TACOMA — Mateo Ganje waited most of the day to get back on the blocks and hunt for a state title.
The Glacier Peak junior sprinter came into the Class 4A/3A/2A state track and field championship meet Saturday at Mount Tahoma High School as the favorite in both the 4A boys 100- and 200-meter dash events. After coming up just shy of a first-place medal in the 100 earlier in the day, Ganje found his groove in the 200, finishing in 21.95 seconds to claim first place over Cameron Weir of Skyline.
Weir was the one who bested him in the 100, finishing 0.06 faster than Ganje’s time of 11.06. In the 200, Ganje beat him out by 0.14 seconds.
“I just had to come out and run 200 meters like every other 200,” Ganje said. “I was a little nervous but I was able to pull it out, just put out my arms and get to the line.”
Ganje also helped the Grizzlies towards a medal in the 400 relay, which took third with a time of 42.15 seconds.
“We have a really solid squad,” Ganje said. “I’m happy with the way we ran in that 400. … Everyone’s been showing out. It means a lot to my team and my coaches, they’ve really been there for me.”
Ndayiragije adds third top-2 finish in 3A boys jumping events
Shukurani Ndayiragije made a name for himself this spring as an elite three-event jumper.
The Everett High School senior made it a goal to get to the top of the state podium in the 3A boys high jump after placing second at last year’s state championship meet, and Ndayiragije hit that goal with a leap of 6 feet, 8 inches on Thursday.
However, after taking second in the triple jump on Friday with a mark of 47-2 1/2, Ndayiragije still had his eyes set on taking home another first-place medal in the long jump. He hit 23-1 1/2 on his opening leap on Saturday, setting the mark for the rest of the field.
Ndayiragije ended up finishing in second in the long jump behind Josiah Alanis of Evergreen, as Alanis broke a meet record with a jump of 24-1. It had been standing since 2019, when Ferndale’s Tallen Williams hit 23-11 1/4.
“What he had to do was go back to the drawing board,” Everett jump coach Shemonta Dean said of Ndayiragije’s quest back to state this spring. “Attitude, self discipline and remaining humble, he did all those things. … He came in the right way, and he made it through the entire season.
“It’s hard to turn that corner when you lose an event that you’ve been winning all year,” Dean added. “That was him last year in that high jump. … Shuku is an elite athlete, and we didn’t have a lot of those on our team this year. We were rebuilding, and for him to step up and be a leader in those regards, it’s part of the result that people see now.”
Kamiak’s Warme secures second-place medal in 4A hurdling event
Miller Warme was determined to have a better showing at state than he showed last month at the Eason Invitational in the 300 hurdles.
Warme tripped on his last hurdle at the Eason, but the freshman didn’t let it happen again in the state championship meet, claiming second in the 4A boys 300 hurdles with a time of 39.01.
“Falling on my face at the Eason … That was definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my track career,” Warme said. “There was a lot of ups and downs to get here, and I’m just happy to come out on top. It’s all part of the process.”
Warme, who was the only underclassmen competing in the 4A 300 hurdles final, credited the strength of hurdling specialists in the Wesco 4A league this season in preparing him for state-level competition.
Lake Stevens seniors David ‘Boogy’ Brown and Steven Lee Jr., who respectively placed first and third at state in the 4A boys 110 hurdles on Friday, highlighted the competition Warme had to face in local meets this spring.
“Being in this Wesco with Boogy Brown and Steven, they’re two fantastic hurdlers,” Warme said. “I had no idea how things would go at the beginning of the season. They killed me in the 110s, but in the 300s I was able to get past them. It really was great practice to get to this level.”
Mountlake Terrace’s Dubiel captures third-place in girls 300 hurdles
Brynlee Dubiel said that she’ll gladly take the extra motivation from taking third in the 3A girls 300 hurdles.
The Hawks’ sophomore finished the event in 45.6, and she was closing in on front runners Claire Hungerford of Bainbridge (45.5) and Savannah Hinton of Silas (45.1) at the tail end of the race.
“(Hinton) is an insane athlete,” Dubiel said. “And there was a lot of really great competition in this race this year and I didn’t have the best season in this race. … I always say if I had a few more meters I could’ve done better, but you never know.”
Dubiel also took third in the 100 hurdles a day prior, finishing in 15.94 seconds.
“It’s okay,” Dubiel said. “These are all great athletes who beat me, I’m proud of what I did. Even though I didn’t get quite the result I wanted, I think I can improve a lot next year.”
Lakwewood’s Ralston claims 2A shot put title
Lakewood senior Ethan Ralston won the 2A boys championship in the shot put. Ralston, who came into the event ranked third in the state at 55-3 1/2, unleashed a huge personal best of 57-4 1/4 on his second throw to move into the lead, then did himself nearly two feet better on his fifth throw when he uncorked 59-0. He won the event by more than two feet.
Other local top-8 placers from Saturday
Mariner junior Stephen Anderson took second in the 4A boys triple jump with a leap of 45-5 1/4.
Snohomish junior Baella Stich placed third in the 3A girls long jump with a mark of 17-8.
Cedarcrest sophomore Laine McKenzie finished first in the 2A girls triple jump (37-7) and second in the 2A girls 200 (25.78).
Arlington senior Dallas Miller took third in the 3A boys 400 with a time of 49.36 seconds.
Lake Stevens sophomore Keira Tupua finished fourth in the 4A girls shot put (39-3 1/2).
Mountlake Terrace sophomore Allison Merwin took fifth in the 3A girls long jump with a mark of 17-5 3/4.
Everett senior Evan Hartt placed sixth in the 3A boys discus with a throw of 159-5.
Kamiak junior Aaron Vu took eighth in the 4A boys triple jump with a mark of 42-3 1/2.
Monroe senior Justice Funston placed fifth in the 3A boys pole vault (14-6).
Glacier Peak senior Lindsay Koch finished eighth in the 4A girls pole vault (11-6).
Shorewood senior Keiyu Mamiya placed third in the 3A boys 800 with a time of 1:53.38.
Kamiak sophomore Zia Anderson claimed fourth in the 4A girls high jump with a mark of 5-2.
Lynnwood sophomore Ena Dodik took fifth in the 3A girls discus (124-8).
Cedarcrest sophomore Mira Knowlton finished fourth in the 2A girls triple jump with a leap of 34-6 3/4.
The Cedarcrest 2A girls 800 relay team finished fifth (1:46.68).
The Lake Stevens 4A girls 900 relay team took sixth (1:44.26).
Stanwood sophomore Ryan Khoury placed fourth in the 3A boys 800 with a time of 1:54.08.
Snohomish junior Kai Yoder secured eighth in the 3A boys 800 (1:54.41).
Cedarcrest sophomore Lydia Swenson took fifth in the 2A girls 800 (2:20.35).
Lakewood senior Landon Davidson finished fourth in the 2A boys 300 hurdles with a time of 40.82.
Lake Stevens senior Steven Lee Jr. placed seventh in the 4A boys 300 hurdles (41.58).
Glacier Peak junior Keira Fleenor took seventh in the 4A girls 100 (12.83).
Lake Stevens senior Jada Sarrys placed sixth in both the 4A girls 100 (12.81) and 400 (58.94).
The Glacier Peak 4A girls 400 relay team finished fourth (49.44).
Cedarcrest senior Ethan Swenson claimed fifth in the 2A boys 400 with a time of 49.99.
Cedarcrest senior Summer Soptich finished fourth in the 2A girls 400 (58.40).
Shorewood sophomore Mila Fotinatos took fourth in the 2A gitls 400 (58.40).
The Shorewood 3A boys 1,600 relay team placed fourth (3:23.71).
The Mountlake Terrace 3A boys 1,600 relay team took fifth (3:24.15).
Kamiak junior T’Andre Waverly took fourth in the 4A boys 100 (11.14).
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