A look at the top boy's athletes to watch in the 2021 track season.
Hard to believe just a little over a year ago, we were left without a high school track and field season in Washington.
Many lost opportunities to compete at the state meet in the hope of coming away with individual titles, while others lost their final season of high school athletics.
Through the tough year that was 2020, student-athletes across the country found ways to make the best of the situation by competing in virtual races and time trials on their own.
Despite the lack of competition at your usual meet and invite, many came away with lifetime best marks and incredible performances, making the spring of "2020 season" one they won't ever forget.
As track and field makes its return to Washington this spring, here is your preview of some of the athletes to keep an eye out for this season on the boy's side.
Distances:
Ethan Coleman, Olympia
- The last six or so months for Olympia's Ethan Coleman have been truly incredible when you look at the performances he has put together in cross country and track. Coleman ran the fastest recorded 5k time on the track last fall in 14:43, and this spring ran a season-best 16:03.5 and was the champion of the South Sound League. In the past week, Coleman has run two personal best marks in his first two track meets, including the fastest 3,200-meter time in the state at 9:01.54 and the second-fastest 1,600-meter in the state at 4:18.54.
Isaac Teeples, Kamiakin
- Isaac Teeples continues his dominance in Washington for another year after an excellent fall and spring in cross country. The two-time Runner of the Year in cross country for The Runner WA ran a lifetime 5k best 14:44 on the track last fall and then ran season-best marks in the spring for 5k at 15:27.3 and three-mile at 14:39.5, all while leading Kamiakin to another Mid-Columbia Conference team title. Just one track into his junior year, Teeples posted a new personal-best in the 1,600-meter at 4:21.03 and a season-best in the 3,200-meter at 9:31.29, ranking him top three in the state for both events.
Evan Jenkins, Camas
- It has been a hectic winter/spring for Camas' Evan Jenkins, flipping back and forth between cross country and track. With the focus on racing in track, Jenkins has run some fast times early on this spring season with personal best times in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters running 4:15.21 and 9:16.72. The 1,600 time places first in the state, while his 3,200 time ranks second behind Olympia's Coleman. When he did race in cross country, Jenkins did provide good times for the Papermakers running a 5k season-best mark of 15:56.5 and leading the team to three wins in GSHL meets.
Cooper Quigley, Selah
- An undefeated cross country season for Selah's Cooper Quigley was not only impressive, but he completed it in dominating fashion. In all eight of his races this past winter, Quigley won each of them by more than 25 seconds and ran a personal best in the 4,000-meter in a time of 12:29. He hasn't slowed down either with the transition to track as he has posted personal best times of 4:23.5 and 9:38.1 in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter races in the first two weeks of the season.
Bryce Cerkowniak, Yelm
- It may not have been the perfect senior cross country season Yelm's Bryce Cerkowniak had hoped for, but the Gonzaga commit got a ton out of it in such a short span of time. Cerkowniak ran a season-best 5k time of 15:44.7, picked up four individual wins, and led the Tornados to the South Sound League title with a second-place run at the culminating event. Following the cross country season, Cerkowniak made the quick turnaround and has opened track with great early marks in all three distance races running 2:04.59 in the 800, 4:29 in the 1,600, and 9:25.77 in the 3,200.
Others to Watch:
Zack Munson, Sehome
Sam Gieger, Camas
Cruize Corvin, Lakes
Landon Sturdevant, Ferndale
William Schneider, Bishop Blanchet
Brendan Charbeneau, Jackson
Jordan Hansen, Jackson
Sprints:
Anthony Smith, Eastside Catholic
- There's something to be said about an athlete who leads the state in all three sprint categories. Eastside Catholic's Anthony Smith has done some phenomenal work over the last year, including a trip down to the Desert Dream Last Hurrah Invite last summer where he came away with two top-two finishes in the 100 and 200-meters and a first-place finish and personal best run of 48.06 in the 400-meter. So far this winter/spring, the Washington commit has won an AAU indoor national title in the 60-meter and ran flying times of 10.49 and 21.46 in the 100 and 200-meters.
Isaiah Davis, Federal Way
- Federal Way's Isaiah Davis had himself quite the freshman year for the Eagles running 11.12 in the 100-meter and qualified for the 4A state track meet in the 200-meter with a time of 22.43. Davis has been recognized on the national level outside of high school with the Federal Track Club and Kitsap Fliers, including a runner-up finish in 200-meter running a personal best of 21.68 last spring at the AAU National Junior Olympics. Davis most recently competed in the indoor national championships where he ran season-best marks of 7.20 in the 60-meter and 23.82 in the 200-meter.
Logan Allen, Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls)
- For an athlete from such a small school, Lakeside's Logan Allen has earned the respect of many for his abilities in the 100 and 200-meter races. In his first trip to the 1A State Track Meet as a sophomore, Allen placed top five individually in the 100 and 200-meter running 11.39 and 22.40 and was a key anchor to the Eagles 4x100 and 4x400 relay state championship teams. Last spring, Allen competed at the West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games with the Spokane Speed Academy and ran lifetime best marks in the 100 and 200-meter running 10.94 and 22.07.
Keekee McQueen, Spanaway Lake
- Known for his abilities on the football field as a three-star recruit, Spanaway Lake's KeeKee McQueen turned out for track this season for the first time and has shown great promise in his first outing from this past weekend. McQueen took first in the 100 and 200-meter races running times of 11.09 and 22.62, and helped the Sentinels 4x100 relay team claim a first-place finish against Lincoln of Tacoma. McQueen ranks top five in the state in both the 100 and 200-meter.
Aslan James-Fraser, Lakes
- Like Spanaway Lake's McQueen, Lakes' Aslan James-Fraser makes his high school track debut with a ton of success after his first two meets of the season. In a dual versus Stadium, James-Fraser ran 11.04 in the 100-meter and 22.96 in the 200-meter, ranking him top five in the state in these events. The lead sprinter for Lakes' "Fast Four" is only a sophomore and will get better from here on out in this short season.
Others to Watch:
Marquez Thompson, Lakes
Hayden Fisher, Sumner
Brian Le, Tumwater
Jalen Webber, Chiawana
David Wells, Lakes
Calvin Abstein, Burlington-Edison
LeRoy Horton, Curtis
Note: The 2021 Boys Track Preview was compiled by The Runner WA's cross country and track and field analyst Keenan Gray.