Alejandre, Kelly-Marconi, and Hanway district champs

Three Raiders came home as District 5-6 champions Saturday and will compete at the state track and field tournament at Eastern Washington University Friday and Saturday.

“I knew it was going to be a great meet when we started off with three district championships!” exclaimed Head Coach Lori Adkins on the field event championships in Ephrata.

Octavio Alejandre repeated as the district shot put champion by throwing 44 feet, 5 inches. Alejandre said his goal is to throw 48 feet at the the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s 1B, 2B & 1A Boys & Girls State Track and Field Championships in Cheney.

In the pole vault, Alexia Hanway came home with the district championship and earned her second trip to state by vaulting 6 feet, 6 inches.

Chyenne Kelly-Marconi took the district championship in both the triple jump and 100-meter hurdles. At triple jump, she soared to a new personal record and district meet record of 33 feet, 11.25 inches. Kelly-Marconi took the hurdles title in 17.55 seconds.

Nathaniel Hall came close to qualifying for state in the 200. Hall ran a 24.74, which placed him fourth and only four-tenths of a second out from state. Hall was also just four-tenths from qualifying in the 100 where he placed sixth in 12.4 seconds. In the 400, he took fifth in 57.3.

Freshman Nathan Morrell placed in all three throwing events at the state qualifying meet. In the shot, Morrell threw a PR for fifth at 37-2; took eighth in javelin with a 100-foot throw; earned eighth in discus with a throw of 100 feet, 8 inches.

In the 100-meter sprint, Aiyana Picard was part of a photo finish for second place that had to be sorted out twice before the official results were printed. She took fifth in 14.31. The difference between Picard and Elyse Kuebler of Riverside Christian, who took second, was just one-tenth of a second. Later, in the 200 Picard ran a 30.76-second race to place sixth.

Alaynah Herman ran the 800 and 1600 at districts. In the 1600, Alaynah Herman ran a 7:35.8 for fifth and took fourth in the 800 in 3:18.54.

Clare Castrodale also ran the 800, where she finished 6th with the time of 3:29.48. Castrodale also ran the 3200, placing fourth in 16:10.56.

Kelly-Marconi also ran the 400 and took part in the long jump. In the 400 Kelly-Marconi was part of the group that pulled ahead of front runner Brittany Jewett of Oroville down the stretch. Kelly-Marconi finished fourth in the 400 in 67.56, and leapt 14-7.5 to take fifth in the long jump.

Robert George finished sixth in the 110-meter high hurdles in 21.62 and fifth in the 300 intermediate hurdles with the PR time of 48.89.

In the 800, Will Friedlander placed seventh with a PR of 2:21.0 after a seventh-place pole vault of 7-6.

He was also part of the Raider 4x100 relay team, with Nathaniel Hall and Matthew and Cameron Tillman. The team placed fifth in 50.61 seconds.

Gene Fenton vaulted to fourth, clearing 8-6. Paladine Williams finished eighth in the 1600 in 6:03.65. Matheson placed eighth in the discus with a throw of 43-10.

For the three Raiders moving on to state, there will be a send off assembly in the high school gym Thursday.

On Friday, Hanway opens for the Raiders when the 2B pole vault starts at 9 a.m. Kelly-Marconi is next in the triple jump at 10:10 a.m. Then it is Octavio Alejandre’s turn at 12:30 p.m. in 2B boys’ shot. The Shot Put pit is behind Reese Gym and the Fieldhouse at EWU.

Kelly-Marconi will also be on the track on Friday in the preliminary heats of the 100 hurdles at 11:45 p.m. If she finishes in the top eight on Friday, she will run the 100 hurdles again on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.