West Sound's best grab track and field gold at state championships

West Sound's top track and field stars entered this week's state championship meets in search of first-place hardware and found exactly what they were looking for at the 4A/3A/2A meet in Tacoma and the 1A/2B/1B meet in Cheney, collecting eight total titles.

What a way to end the season.

"On top of the world," South Kitsap senior Savannah Kambich said Saturday after the Wolves finished second as a team in 4A on the strength of two relay victories and one individual event win at Mount Tahoma High School.

In the opening event of the day, the South Kitsap's all-senior 4x200 relay team of Kambich, Marissa Crane, Elise Hopper and Ella Hopper claimed top honors, crossing the finish line in 1 minute, 42.08 seconds.

The 4x200 win tasted sweet considering the Wolves began the race on the inside lane and spent much of the time chasing down the competition.

"This one always set the tone for us for any meet we do," Kambich said.

When Ella Hopper took the baton from her twin sister with 200 meters to go, the Wolves trailed Richland. That meant Hopper had some work to do before making the final turn and heading down the home stretch.

"You want to get that front spot. I had to go around to pass," Ella Hopper said. "I waited until the corner, that's the best place to pass. Then I just gunned it to the end."

Hopper took the lead with 100 meters to go and never looked back. Redmond finished second in 1:42.25, followed by Curtis (1:42.94) and Richland (1:43.05)

South Kitsap left no doubt in the final event of the competition, crushing the competition in the 4x400. Crane gave the Wolves a 15-meter lead after the first 400, Kambich maintained the advantage and the Hoppers left the other seven teams in the dust while winning in a time of 3:54.29. Second-place Redmond finished more than seven seconds behind South Kitsap in 4:01.63.

Considering the 4x400 marked the final time Kambich, Crane and the Hoppers would race together for the Wolves, the quartet said they gave no thought to having an alternate run one of the legs, despite all four competitors being tired at the end of a long, cold and wet day.

"Us four seniors had to run it," Elise Hopper said. "It couldn't be any other way."

The Wolves nearly swept all three relay events. In the middle of the competition, Kambich, Crane and the Hoppers combined to take second in the 4x100 in 49.17 seconds.

In the 300 hurdles girls race, Ella Hopper put her chasing skills to work again while battling Lake Stevens' Chloe Pattison. Entering the first turn, Hopper said she could hear her coaches yelling "close the gap" on Pattison.

"She was hammering me throughout a lot of it," Hopper said. "I knew it would come down to that last 100."

Hopper pulled even with Pattison going over the second-to-last hurdle and closed with strength, winning in 43.88. Pattison took second in 44.12.

"I knew it would come down to who wanted it more," Hopper said. "That's what I was thinking. I was like, 'Who wants it more?' I'm super happy."

Others top-eight finishers for South Kitsap included Elise Hopper (third in 400, 58.22), Crane (fifth in 400, 59.33), Lauren Laws (fourth in 800, 2:15.59) and Grace Degarimore (fifth in shot put, 37-9.25).

The Wolves totaled 65 points as a team. Only Curtis (68) scored more among girls 4A teams.

In 3A, Central Kitsap's girls placed sixth with Kymeal Gaulden leading the way. The senior finished second in the 200 in 25.38 and third in 100 in 12.21. She also teamed with Sophia Mills, Jada Kopp and Aaliyah Chandler to help the Cougars' 4x100 relay team place third in 49.95. In girls javelin, Carley Wilson placed seventh with a throw of 116-3.

On the boys' side for Central Kitsap, Blake Reynolds ran 1:56.17 in the 800 to place fifth. Reynolds joined Steven Dunbar, Dawson Fourier and Dakarai Moten as the Cougars' 4x400 relay team took fourth in 3:25.64.

For Bainbridge, Claire Hungerford, placed sixth in the girls 300 hurdles in 47.37.

In 2A, North Kitsap's Salix Wartes-Kahl placed third in the girls 800, running 2:17.01. Lillian Pruden placed seventh in the 400 in 1:00.21. The Vikings' girls 4x200 team of Emerson Bollert, Jazmine Gipson, Genesi Funston and Pruden placed fourth in 1:46.66, while the 4x400 relay team of Pruden, Funston, Wartes-Kahl and Ingrid Burchill placed fifth in 4:11.09.

On the boys' side, Tenichi Gordon cleared 12-6 to place fourth in the pole vault, while North Kitsap's 4x100 team of Johnny Olmsted, Karson Walsh, Lincoln Castillo and Logan Sloman took eighth in 44.70.

Bremerton's Trinity Malaga placed eighth in the girls shot put with a throw of 33-11. On the boys' side, Dshawn Harvison placed seventh in the 200 in 23.05; in the 400, Enrique Brambila placed third in 50.57 and Jaycob Storey placed eighth in 52.74. Brambila, Storey, Isaiah Cadengo and Erik Anderson placed fourth in the 4x400 relay, running 3:26.97.

Kingston's Lynn Nelson placed sixth in the girls javelin with a throw of 107-10. Olympic's Jaden Bluitt placed fourth in the boys high jump by clearing 5-10.

Gagnon, Lampkin combine for five wins

At the Class 1A/2B/1B meet at Eastern Washington University, Klahowya senior Kelton Gagnon won the 1,600 title on Friday, then claimed two more individual wins Saturday.

Gagnon, who'll run at Weber State University next year, set a new 1A meet record in the 800, winning in 1:52.78. The previous record was 1:53.56. In the 3,200, Gagnon also took first in 9:29.43.

On the girls' side for Klahowya, Natalie Outhoat placed third in the 3,200, running 11:32.82. Maggie Keenan placed eighth in the 300 hurdles in 52.29.

At 1B, Crosspoint's Zach Lampkin claimed the boys 100 title in 11.37 after setting the meet record of 11.19 during Friday's preliminary run. He also won the 200 in 23.14.

Other medalists for the Warriors included Stella Crollard (8th, girls 100 hurdles), Riya Tabosa (8th, girls 300 hurdles), Brooke Berens (6th, girls 400; 2nd, girls 800), the girls 4x200 (7th), Sterling Luther (8th, boys pole vault) and Ethan White (6th, boys long jump).

After Thursday's opening day, which saw eight locals claim top-eight medals, West Sound athletes continued to add hardware Friday.

South Kitsap's Emma Bermond Des Ambrois had a top mark of 120-8 to place fifth in 4A girls javelin. Bainbridge's Ella McRitchie placed third in the 3A girls pole vault, clearing 13 feet. Olympic's Sara Leasiolagi placed seventh in 2A girls discus, achieving a personal-record 108-2. North Kitsap's Laine Miller took fifth in the 2A boys discus with a throw of 140-8, while Bremerton's Ivan Picazo placed seventh with a throw of 138-5.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: West Sound's best grab track and field gold at state championships