The Port Townsend High School track and field teams competed in a two-day meet in Renton May 19-20 to determine the district championships.

The top three finishers in each event qualified for the state championship meet, to be held at Eastern Washington University in Cheney over Memorial Day weekend.

PT coach Ian Fraser reported that the boys placed third, “well behind winner Bellevue Christian, and a scant four points behind Cascade Christian,” while the girls placed seventh.

“Both teams saw many of their competitors compete above seed in order to secure qualifying positions for the state championships next weekend, and we came home with a couple of new school records to boot,” Fraser said.

Fraser touted the relays as “a high point for the teams,” with “everyone running their fastest time of the year” and finishing in a state-qualifying position.

“We saw a little bit of heartbreak when the girls’ 4-x-100 meter relay passed the baton slightly outside of the second exchange zone, and were disqualified from their third-place finish, but on the bright side, every one of those girls also qualified for the state championship in other events,” Fraser said.

In the girls’ 100-meter hurdles, PT sophomore Aubry Botkin lined up against league rival and last year’s fourth-place finisher at the state championship, Lindsey Roberts of Coupeville.

“Although Lindsey ran well and set a new school record for Coupeville, it wasn’t even close,” Fraser said. “Aubry got out of the blocks quickly, and did a good job with the technical aspects of the event she’s been working on lately. She got a good stretch with her trail leg, and pushed her lead leg back down into running position quickly off the hurdles.”

Botkin stopped the clock in 15.09, winning by nearly nine-tenths of a second, and taking more than a tenth of a second off her own school record.

In the boys’ 110-meter hurdles, PT senior Seren Dances was “pretty much just racing against the clock,” according to Fraser.

Dances recorded a 15.00 to win by more than a second and a half, and supersede Nick Corn’s 1987 school record.

“Being new to the event, Seren is still trying to properly learn the mechanics and timing involved, but it’s starting to come together,” Fraser said. “This was the first race in which I’d say he’s starting to actually look like a hurdler.”

Fraser was especially enthusiastic over the “redemption” of senior Sira Wines.

“At the league meet a couple of weeks ago, Sira had a very rough day and failed to qualify onward in her individual events, placing fifth in both the javelin and high jump,” Fraser said.

Due to other competitors scratching out of the district championship meet, Wines gained late entry, and was able to compete in both events as the lowest seeded competitor.

“Sira sure made the best of those opportunities though, placing second in the javelin with a throw of 96-1, and third in the high jump at 4-8, qualifying to the state championship in both events, as well as the 4-x-200 meter relay,” Fraser said.

Port Townsend competitors (state championship qualifiers noted with **)

• Girls’ 4x100 relay (Brenna Franklin, Ari Winter, Aubry Botkin, Sira Wines), disqualified

• Girls’ 4x200 relay (Aubry Botkin, Anika Avelino, Ari Winter, Sira Wines), 3rd, 1:51.22**

• Boys’ 4x100 relay (Kyle Blankenship, Gerry Coker, Berkley Hill, Erik Pokorny), 2nd, 44.43**

• Boys’ 4x400 relay (Kyle Blankenship, Dylan Tracer, Berkley Hill, Gerry Coker), 3rd, 3:36.84**

• Anika Avelino: 4x200 relay (3rd, 1:51.22)**, 400-meter (6th, 64.80)

• Aubry Botkin: 4x200 relay (3rd, 1:51.22)**, 100-meter hurdles (1st, 15.09), triple jump (3rd, 34-4 3/4)**, 4x100 relay (disqualified)

• Ally Bradley: 3,200-meter (5th, 13:26.58)

• Brenna Franklin: discus (2nd, 88-10)**, 4x100 relay (disqualified)

• Sira Wines: 4x200 relay (3rd, 1:51.22)**, 4x100 relay (disqualified), high jump (3rd, 4-8)**, javelin (2nd, 96-1)**

• Ari Winter: 4x200 relay (3rd, 1:51.22)**, 4x100 relay (disqualified), 800-meter (4th, 2:33.22), 200-meter (7th, 28.20)

• Kyle Blankenship: 4x100 relay (2nd, 44.43)**, 200-meter (6th, 23.84), 4x400 relay (3rd, 3:36.84)**

• Nathan Cantrell: 3,200-meter (3rd, 10:30.23)**, 1,600-meter (4th, 4:45.44)

• Gerry Coker: 4x100 relay (2nd, 44.43)**, 400-meter (3rd, 52.31)**, 4x400 relay (3rd, 3:36.84)**

• Seren Dances: 110-meter hurdles (1st, 15.00)**, 300-meter hurdles (1st, 41.40)**, long jump (1st, 22-6 3/4)**, triple jump (2nd, 43-10)**

• Seamus Fraser: 110-meter hurdles (8th, 22.83), 3,200-meter (8th, 11:40.02)

• Berkley Hill: 4x100-meter relay (2nd, 44.43)**, 200-meter (3rd, 23.12)**, 4x400 relay (3rd, 3:36.84)**, triple jump (4th, 41-2 1/2)

• Tate Munich: 300-meter hurdles (6th, 45.11)

• Gabe Petrick: 3,200-meter (7th, 11:10.98), 1,600-meter (8th, 5:04.85), 300-meter hurdles (8th, 49.24)

• Erik Pokorny: 4x100 relay (2nd, 44.43)**, discus (3rd, 115-2)**

• Dylan Tracer: 4x400 relay (3rd, 3:36.84)**