” Billett said. “So it was hard to stay in the front pack and push back there.”

After reeling in the front pack, Billett said he didn’t have as much energy left in his legs that he hoped for entering the final stretch, so Graves managed to separate himself with the top three, but both runners more or less accomplished what they set out to do.

“I feel like that’s a pretty standard race plan for us,” Graves said. “Just like get up there, get in the competition, but you don’t want to be too far forward. You don’t want to lead the pack out, but you don’t want to be too far back to get boxed in and you can’t do anything, so just kind of get up there in that mid-pack and just fight it out until the last eight, six, four (hundred), and that’s when it’s time to go.”

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Snohomish’s Jack Rotondo captures boys 3A high jump title

Jack Rotondo already had the state title locked up when he stepped up for his third and final attempt at 6 feet, 10 inches in the boys 3A high jump. The Snohomish junior only had himself to beat.

Rotondo had barely knocked the bar over on his first attempt, and he felt himself getting closer to clearing it after the second. Taking a moment to settle down, he tried to shut out any nerves associated with competing on a big stage. After all, he quite literally had nothing to lose at this point.

Leaning into his training, Rotondo finally cleared the bar on the third, clapping once as he popped off the mat while the Panthers cheering section gave him a loud ovation.

“I just try and maintain focus,” Rotondo said. “Sometimes it’s hard and you try to make it bigger than it is, but I just try and remember what I’ve trained for and just do my thing, and muscle memory will take the rest.”

Rotondo took three shots with the bar moved up to 7 feet, but could not clear it. That benchmark will have to wait. For now, he’s more than happy with the state title and a new personal record.

Saturday was a full-circle moment for Rotondo, who first started jumping in seventh grade but had always been drawn to the event growing up and watching it on TV. Despite that interest, he started out as a sprinter when he got to Snohomish before a coach encouraged him to focus on jumps instead.

Rotondo cleared 6-4 in both his freshman and sophomore state meets to finish sixth and fourth, respectively. He eclipsed 6-8 earlier during his sophomore season, which he finally topped during this year’s District 1 3A Championships by hitting 6-9 on May 20. He took it another step forward — er, higher — on Saturday.

“I was pumped,” Rotondo said. “It was just a surreal experience, and really, I’m blessed to be able to experience that and just a cool moment.”

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Top 8 area finishers

Complete results can be found HERE

Boys Ambulatory

100—1. Avery Touchette (Lake Stevens) 13.37; 200—2. Touchette (LS) 27.27; 400—1. Ramon Little (Arlington) 1:00.80; 2. Touchette (LS) 1:00.88; shot put—2. Little (A) 25-3; discus—1. Little (A) 82-9; javelin—2. Little (A) 98-9.

Mixed Unified

400 relay—2. Stanwood (Xander Krause, Isabella Jette, Abigail Schram, Levi Stiers) 53.20; 800 medley relay—6. Stanwood (Krause, Schram, Jette, Stiers) 2:01.45.

Girls 2A

High jump—1. Keira Armfield (Archbishop Murphy) 5-4; long jump—5. Priscilla Amevo (Lakewood) 17-8.25; discus—6. Kani Cham (AM) 113-5.

Boys 2A

110 hurdles—8. Ke’ala Malunay (Marysville Pilchuck) 15.76; 300 hurdles—5. Malunay (MP) 39.59; shot put—5. Rhonan Copeland (Lake) 54-5.75.

Girls 3A

100—7. Allison Mervin (Mountlake Terrace) 12.36; 400—6. Ella Weyhrauch (Monroe) 56.56; 800—6. Allah Karl (Edmonds-Woodway) 2:16.28; 8. Georgia Lenz (Stan) 2:17.11; 3,200—4. Addison Phillips (Shorecrest) 11:01.30; 100 hurdles—3. Brynlee Dubiel (MT) 15.07; 300 hurdles—2. Dubiel (MT) 42.37; 7. Mackenzie Aasen (Stan) 44.54; 8. Victoria Nichols (Stan) 45.76; 800 relay—6. Edmonds-Woodway (Jane Miceli, Rayna Halloran, Kayla French, Karl) 1:43.75; 1,600 relay—6. Edmonds-Woodway (Isabella Offerman, Halloran, Brooklyn Maxey, Karl); high jump—t-6. Zoe Grant (Meadowdale) 5-2; long jump—2. Mervin (MT) 18-9.5; 5. Monet Winfield-Sullers (Lynnwood) 17-10.25; 6. Sienna Capelli (Snohomish) 17-8; triple jump—2. Mervin (MT) 39-1.75; discus—2. Ena Dodik (Lynn) 134-10; 3. Malachai Smith (Everett) 134-5; 4. Kaydence Hansen (E-W) 132-6; javelin—6. Smith (E) 120-8; 7. Sierra Swan (MT) 120-5.

Boys 3A

800—2. Ryan Khoury (Stan) 1:53.31; 1,600—2. Max Billett (Shorewood) 4:06.56; 3. Elijah Graves (SW) 4:07.63; 3,200—3. Graves (SW) 9:03.00; 6. Billett (SW) 9:10.11; 110 Hurdles—2. Jaden Marlow (SW) 14.57; 5. Barric Danielson (Stan) 15.10; 300 Hurdles—3. Danielson (Stan) 38.66; 1,600 relay—5. Stanwood (Ian Hruschka, Danielson, Hunter Schlepp, Khoury) 3:21.82; high jump—1. Jack Rotondo (Sno) 6-10; Pole Vault—1. J. Marlow (SW) 15-6; 7. Michael Carpenter (Mon) 14-0; long jump—1. J. Marlow (SW) 23-4.75; 4. Tyler Marlow (SW) 22-4; triple Jump—3. Jakyle Williams (Mea) 44-10.5; shot put—6. Keldin Cole (Sno) 51-3; 8. Silas Turpin (Stan) 49-1.5; discus—4. Garrett Gunnerson (Sno) 162-10; 7. J. Marlow (SW) 146-10; javelin—1. T. Marlow (SW) 185-8.

Girls 4A

400—6. Kennedy Shepard (Mariner) 57.15; 7. Amelia Ford (Jackson) 58.04; 100 Hurdles—3. Kaetyn Riley (LS) 15.13; 300 Hurdles—7. Shepard (Mar) 44.82; 400 relay—5. Lake Stevens (Shelby Clifton, Ginelle Sarpong, Kaysa Banks, Brianna Tilghman) 48.22; 4×200—5. Lake Stevens (Clifton, Sarpong, Banks, Tilghman) 1:41.97; 1,600 relay—2. Lake Stevens (Nadia Ngute, Sarpong, Banks, Tilghman) 3:56.70; triple jump—8. Aubrey Hale (J) 34-5.75; shot put—1. Keira Isabelle Tupua (LS) 41-6.5; 4. Dara Olotu (LS) 38-9.25; discus—1. Olotu (LS) 137-3; 2. Tupua (LS) 130-7; javelin—6. Isa Palmer (Cascade) 119-4; 8. Delaney Lundquist (LS) 117-10.

Boys 4A

100—4. Alieukama Badjie (Glacier Peak) 10.82; 5. Adrian Bedolla (GP) 10.95; 400—2. Maxten Cook (LS) 48.73; 110 Hurdles—1. Miller Warme (Kamiak) 14.34; 300 Hurdles—6. Kevin Bonshe (GP) 39.45; 400 relay—1. Glacier Peak (Isaiah Owens, Bedolla, Michael Darling, Badjie) 41.04; 1,600 relay—5. Lake Stevens (Trevin Walker, Karter Bringedahl, Emmanuel Holmes, Cook) 3:23.00; 8. Kamiak (Jayce Barrington, Cristiano Linares, Ian Thorson, Peter Kwon) 3:34.80; high jump—3. Travant Schulz (J) 6-5; 4. Royce Rabb (LS) 6-5; triple jump—4. Stephan Bonshe (GP) 44-1; 5. Schulz (J) 43-10; shot put—4. Luke Jennings (GP) 56-9; discus—7. Jennings (GP) 153-5

Top 4 Team Scores

Inclusive—1. Kentwood, 41; 2. Deer Park, 27; 3. Mount Spokane, 26; 4. Lake Stevens, 23; 2A girls—1. Sehome, 101; 2. Cedarcrest, 61; 3. Nathan Hale, 57.5; 4. West Valley (Spokane), 48; 2A boys—1. Anacortes, 81; 2. Lynden, 61; 3. Tumwater, 50; 4. Aberdeen, 37; 3A girls—1. Mercer Island, 101; 2. Gig Harbor, 50; 3. Silas, 39; 4. Mountlake Terrace, 34; 3A boys—1. Shorewood, 68; 2. Liberty (Issaquah) 49; 3. Lincoln (Tacoma) 44; 4. Hermiston (36); 4A girls—1. Mount Si, 60; 2. Lake Stevens, 56; 3. Sumner, 52; 4. Skyline, 48; 4A boys—1. Mead, 55; 2. Olympia, 53; 3. Sumner, 49; 4. Lake Washington, 40.