At the 17-team Anchorage Invite at Dimond High School, the Soldotna boys and Homer girls led the way for Kenai Peninsula track teams, with multiple top finishes from Soldotna, Kenai, and Nikiski athletes.
For Soldotna’s boys, Tyce Escott won the 100 meters with a personal-best time of 10.95 seconds. The Stars also took first in the 400 and 1,600 relays and placed second in both the 800 and 3,200 relays. Luke Miller was runner-up in the shot put at 49 feet, 6 inches, and Kenai Lepule added a sixth-place finish with a 43-11.5. James Innes placed fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 53.26 seconds.
Soldotna’s girls were led by Annie Burns, who won the 800 meters in 2:20.88. Sophia Jedlicki placed third in the 100 (12.82), Shiloh Zichko was sixth in the 200 (26.98), and Anaulie Sedivy placed sixth in the 300 hurdles (49.55). Hope Hillyer finished sixth in the shot put at 30-6. The Stars won the 400 and 1,600 relays, took second in the 3,200 relay, and finished third in the 800 relay.
Kenai’s top performance came from Sophie Tapley, who recorded a personal-best 16-8.25 in the long jump to take second place. The Kenai girls scored eight points overall to finish 13th in the team standings.
Nikiski did not compete in Anchorage but saw multiple standout performances at a dual meet with Soldotna earlier in the week. Ryder Maguire won both the 800 and 1,600 meters and placed sixth in the 100. Rex Wittmer took second in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 43-4.
In jumps, Ethan Ellis placed third in the long jump at 16-3.5 and second in the triple jump at 36-11. Kaleb Allen and Logan Nicks followed Ellis in the long jump, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. Nicks also placed fifth in the triple jump.
On the girls side, McKenzie Flanders led Nikiski with a second-place finish in the 200 (32.14) and a fourth-place effort in the 100 (14.91).
Soldotna also picked up several PRs at the dual meet. Naomi Zichko won the 100 meters in 13.79, Lucy Uhlir won the 200 in 28.06, Kathryn DeBardelaben won the 1,600 in 5:33.76, Kylie Smith won the long jump at 12-8, and Greyson Henry claimed the triple jump at 32-7.
Soldotna’s boys finished fourth in the Anchorage Invite team standings with 65 points. The Soldotna girls were just behind third-place Homer with 62 points to take fourth overall. Kenai and Nikiski continue to build toward regional competition with key individual performances showing strong potential.
