Homer’s Aurora Waclawski and Kenai Central’s Jordan Theisen notched victories at the Brian Young Invitational this weekend in Kodiak.
Waclawski got her victory in the 800 meters, running 2 minutes, 21.14 seconds. West Valley’s Brooke Gottmeier was second at 2:21.54.
Theisen’s victory in the 3,200 also was a close one. He ran 9:40.52, while Derek Steele of South was .02 behind.
In the 1,600, Jordan Theisen was second at 4:21.95, while Jonah Theisen was third at 4:23.00. Kodiak’s Levi Thomet won at 4:17.86.
In the 800, Thomet won at 1:57.62, while Jonah Theisen was at 1:58.86 and Skyview’s Micah Hilbish was fifth at 1:59.91.
Also from the Peninsula, Nikiski’s Kerry Ross was 10th at 14.06 in the 100 and ninth at 28.41 in the 200, Hilbish was fourth in the 400 at 52.46, Waclawski was fifth in the 400 at 1:01.68, Homer’s Molly Mitchell was fifth in the 1,600 at 5:17.06 and fifth in the 3,200 at 11:28.10, Seward’s Tannen Berry was sixth in the 110 hurdles at 17.90 and sixth in the 300 hurdles at 44.06, Cook Inlet Academy’s Zach Taplin was fifth in the shot put at 43 feet, 3.5 inches, and third in the discus at 135—9, Kenai’s Kiana Harding was fifth in the high jump at 4—10, and Nikiski’s Seth Carstens was fifth in the high jump at 5—8 and sixth in the long jump at 19—6 1-2.
A non-Peninsula highlight of the meet came from Glennallen freshman Briahna Gerlach. Two weekends ago, Kenai Central junior Allie Ostrander broke Kristi Klinnert’s 1986 state-meet record of 10:37.7 in the 3,200 with a time of 10:13.87.
Those records can only be set at the state meet, but Gerlach came close to Klinnert’s time with a 10:37.87 at the meet in Kodiak.
Although Gerlach is a small-schools runner and Ostrander is a big-schools runner, Gerlach’s showing raises the possibility that another prep runner in the state is in at least the same ballpark as Ostrander.
