21 Blaine track athletes compete in postseason this week

Blaine’s Ayanna Holguin, r., in the 100-meter dash at Blaine’s last home track and field meet on May 3. Photo by Oliver Lazenby.

By Oliver Lazenby

For Blaine track and field athletes, the postseason started this week with the 2A sub-districts at Civic Field in Bellingham on May 10 and 12.

Blaine is sending 21 athletes to the event: Alfonso Dermendziev, Dalton Mouw, Isaiah Russ, Trevor Freeland, Nicholas Pearson, Tucker Jensen, Joshua Soto, Caleb Kielpinski, Porter Schmidt, Haden Anthony, Adam Vega, Jared Philips and Taylor Lee for the boys. On the girls side, sub-district competitors are Cassidy Condos, Montanna Criss, Josie Deming, Gracelyn Economy, Ayanna Holguin, Gracie McPhail, Mariah Minjarez and Rani Prasad.

“So much is mental at this point,” head coach Carey Bacon said. “Physically, there’s fine tuning being done, but the heaviest part of training is now passed. What we hope to do is instill confidence and keep them upbeat.”

The athletes are going into sub-districts with a range of strategies. Some will go all out to qualify for districts while others, such as the boys 4x400-relay team, will try to save its legs for later on.

Some of that team’s top athletes won’t run in sub-districts because it only needs to finish without a disqualification to make it to the district meet.

Blaine had a strong showing at its last home track meet on May 3, against Nooksack Valley, Mount Baker, and Sedro-Woolley, with many athletes getting personal bests.

Blaine boys sprinters cleaned up, sweeping the podium in the 400 meters. Mouw took first place with a personal best time of 50.65 seconds, Dermendziev took second place at 51.56 seconds. Isaiah Russ took third with a time of 53.41 seconds. Those three, along with Trevor Freeland, will race the 4x400 relay in the postseason.

Mouw Also won the 100 meters and 200 meters. Josh King took first in 800 meters with a personal best time of 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

Ayanna Holguin got personal record times in the girls 200 meters and 400 meters, which she won with a time of 1 minute and 5 seconds.

Josie Deming finished fourth and had a personal best in discus. She also placed second in javelin and first in high jump – the two events she will compete in at sub-districts.

Gracelyn Economy got a personal best and took first in pole vault, clearing 8 feet, 6 inches. Blaine’s Cassidy Condos and Gracie McPhail came in second and fourth at pole vault. They’ll all three be competing in sub-districts in that event.

Sub-district competition starts at 4:30 p.m. on May 10 and May 12.