PORT ANGELES — At a time when most track and field athletes are taking events off the table, Cameron Braithwaite keeps chugging right along.
The Port Angeles junior qualified for the Class 2A bi-district meet in four individual events, putting up personal best marks in two, to lead the Roughrider boys to another dominant showing Saturday afternoon.
One week after claiming an Olympic League title, the Riders were once again the top boys team at the 2A sub-district at Art Fiero Field in Port Angeles. (Results are on Page B3.)
That was thanks in large part to the efforts of Braithwaite, who won both the long jump and triple jump while also placing second in the javelin and high jump.
“He had a phenomenal meet,” Port Angeles coach Pat Durr said. “That was just for him a spectacular day.
“He stepped it up a whole bunch.”
Indeed, Braithwaite PR’d in both the triple jump (39 feet, 6½ inches) and javelin (164-10) on Saturday, with the former coming on his last jump of the day.
He also had his best mark of the season while taking second in the high jump (6-2) and came within inches of a personal best while winning the long jump (21-0).
“I expect him to do even better at districts and state,” Durr said. “He’s that type of kid.”
Braithwaite was part of a group of 11 Rider boys who qualified for districts in 14 of 17 events.
Teammate Troy Martin qualified for two events, winning one, despite rolling his ankle in his first event of the day (shot put).
His event-winning mark in the discus (174-3) beat a track record previously held by Sequim’s B.J. Shade.
It was the second week in a row that Martin took down one of Shade’s marks.
“It feels good, but then I know people will be coming after me next year,” said Martin, who bested Shade’s Olympic League meet mark in the discus last week.
Martin’s already got someone coming after him in the shot put — Sequim’s Frank Catelli.
The Wolves senior announced his presence as a state contender in the shot with a throw of 52-11½ on Saturday.
Not only did that win the meet going away — Martin took third on his hobbled ankle — it also established a new top mark in all of Class 2A.
“He’s definitely put himself up there as one of the guys to be reckoned with,” Sequim coach Brad Moore said of Catelli, who was also second in the discus and third in the javelin.
“If he could put on a couple more feet [in the shot], he could be the state champion. He’s a very good athlete and he’s finally starting to get more of the technique down.”
Catelli led a contingent of eight Sequim boys who qualified for districts in 14 events and scored the third most point at Saturday’s meet.
Among the other qualifiers were the 4-by-100 meter relay of Taylor Bonneau, Jayson Brocklesby, Stephan Stilts and Emanuel Herrera, which took second and broke an 11-year-old school record with a time of 44.12 seconds.
The 2000 relay team of Mike Erickson, Mike Carbis, Chirs Pendleton and Jason Savage held the old record of 44.3 seconds.
“The kids’ times are coming down, and the marks are getting better right when we want them to get better,” Moore said.
Sequim’s Haleigh Harrison and Audrey Lichten each won one event and qualified in two overall to lead the girls team.
The Wolves qualified seven girls for districts in nine events total.
While Lichten won the 800 meters and took second in the 1,600, Harrison won the high jump, took second in the triple jump and joined the 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 relays for the first time as each put up season-best times.
“A lot of personal records were set,” said Moore, whose girls scored the third-most points at the meet.
“I’m very please with where we are. I think we’re going to be even better next week. The kids are going to do well.”
Port Angeles’ girls qualified nine girls for districts in 10 events.
Tarah Erickson was the Riders’ lone event winner, taking the pole vault at 10-0.
Forks at sub-districts
HOQUIAM — It was a cold, windy and miserable day for the Spartans at the sub-district championships, and so times and distances were down.
But Forks still had two girls and three individual boys qualify for the district meet along with the boys 4-by-400 relay team.
Kristen Larsen was the only Spartan to win a championship as she took the 1,600 in 5:52. She also claimed fourth in the 3,200 in 12:55 for another district berth.
Freshman Sydney Christiansen was the only other Forks girl to earn a trip to districts as she took third in shot put at 32-2 and fourth in discus with a throw of 96-8.
Outstanding distance runner Brian Santman was injured and able to compete in just one event, the 800.
He earned a trip to districts with a fifth-place finish in 2:13 but he was scratched from his other events.
Coach Pam Gale said she wasn’t sure if Santman would be healthy enough to compete at the district championships.
Tanner Brower, however, qualified for district in two distance events, earning fourth in the 1,600 in 5:05 and sixth in the 800 in 2:19.
Sebastian Ramos, meanwhile, took fourth in the javelin (151-5) to earn a district berth.
The boys 4-by-400 relay captured third place in a time of 3:43 with runners Nate Pennington, Ramos, Brower and Shane WhiteEagle.
WhiteEagle just missed district berths in the 100 and 200 sprints when he took fifth in each event, one place out of the running.
The 1A district championships are set for Rainier High School on Friday.
PT at sub-districts
ORTING — The Redskins had four individual winners at the Class 1A sub-district championships at Orting Middle School on Saturday.
Habtamu Rubio was a double winner as he took the 1,600 and 800 distance runs while Bereket Piatt won the 3,200 as the Redskins dominated the boys distance events.
Justin Boland won discus while Brittany Grant won the 800.
Port Townsend is sending 15 athletes to the 1A tri-district meet Thursday and Friday at King’s High School.
The girls 4-by-200 relay also won a sub-district title while all Port Townsend relay teams advanced to districts.
Other athletes going to districts are boys Boland in shot put, Ryan Spafford in 300 hurdles, Skyler Coppenrath in high jump and Conaky Coggins in long jump, and girls freshman Jewell Johnson in 200, Patricia Reeves in high jump and Emelina Berkshire in 400.