By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
The Sitka High track and field team endured unusually hot weather and finished out the season with a number of first place finishes at the state championship meet in Anchorage, May 27 and 28.
In the women’s distance running events, Wolves freshman Clare Mullin recovered from illness just in time to sweep the first place spots in the half-mile, mile and two-mile races.
Though she also took first place in those events at the Region V meet a week earlier, her performance up north left the freshman pleasantly surprised.
The Sitka High women’s relay team celebrates in the state track and field championship meet at Diamond High School in Anchorage, Saturday. The Lady Wolves took second place overall, while the boys finished in eighth. From the left are Clare Mullin, Anna Prussian, Maitlin Young and Addie Poulson. (Photo by Klas Stolpe)
“It feels good, obviously, but it’s kind of hard. It hasn’t set in yet… I was sick this past week, so I didn’t go in expecting to do my best. And my times were I didn’t have any PRs or anything, but it was a good surprise,” she told the Sentinel.
Overall, Sitka’s women took second place in the state, behind Anchorage Christian School. All told, 18 women’s teams competed. Sitka’s men finished eighth place out of 20 teams.
In the 800 meter race, Mullin finished first in 2:33, barely half a second ahead of the runner up. But in the mile, Mullin stretched her lead and won by four seconds in 5:31. In the two-mile race, Mullin crossed the finish line in only 11:50 – a full 13 seconds ahead of the second place athlete.
“For the mile and the two mile, I didn’t lead either of the races because I still wasn’t feeling my best and I wanted to save as much energy as I could,” the runner said. “So I kind of stuck in the second and third spot, pretty much the whole race and then just gave it a good kick at the end.”
While she wasn’t able to crack Sitka High’s record for the two-mile race this season, she hopes to do so next year.
“I want to focus on getting personal bests. Maybe a school record in the two mile, goals like that,” she said.
In early May, Mullin broke the school record in the 800 meter event in 2:19.42.
Looking forward to the cross country season in the fall, the rising sophomore hopes to push her five kilometer time below 19 minutes.
“I want to break 19 minutes in my 5k, so I think really working towards that this summer,” she said. “I know Anna Prussian really wants to do that too. So I feel like if we both put in the work we can both push ourselves.”
On the track at the state meet, Prussian was right behind Mullin in all three distance races. The junior took third in the half-mile in 2:35, fourth in the mile in 5:38 and fourth in the two-mile in 12:16.
Prussian noted the role of the heat during the races.
“I think it went really well, especially considering the weather was like 70 degrees-ish. I was super hot, which was different from what we’ve been racing in all season, but I was really happy with my results,” Prussian said over the phone. “My times were definitely not as fast as I wanted. But it was a state race, so I wasn’t going for a time. I was going for placement more and I’m happy with all my places. And it was different racing in the really hot weather, especially because the track itself was really hot so like finishing my two mile, my mile the bottoms of my feet were burning up.”
Despite the heat, she and her teammates enjoyed some time spent in the sun.
“Being able to sit under the tent with the team and when you were done with your event you could kind of just lay in the sun. It was a really good environment to be in I think before the races,” she said.
Like Mullin, she’s eager for her senior year cross country season.
“Breaking 19 is definitely a goal of mine. Especially, I think I ran a 19:11 last season and so I think it’s within reach, especially by the end of the season,” she said. “And so I’m definitely going to be working towards that and training throughout the summer for it. And I’m super excited. It’s kind of sad that I’ve only got one more season of cross country and track but I think it’ll be good to go out with some fast times.”
Regardless of times, personal records and splits, Prussian most enjoyed the social side of the sport.
“The team was really great to be around. And so I was really happy with this season,” she said.
On the men’s side, junior Silas Demmert took eighth place in the two-mile in 10:14. But the heat took a toll on the runner.
“It was tough. Especially for the 3,200, it was really just exhausting. You know, the team, we did our best to stay out of the heat as much as possible. I actually got heat stroke on Saturday. I had to scratch the 16 But yeah, the 32 was really tough,” Demmert said. “Everybody was just coughing up and dying. We all had ice and tried to keep cold water.”
While his illness forced him to bow out of the mile race, he’s fully recovered since then, he said.
“I’m all right. I guess it was just kind of frustrating needing to scratch that race. I was really lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous. I threw up twice. But no, I just needed some rest and to get out of the heat, which I tried to do as much as possible, but it still got me,” he remembered.
Despite that problem, he was pleased with his two-mile race.
“I was pretty happy with my placing in that. I would have liked to end the season with a 10 flat or less but I can’t be angry with that. Especially in that condition,” he said.
Looking back on the season, Demmert said he most enjoyed the Region V meet, as well as the season’s only home meet in Sitka.
“I’d say regions or our meet and Sitka. It’s just really nice to get all these new guys on the track team, because last year was a tough year, because we were just kind of fighting our way out of COVID,” the rising senior said. “And now people are kind of being more open to new things. This year it was just nice to have those bigger experiences like regions and state and home meets… But this year we got a big group of people so it’s nice to have a solid team.”
Over the summer he’d like to incorporate more weight training into his routine.
“There’s some weightlifting with my training, just so I can get stronger for hills. I think my issue this track season was I wasn’t as strong as I could have been. I think my fitness level was good. But I think I just need to work on building muscle,” he said.
The cross country season gets underway in August.
Results for Sitka athletes in the state championship are below.
Women’s Results
800 Meters -
1. Clare Mullin 2:33.46
3. Anna Prussian 2:35.48
1600 Meters -
1. Clare Mullin 5:31.22
4. Anna Prussian 5:38.84
6. Emma Gassman 5:45.83
3200 Meters
1. Clare Mullin 11:50.17
4. Anna Prussian 12:16.74
6. Emma Gassman 12:19.68
100m Hurdles - 33”
8. Adelaide Poulson 20.73
300m Hurdles - 30”
3. 12 Adelaide Poulson 50.46
4x100 Relay
6. Relay Team 58.41
4x200 Relay
6. Relay Team 2:01.80
4x400 Relay
1. Relay Team 4:18.54
4x800 Relay
4. Relay Team 11:09.21
High Jump
4. Ada Parker 4’4.00
ABOVE AND BELOW: ARE THE RELAY TEAM MEMBERS THE SAME IN EACH TEAMS??
\
Men’s Results
1600 Meters
10. Trey Demmert 4:48.68
3200 Meters
8. Silas Demmert 10:14.97
12. Connor Hitchcock 11:01.78
300m Hurdles - 36”
8. Sergio Carlos 48.27
4x100 Relay
5. Relay Team 48.61
4x200 Relay
6. Relay Team 1:40.98
4x400 Relay
3. Relay Team 3:42.86
4x800 Relay
3. Relay Team 8:36.07
High Jump
6. Asa Dow 5’6.00
Hank Maxwell NH
Trey Demmert NH
Long Jump
8. Annan Weiland 18’03.00
Triple Jump
4. Felix Myers 38’04.75
Unified Men’s Results
100 Meters
3. Jack Mickelson 16.29
100 Meters Partner
3. Josh Antolin 13.31
Shot Put
8. Jack Mickelson 4’03.00
Shot Put - 12lb Partner
3. Caleb Hutton 32’05.25
Long Jump
8. Jack Mickelson 4’11.50
Long Jump Partner
3. Josh Antolin 16’02.00
