High School Athletes Set To Show Off Results Of Winter Training

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Three years since its last running, in the weeks before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the Washington High School Invitational returns to the Dempsey Indoor this Saturday and Sunday in Seattle, as athletes get set for their final tuneup before competing at the upcoming Simplot Games and national meets.

Competition begins following the Husky Classic on Saturday evening with the 3,000-meter races.

The boys field is loaded with star-studded talent highlighted by a trio of Nike Cross National competitors in Jesuit OR seniors Jacob Nenow and Gus Clevenger and Marshfield OR's Alex Garcia-Silver. 

Among local competitors from the Greater Seattle area running Friday night are UW commit Cruize Corvin of Lakes and recent Liberty commit Ethan Pedersen of Eastlake. Walla Walla’s Brody Hartley, a Notre Dame commit, will make the trip over from Eastern Washington to round out the top competitors.

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS required)

Gioana Lopizzo of La Costa Canyon CA, Sydney Collier of Skyline WA are the top two entries in the girls 3,000 field that features four athletes with entry times faster than 10 minutes. Jesuit’s Maura O’Scannlain and Oak Bay BC's Ella Ballard are among notables.

Sunday features more must-watch distance events, including both the boys mile and girls 800 and mile races.

Jesuit’s Emma Bennett is set to return to the track, coming off a freshman campaign where she ran 4:27.09 for the 1,500 and 2:10.59 in the 800 to finish top three in both events at the Oregon state 6A championships. She will race both the girls 800 and mile.

Bethany Michalak from Air Academy CO (Kokopelli Racing) returns to Seattle after having competed in the Brooks PR Invite where she finished fourth in the girls 2-mile, running 10:05.25. The junior will race the mile.  

Allura Markow of Dana Hills CA is set to run the mile, coming off a junior season where she placed 15th at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the mile. Holly Barker of Laguna Hills CA, like Lopizzo and Markow at Champs Sports Cross Country national qualifier, is also in the mile. 

Sidney Clement of West Vancouver BC has the top entry time of 4:40.0.

Roosevelt OR's Will Heslam and Lincoln OR's Samy Anderson are two of the top entries in the boys mile, with times of 4:10 and 4:14, respectively. Heslam was the Oregon state 6A runner-up in the 1,500 last spring. Anderson ran at NXN this last fall and finished 31st.

Bishop Blanchet WA duo of Vincent Recupero and Will Schneider are listed to compete in the mile. Schneider, a UW commit, was the Washington State 3A champion in the 1,600 and Recupero was third last spring.

Killarney BC's Mitchell Klassen leads the field with an entry time of 4:05.

Maya Beachler of Kitsilano BC enters the girls 800 with a top seed time of 2:08 and will face Bennett, Central Catholic OR's Ella McGillis, and JSerra CA's trio of Anastasia Snodgrass, Georgia Jeanneret and Brooke O’Brien, who were Nike Outdoors All-Americans in the 4x800 and DMR last summer.

Ready-Set-Go club teammates Andre Korbmacher of Squalicum WA and Jake Andrews of Sehome WA are slated to compete in two events each. Korbmacher, the defending New Balance Nationals Indoor champion in the 60 hurdles, will race in that event and the 200. Andrews will race the 400 and 200.

Nickolas Miller from Clovis North CA returns to the Evergreen State after racing in Spokane in mid-January where he won the boys 200 and placed fifth in the 60. He will race both of those events.

Ellie Heslam from Roosevelt OR will race in the girls 400 for the second time this year, coming off a 56.99 effort at the Spokane High School Invitational in mid-January. She will also race in the 200.

Bear Creek’WA's Braelyn Baker, a four-time Washington State 1A champion last spring, will race in the girls 200 with the top seed time of 24.26. She will also race Heslam in the 400.

Emerald Ridge WA sophomore JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, a member of the U.S. World U20 team last summer, will compete in tfour events – 60m hurdles, shot put, high jump and long jump. Gero-Holt won the high jump at the Washington Indoor Invitational with a season best height of 5-9.25.

Ella McRitchie from Bainbridge WA, representing Northwest Pole Vault, is also expected to make her second appearance at the Dempsey in the girls pole vault field. The junior cleared 13-11 at the UW Invitational to place fifth.

Yelm’s Brayden Platt, a four-star linebacker according to 24/7 sports, will make his indoor debut in the boys shot put and weight throw. Platt was an all-American at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the shot and javelin last summer and also won the Washington State 3A shot put title in a personal best throw of 61-6.

Lander Marak of Sandy OR, the Spokane High School Invitational champion in weight throw, is set to compete in weight throw.

Adrianna Coleman of King's WA, second in the country for girls weight throw, will compete in both weight throw and shot put. Bothell’s Haedyn Bambolo, a Nike Outdoors all-American in shot put and a University of Arizona signee, will throw shot put.

Roman Hutchinson, a 23-5 long jumper from Federal Way WA, will compete in the boys triple jump.