Valley athletes open season with track and filed wins at Big C Relays

Alaska fires the starter pistol on the spring prep track and field season with the Big C Relays, and a handful of Valley athletes brought home gold in events unique to the annual meet hosted at The Dome in Anchorage.

Wasilla senior Dylan Jeffus won the boys pentathlon and Palmer finished first in the sprint medley relay in the two-day meet last weekend.

Jeffus competed in five different events — shot put, 300-meter hurdles, 800 meters, 100 and high jump — and finished first with 3,356 total points, more than 200 better than the runner-up. Jeffus won the 100, long jump and 300 hurdles pentathlon events.

Palmer’s Katey Houser, Paige Marshall, Larkin Christiansen and Kennedy Zola combined to win the girls’ sprint medley relays. Houser also tied for first in the girls 400 meters.

Redington’s Mya Campbell and Emily Bitler also won girls events. Campbell was first in the long jump and Bitler was first in the discus.

Wasilla’s Bella Hays was second in the shot put and fourth in the discus.

Merissa Loggins led Colony, finishing fourth in the girls 300 hurdles.

Eric Kolomeychuck led the Wasilla boys with a runner-up finish in the shot put. His teammate Payson White was third. Wasilla’s Deshawn Campbell was third in both the 110 hurdles and high jump. Kade Reynolds was third in the 300 hurdles for the warriors.

Redington’s Cort Sandefur was fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put.

Arthur Merritt led the Palmer boys with a fourth-place finish in the 110 hurdles. Matthew Rongitsch was fifth in the 3,200 for Colony.

Contact the Frontiersman at sports@frontiersman.com.