Track and Field stars compete at Division II State Meet

June 20, 2023 From The Editor Comments Off on Track and Field stars compete at Division II State Meet
Bethel Warriors' Jordan Klejka soars through the air in the Triple Jump event at the State Track and Field Championships last Friday in Palmer, AK Photo by Greg Lincoln

by Greg Lincoln

Track and Field varsity athletes from throughout the state including the Bethel Regional High School track team traveled to Palmer High School last week to compete at the 2023 State Track and Field finals, May 26-27.

Malinda Simon of Bethel competed in the Womens Discus at the Track & Field State Championships in Palmer on Friday. photo by Greg Lincoln

Coming in first place in the womens varsity 400 meters was Ourea Busk of Unalakleet. She won the preliminary race with a time of 1:03:27 and she won the finals with a new PR of 1:01:22.

Jayna Boonstra of Kenai placed second in the womens 3200 meters. She also placed sixth in the womens 1600 meters. She is the daughter of Todd and Kelli Boonstra, formerly of Tununak.

The Bethel Lady Warriors placed eight in the womens 4×100 relay with a time of 59:92. Runners for BRHS were Maya Komulainen, Vjosa Pellumbi, Allie Alexie, and Jisu Jang. They also came in eighth in the 4×200 relay, their finishing time was 2:09.99.

Bethel Lady Warrior shotputter Malinda Simon threw the 8.8 lbs. metal ball called a “shot” 24’ 10.25” and got a new PR at the event. She placed 15th overall. Simon also competed in the discus throw – her farthest was 79’ earning her a 13th place finish. The discus weighs 2.2 lbs. for women and 4.4 lbs. for men.

Long jumper Jordan Klejka jumped a distance of 12’ 2.5”, she placed 15th overall. Klejka also qualified for the finals in the triple jump, she cracked the top 10 finishing in eight place with a distance of 29’ 3”.

Kenai’s Malerie Nunn also finished in the top 10, placing 7th with a jump of 30’ 10.5” – a new PR. She is the daughter of Tununak’s Agnes Nunn and Jason Nunn.

On the boys side, BRHS’s Sheldon Smith got a new PR in the mens 200 meters preliminaries with a time of 25.72 seconds placing 15th overall. He also raced in the mens 400 meters earning another PR with a time of 58.23 seconds and finishing in 16th position.

His teammate Ned Peters competed in the mens 1600 meters, coming in 11th place overall with a time of 5:02.38 – a new PR. Peters made the top 10 competing in the mens 3200 meters race. His time was 10:54.20, placing in 10th position.

The Bethel mens relay team – Mason Beans-Polk, Sheldon Smith, Anson Jimmie, and Daniel Jang ran the 4×100 relay. They finished with a time of 50.39 coming in eight place. The BRHS relay boys team also competed in the 4×200 race placing 7th overall. Their time was 1:43:38.

Mason Beans-Polk finished in 11th place in the mens long jump with a distance of 16’ 10.25”.

The weather was chilly and windy on Friday but warmed up as the day progressed. Fans filled the stands at the Palmer’s track and field venue to cheer for their athletes. Teams from all over the state set up their tents and tarps emblazoned with their school colors and mascots and camped out throughout the day while waiting for their events.

There was a festival-like feel during the event which featured both Division I and II athletes. The first year BRHS fielded a track and field team was 2018. To view a video from the event (and other reels), visit the Delta Discovery facebook page.