Full recap from the 2023 Spokane High School Invitational at The Podium in Spokane.
SPOKANE - Just over a month from his season debut at the Spokane Speed Games, Squalicum's Andre Korbmacher returned to The Podium to run a U.S. leading time of 7.74 seconds as he went on to defend his title in the boys 60-meter hurdle over the weekend at the Spokane High School Invitational.
The Florida State University commit, who opened his senior season with an 8.09 run in December, blasted through the preliminary round with a time of 7.93 seconds, then followed up with a big improvement in finals to come out with the win and place atop the nation's leaderboard.
“I came off a pretty slow, for me, time last month in the 60 hurdles,” Korbmacher said.
“Really being able to get out here and run a 7.74, which was around my PR from last year in January, just feels really good and I think it sets me up to be really successful for the rest of my season.”
The reigning New Balance national champion in the 60 hurdles has his eyes set on defending his national title, which he ran his personal best time of 7.70. He will travel to Boston for this year's meet on March 10-12 at the newest indoor facility: the Track at New Balance.
Korbmacher says he has goals of chasing down the national record time of 7.40 seconds, which has been held by World Athletics bronze medalist Trey Cunningham since the 2017.
"There are still some things that I definitely don't have down," Korbmacher said. "In my prelims, my first hurdle I really dived at it instead of keeping my center mass higher so that it would put me in a better position off the hurdle. Just really getting those technical things down will set me up to hopefully go 7.39."
Sehome's Jake Andrews, club teammate with Korbmacher on Ready-Set-Go Sprinters, ran a U.S. #4 time of 48.18 seconds to win the boys 400 meters. Korbmacher was third in the event with a time of 49.18.
Both Andrews and Korbmacher ran in the boys 4x200 meter relay final Saturday night with club teammates Mason Hill of Sehome and Tegan Daughters of Squalicum as Ready-Set-Go won the close race in a time of 1:28.31.
Emerald Ridge standout JaiCieonna Gero-Holt returned to the track for the first time since competing at U20 Worlds in Cali, Colombia in August as she won the girls 60 hurdles in 8.96 seconds and high jump in a clearance of 5 feet, 8.5 inches. She also competed in the long jump where she finsihed third with a mark of 17-11.50.
Logan Hofstee of East Valley (Spokane) completed a tough double as she won the girls 3,000-meter Saturday night in a personal best time of 10:13.16, followed by a third-place finish in the mile the next day in a time of 5:09.23.
King's thrower Adrianna Coleman set two personal best marks in the girls shot put and weight throw as she went on to win both. The senior threw 53-1.5 in weight throw in her first time competing in the event and then threw a near three-foot PR in shot at 38-7.5.
Defending 4A state triple jump champion Cassandra Atkins of Federal Way won the girls triple jump by over a foot in a mark of 37-10, just a foot behind her personal best jump of 38-10.25 from the week before at the LEAP Fest National Showcase. Atkins was also second in long jump at 18-1.75 behind national leader Sophia Beckmon of Oregon City, who jumped 20-03.50.
The Mead Panthers picked up a pair of wins from Dominick Corley and Charlotte Cullen. Corley, who won the Spokane Speed games 60-meter, outlasted Sehome's Andrews in finals to run a personal best time of 6.80. Cullen won the girls 800-meter in a time of 2:20.25.
Mt. Spokane's Ben Sonneland opens up his senior season with a fast effort in the boys 800 with a winning time of 1:57.20. Lewis and Clark's Evan Bruce won the boys mile invite in 4:23.93.
Central Valley's Rodney Minette, third at 4A state in shot put, threw 52-01.50 to win the boys shot put.
Other top highlights:
- Federal Way's Roman Hutchinson and Curtis' Titus Morris finish second and third in the boys long jump for Alpha Speed Academy with Hutchinson jumping 22-09.75 and Morris reaching 22-08.50. Hutchinson was also second in triple jump with a mark of 44-08.25, while Garfield's Tawat Aboudou was third at 44-03.50.
- Curtis' LeRoy Horton finished third in the 60 (6.89, PR) and fourth in the 200 (22.07)
- Tahoma's Brooke Lyons, 4A state champion in 200, ran 7.91 and 25.38 to place fourth in the girls 60 and third in the 200.
-Lake Stevens' Grant Buckmiller, a member of the Vikings 4A state champion 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams, finished second in the 200 with a time of 21.89.
- Curtis' Ava Simms, 4A state champion in 400, placed second behind Roosevelt's (Oregon) Elle Heslam in the girls 400 in a time of 57.44. Simms finished fifth in the 200 in 25.57.
- Issaquah's Connor Rickey and Arlington's Kellen Langford finished third and fourth in the boys 800, running 1:59.10 and 1:59.33 respectively.
- Central Valley's Nicole Bissell improves her mile time by 15 seconds this season with a 5:03.88 run to place second in the girl's race.
- Emerald Ridge's Conner Wirth finished second in the boys 3,000 in 8:52.69. Bruce was third at 8:56.62.
For more results from the Spokane High School Invite, click here.