Personal Bests Highlight Eatonville Track’s Early Season

The Eatonville Cruisers opened their 2026 outdoor season in full force Saturday, March 21, traveling to Rainier for the annual Rainier Icebreaker Invitational. Facing a deep field of 25 teams, Eatonville’s boy’s squad turned in a strong early-season performance, tying for fourth place with Onalaska High School. The girl’s team battled through a competitive field and finished in a three-way tie for 19th alongside Tenino High School and Pe Ell High School.

The meet marked the first large-scale test of the spring, and the Cruisers responded with a mix of top finishes, personal bests, and promising depth across events.

On the boys side, senior Oscar Lopez-Diaz led one of the top performances of the day. After being unable to compete in the 100 meters, Lopez-Diaz returned in the 400 meters and delivered a strong runner-up finish in 53.98 seconds, a season-best mark that set the tone for Eatonville’s sprint group.

Junior Steven Haas was a standout across multiple events and one of the most versatile performers at the meet. Haas placed third in the 200 meters with a time of 24.08 seconds, then came back to take second in the 300-meter hurdles in a personal-best 45.06. He added a fourth-place finish in the high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches, also a personal best, showcasing his ability to contribute in sprints, hurdles, and field events.

Eatonville’s relay team also made an impact. The 4x100 relay group of Phillip Buchholz, Lopez-Diaz, Hayes Sherrard, and Haas combined for a third-place finish in 46.66 seconds, an encouraging result for a unit still finding its rhythm early in the season.

In the distance events, sophomore Gabriel Kolsrud turned in a strong effort in the 3200 meters, placing fifth with a season-best time of 10:39.98. Jacob Golding competed in the 1600 meters and recorded a personal-best time of 7:38.47, continuing to build experience at the varsity level.

The hurdles group added valuable points, led by Rogue Pound, who placed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles with a season-best 18.52. Landon Austin contributed in the 300-meter hurdles, finishing 10th with a personal-best 47.10.

In the field events, Eatonville showed depth in the throwing disciplines. Brett Hutchings led the shot put group with an eighth-place finish and a personal-best throw of 36 feet, 7.25 inches, while Ian Mitchell followed closely in ninth with a season-best mark. In discus, Mason Kinley and Dale Swaner placed ninth and 10th, respectively, with Kinley setting a new personal best at 114 feet, 9 inches.

Rogue Pound also competed in the javelin, placing ninth with a throw of 121 feet, 9 inches, while Derek Wood added a 15th-place finish. In the jumps, David McClain cleared 5 feet, 4 inches in the high jump for a season best, and Connor Austin recorded an 8-foot vault in pole vault competition.

On the girl’s side, the Cruisers leaned on a young roster that showed steady improvement throughout the meet.

Freshman Avery Crowder was one of the top performers for Eatonville, setting personal bests in multiple events. She placed 26th in the 100 meters in 14.69 seconds, then improved to finish 14th in the 200 meters with a time of 30.90. Crowder also added a personal-best leap of 13 feet in the long jump to place 15th, highlighting her versatility.

Sophomore Ava Tatro contributed in both sprints and field events. She ran a season-best 14.38 in the 100 meters and later cleared 6 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault to place seventh, one of the team’s top field finishes on the day.

In the middle-distance events, freshman Jenny Lowe recorded a personal-best 1:15.10 in the 400 meters. Madison Sarpy and Alice Alexander competed in the 800 meters, with Sarpy posting a personal best and Alexander recording a season-best effort.

Junior Hannah Bieker led the distance group with a strong showing in both the 1600 and 3200 meters. She placed ninth in the 1600 with a season-best 6:16.77, then returned to finish fifth in the 3200 at 13:09.13. Teammate Bridget Stumph added solid performances in both races, recording season-best times in each.

In the throwing events, Madison McChesney-Berube delivered one of the team’s best field performances, placing 10th in the javelin with a personal-best throw of 83 feet. She also competed in discus, finishing 11th with a season-best mark. Porcalynn Hayes and Taylor Johnson added efforts in the shot put, with Johnson recording a personal best.

Bethany Kidd represented Eatonville in the high jump, clearing 4 feet for a personal best, while Ruth Lightfoot added a mark in the long jump.

Overall, the Icebreaker Invitational provided a valuable early-season benchmark for the Cruisers. With multiple top-five finishes on the boy’s side and a number of personal records across both teams, Eatonville showed both competitiveness and growth against a large and talented field.

The Cruisers will return to action Thursday, March 26, when they travel to Lakewood to face the Clover Park Timberwolves and the Foss Falcons in the opening meet of 2A SPSL league competition.