Bair, a junior, won the 100 meters title in an Idaho all-time best 10.15 and the 200 title in 20.56, a day after lowering his 200 record to 20.41 in the prelims.

His 100 time is tied for US#4 and his 200 time is US#2.

 

 

Bair went undefeated in both events this spring, including wins at the Oregon Relays, Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and the BYU Invitational. A multi-sport standout, Bair competed in his final high school state track championships this weekend, as he plans to graduate a semester early to pursue Division I college football and serve a two-year Latter Day Saints mission.

He shared his short list of schools on April 16: Nebraska, Michigan, TCU, Boise State and Oregon. 

Petersen, a senior, concluded a historic season with her third consecutive 100 title in an all-time Idaho best 11.81 (wind-aided), third consecutive 300-meter hurdles title in 43.06 and a second 100 hurdles title in 14.34. In Friday's 100 prelims, she ran a wind legal overall state record 12.01. 

Her 30 points contributed to Skyline winning its first girls track state championship since 1993. The team title came after three consecutive second-place finishes.

Petersen said she had not been following the team scores during the day. She learned the news from her coaches, who told her it had been 30 years since the last title.

"I was like, 'Wow. What are the odds we'd do it my senior year?''" Petersen said Saturday evening by phone. "I think I'm still kind of in shock about the whole day. It also went by really fast."

Skyline head coach Chase Meyer named several athletes in addition to Petersen who stepped up to claim the elusive state banner and trophy: junior Nelah Roberts (third consecutive state titles in the 3,200 and 1,600 in respective times of 10:55.67 and 4:58.13, fourth place in the 800 in 2:22.13), junior Marina Renna (fourth place in the 3,200 in 11:24.39, fifth place 1,600 in 5:17.47), junior Amy Baczuk (high jump champion with 5-4), senior Alliya Parke (second place long jump 17-3.75).

Skyline trailed defending champion Pocatello 27-25 upon conclusion of Friday's events. Meyer said he felt confident the Grizzlies would win after Saturday's 800 final. Through the 300 hurdles finals, Skyline led Pocatello 85-58.

"Going into the running events at the beginning of the day, you're kind of waiting to see what happens," Meyer said. "We got to the 800 and Nelah ended up taking fourth and I was like, 'I don't think anybody can catch us.' That led me to take Claire out of the 4x100 to try to get the 300 hurdles record. After Claire ran the 300 hurdles, we looked over at Coach (Sean) Schmidt's wife who does a lot of calculating and we were like 'We're good?' That's the point I went and got 'state champions' printed on the sweatshirts." 

Petersen ran two sub-11.90 times for the 100 eight days apart. On May 12 at the 4A District 6 championships in Idaho Falls, she ran 11.83 to win the 100 title. There was no wind gauge at that meet, but the weather forecast called for 23 mile per hour winds. In the 5A District 5-6 girls 100 final preceding Petersen's race, Rigby's Abby Hancock ran 11.86. 

Petersen and Hancock, who repeated as the 5A girls 100 and 200 champion on Saturday in times of 11.82 and 24.84, are the only Idaho girls on record to break 11.90 for the 100.

"Abby and Claire were just the queens of the ball," Rigby head coach James Parrish said Saturday by phone.

In the indoor season, they teamed up with Century's Matejah Mangum and Columbia's Adeline Wimer to run the 4x200 for Eastern Idaho Track Club at Simplot Games at Idaho State's Holt Arena and placed third in 1:42.81.

Mangum won her third consecutive 4A 200 title on Saturday in 24.92 (Wimer was second), while Wimer won the 4A girls 400 in 56.67. Mangum, who ran a state meet record 24.68 in Friday's prelims and recorded an all-time Idaho best of 24.59 in April, went undefeated in the 200 this season.

Parrish and Meyer added that following Saturday's competition they had a discussion about possibly creating a relay team consisting of Petersen, Hancock, Mangum and Centennial's Asia Lawyer (second place 5A girls 100 and 4x100) for a national meet this summer.

"I would 100 percent take part," Hancock said. "I think we'd set some records that wouldn't be broken. I feel like if it weren't for Claire or Mangum from Century, I'm not sure we would have been as good as we are."

Hancock has signed with Weber State while Petersen has signed with Utah State, and both said they plan to remain active in the sport as long as they can. Petersen, whose dad Blake also ran for Skyline, is interested in coaching someday.

"By the end of four years of college, I will have had 10 years of track," Petersen said. "I've thought to myself, 'What if I coached?' I definitely hope in the future when I have a family, hopefully my kids will be interested in (track)." 

The Bishop Kelly boys, who led by 31 points at end of day Friday, went on to win 159-74.5 over Ridgevue to claim their sixth 4A title in eight years. Winners for the Knights included Rakeem Johnson in discus (175-5), Cole Miller in triple jump (46-2), Cam Davis in high jump (6-4) and long jump (23-3), the medley relay team in 3:30.85 and 4x400 team in 3:22.09. 

Pocatello's Brody Burch won the 4A 800 meters title in 1:54.28, then left for Twin Falls to pitch for the Pocatello baseball team in the 4A state championship game (Pocatello won 14-4 over Skyview).

Burch's teammate Hailey Renzello repeated as 4A girls 800 champion in 2:17.89 and was also part of Pocatello's winning sprint medley relay in 1:51.36.

Blackfoot's Matt Thomas repeated as 4A boys 1,600 champion in 4:14.51.

Ridgevue's Augustas Haynes claimed both 4A boys hurdles titles, winning the 110 final in 14.37 seconds, the 300s in 38.18, and Ridgevue also won the 4x200 in 1:29.30 and 4x100 in 42.36.

Ridgevue's Kaylee Wuest won 4A girls discus with a mark of 120-6. Sandpoint's Ivy Smith won the shot put with 40-0.

Jerome's Keenan Blair won the 4A boys shot put with 58-0.

Tatum Richards of Emmett won her third consecutive 4A girls pole vault title, clearing 11-6, while Columbia's Ethan Hammer cleared a 4A state record 15-7 to win the boys title. 

Skyview ran a 4A meet record 48.18 to win the 4x100.

Twin Falls' Morgan Graham won the girls long jump (17-4.25) and was part of the winning 4x400 relay (4:02.89).

 

The Rocky Mountain boys won their seventh consecutive 5A title with 109 points while the Boise girls extended their 5A state title win streak to three in a row with 135 points. 

Distance duo Tyler Sainsbury (senior) and Landon Heemeyer (junior) piled up points for the Grizzlies. Both were on the winning 5A boys 4x800 (7:48.22), Heemeyer won the 5A boys 3,200 in 9:10.76 (Sainsbury was second) and Sainsbury won the 800 in 1:52.82 and repeated as 1,600 champion in 4:09.37 with Heemeyer taking second in 4:09.37.

Crew Nelson also won the 300 hurdles in 38.10 and took second in 110 hurdles (14.43).

Boise had event champions in Alexandra Gustavel (5-4 to win high jump), Sophia Clark (56.69 in the 400), Allie Bruce (4:55.87 in the 1,600), the 4x800 (9:15.21) and three medalists in pole vault (Suzi Woodall, Michaela Gier, Mia Nelson).

Senior Lydia Nance also led a 1-2-3 finish in the 800, winning in 2:15.22, with junior teammates Samantha Smith and Bruce also breaking 2:16, while freshman Audrey Orme was second to Bruce in the 1,600. Nance, Orme and Bruce were all part of the repeat champion 4x800 squad.

The latest title for Boise came during a season where the Brave had to split up and practice in three to four different locations while a new track was under construction. It is due to be completed by the end of July.

"We were never all together in practice for one day all year, except for team picture day," Boise distance coach Aaron Olswanger said. "When you have kids that buy into the culture and support each other, great things are gonna happen." 

Olswanger said Bruce drafted off of Post Falls senior Annastasia Peters in the 1,600 and made a move with 600 meters left. Peters had won the 5A 3,200 title on Friday in 10:42.92.

In the  800, Olswanger had hoped for three in the top six. The 1-2-3 finish surpassed those expectations. He said Bruce and Smith led early then Nance moved up after a quarter mile. Highland's Hannah Bailey, who placed fourth in 2:15.82, put the pressure on them.

"I was shaking," Olswanger said. "Most of those girls had tired legs from the 1,600. Lydia and Sammy were two of the freshest girls in the 800. The Highland girl, she did not quit. She came out of nowhere and woke them up."

Boise also repeated as 5A boys 4x400 champion in 3:21.23 and made history in the pole vault. Boise's Seth Nelson cleared 16-8 to repeat as 5A boys pole vault champion and take down Donovan Kilmartin's state meet record of 16-6 from 2003. He cleared 16 feet five times this season, winning all but one meet.

Olswanger said everyone at Mountain View was drawn in when Nelson went for the record-breaking bar.

"He is such a kind, loving kid," Olswanger said. "Above all else, he's just an amazing person to be around. He's got the best pole vault coach in the state in Asa Sims, who is retiring. It was a cool moment for them." 

In addition to Hancock's 5A girls 100 and 200 titles, she also placed second in long jump to Boise junior Autumn Shomaker (winning mark of 18-6.75) and was part of Rigby's winning 4x100 in a school record 48.26 to end an undefeated season in the event. Her 4x100 teammate Abbie Scott also cleared 12-0 to win 5A girls pole vault.

"We've talked about handoffs the last few weeks," Hancock said."We wanted to get perfect handoffs. I feel like everyone ran such a good leg and pushed the limits."

Highland's Ruby Jordan won the girls shot put with 41-7.50 to end an undefeated season in the event, while Post Falls' Trevor Miller won the boys shot put with 57-3.25. Lewiston's James White threw 170-8 to win the discus and teammate Zoie Kessinger won the girls discus with 136-0.

The Highland girls won the 4x400 in 3:57.42 to seal a fourth place team trophy. 

Timberline's Alex Lowe cleared 6-4 to win boys high jump and teammate Ashlyn Sandow won the girls triple jump (37-5.75). Timberline also had repeat champions in the girls 4x200 in 1:41.68 and as Lauren McCall defended her 300 hurdles title in 44.23.

Thunder Ridge's Chelsea Uba won 100 hurdles in 14.93. Centennial's Colton Osborn went 1-2 with teammate Jacob Webster in the 5A boys 100, with Osborn winning in 10.73, while Webster won the 200 in 21.67 and they were both part of the winning 4x100 in 41.88.

 

At the 3A/2A/1A state meet in Middleton, Sugar-Salem compiled 149 points to repeat as 3A boys state champions and give head coach Brett Hill his 52nd state title between track and cross country in coaching stops at Firth and Sugar-Salem.

Hill said the 2023 Sugar boys would be No. 2 all-time in his coaching career behind the 2006 Firth team which scored 170 points to win 2A. 

"This might have been the most dominant team I've had at Sugar," Hill said. "We won nine events. It blows my mind."

The Diggers led by 17 points to end Friday and extended their lead to 60 points through Saturday's 400 finals. Adam McCoy won pole vault (14-0), Trevon Holman won the 100 (10.95) and 200 (21.98), Porter Holt won the 800 (1:59.07) and 400 (49.2), Ryan Bingham won shot put (54-2) and Sugar-Salem won the medley relay (3:37.55), 4x200 (1:29.95) and 4x100 (43.68).

Holt was on the medley relay and second-place 4x400, while Holman ran anchor for the 4x100 and 4x200, running down Marsh Valley both times. Both athletes have broken their own school records multiple times this spring.

Hill said Holman's anchor in the 4x100 is the best relay finish he has ever seen. 

"He took the baton almost 20 meters behind Marsh Valley," Hill said. "All year, Marsh Valley had won those relays."

Weiser won the girls title with 96 points, scoring in 10 events and claiming event titles in the 4x400 (4:07.91), the medley relay (1:53.67) and 400 (Kailee Lerew in 59.36). Kylee Quinton placed third in 300 hurdles, second in the 800 and was part of the winning medley and 4x400 relays; Mattie Shirts was fourth in the 400, second in triple jump and was part of the winning 4x400 and second-place 4x200 and Claire Matthews was fourth in the 800, fourth in the 1,600 and second in the 3,200.

Weiser also had boys event champions in Brayden Walker (300 hurdles champion in 39.65) and the 4x400 (3:28.93).

Fruitland's Lydia Lindsey repeated as 3A champion in the 100 (12.76) and 200 (26.01), won the long jump (17-4.50) and was part of the winning 4x100 (49.55), while teammates Luke Barinaga won boys long jump (21-7), Caleb Davis won the boys 110 hurdles (15.23) and Marcus Jones won the discus (149-10).

Marsh Valley's Lydia Townsend won 3A girls titles in the 100 hurdles (15.10), 300 hurdles (46.08), high jump (5-0) and placed second in pole vault.

Bonners Ferry's Asha Abubakari repeated as 3A girls shot put champion with 42-1.50 and discus champion with 132-3.

Coeur d'Alene Charters's Annabelle Carr won the 3A girls 800 in 2:18.13, while teammate McKenna Kozeluh won the 3,200 by a margin of 69 seconds in a meet record 10:56.73. Kozeluh and Carr went 1-2 in the 1,600, with Kozeluh victorious in 5:11.93.

Kimberly's Grayden DeVries won the 3A boys 3,200 in 9:37.73 and 1,600 in 4:27.88.

 

In 2A, Aberdeen won a program first boys title with 92 points and Melba won its fifth consecutive girls title with 145 points.

Aberdeen's Seth Hall won high jump (6-4), was third in 110 hurdles, third in long jump and third in 300 hurdles; Cale Adamson won the discus (162-4) and shot put (53-5.75) and the boys 4x100 won in 44.44.

Melba's Kendall Clark repeated as triple jump champion (38-0.75) and won high jump (5-2); Meya Young repeated as 100 champion (12.59) and won long jump (18-7.25); Ahna Shaffer was second in the 100 and 200; Brooklyn Dayley was fourth in 300 hurdles and won the 800 (2:22.39); and Rozzlyn Cazier won the 1,600 (5:23.45) and was second in the 3,200 (11:39.28).

Shaffer, Clark and Young also teamed up with Hallie Arnold to win the 4x100 and 4x200 in meet record times of 49.55 and 1:44.79. 

Melba's McKoy Richardson repeated as boys 300 hurdles champion (38.11) after running a meet record 37.76 in prelims. He also placed second in 110 hurdles, second in the 400 and second in long jump.

Orofino's Lindi Kessinger repeated as girls discus champion (140-6).

Soda Springs had event champions in Tanner Brown (110 hurdles, in 14.75), Jinettie Garbett (repeat girls 200 champion in 25.41, three-peat 400 champion in 58.68); Izzy Shelton (shot put champion with 38-9) and the girls 4x400 in 4:07.72.

North Fremont brothers Zack and Corbin Johnston combined to produced big points in the distance events, going 1-2 in both the 1,600 and 3,200 finals. Corbin won the 1,600 in 4:23.36 and 3,200 in 9:44.42. Zack won the 800 in 1:58.70 with Corbin taking second. They were also part of the winning medley relay in 3:36.41.

Cole Valley Christian's Macie Kern won girls pole vault (10-0) and Ryan Golenor won boys long jump 21-7.50.

Marsing's Braden Ankeny won the 400 (49.51) and 200 (22.33).

Malad's Oaklie Hebdon repeated as girls 300 hurdles champion in 45.74 and teammate Braylen Tripp won the boys triple jump (43-6).

 

In 1A, the Victory Charter boys won their first state title with 79 points and Raft River won its fifth consecutive girls state title with 113.83 points.

Ian Stockett (1,600 champion in 4:29.51, third place boys 3,200), Luke Stockett (second place boys 1,600, boys 3,200 champion in 9:39.84), Kaydon Gibbs (second place 300 hurdles) and Connor Robbins (second place boys 3,200) were all big point scorers for Victory Charter, which also won the 4x100 in a meet record 43.91 and took second in the 4x200 in 1:32.91.

Allie Black led Raft River with her win in the 3,200 meters in 11:51.35, a second-place finish in the 1,600, and sixth place girls 800). Ashlee Christensen contributed a fourth-place finish in the high jump, Casady Ward was fourth in the shot put, Abigail Rex was second in the triple jump and 300 hurdles, Libby Boden was second in the long jump and repeated her 100 meters title (12.46) and broke the meet record with her 200 meters win in 25.11.

Heidi Harper (third in the 400) and Boden helped defend Raft River's medley relay title, which won in a meet record 1:49.50. Raft River also won the 4x200. 

Butte County's Rebel Beard repeated as boys pole vault champion (13-6). Megan Moore of Mackay repeated won her second shot put title (41-0).

Kamiah's Brady Cox won the boys high jump (6-2) and 110 hurdles (15.77). Carey's Shayli Smith repeated as 100 hurdles champion (15.35), won 300 hurdles in a meet record 45.41 and won high jump (5-2).

Riley Morey of Carey won the boys 200 (22.57), 400 (50.45) and was part of the winning 4x400 (3:30.51) and 4x200 in a meet record 1:31.51.

Valley had event champions in Kyle Christensen (long jump meet record 22-5.75) and Lexi Huettig (long jump meet record 18-4.25, pole vault with 10-6, triple jump with 35-3.25).

Anna Dixon of Greenleaf Friends repeated as 1,600 champion in 5:20.20 and won the 800 in a meet record 2:15.33. Logos won the girls 4x400 in 4:06.08 to lead the top three teams under meet record time.

 

Class 5A - Rocky Mountain boys 109 points, Boise girls 135 points - RESULTS

Class 4A - Bishop Kelly boys 159 points, Skyline girls 85 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Sugar-Salem boys 149 points, Weiser girls 96 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Aberdeen boys 92 points, Melba girls 145 points - RESULTS

Class 1A - Victory Charter boys 79 points, Raft River girls 113.83 points - RESULTS