5 Alaska high school track and field athletes to watch, plus top Big C Relays performances

The Anchorage Daily News caught up with some of the best track and field athletes from around the state at the annual Big C Relays. The list includes a sprinter who loves to listen to the King of Pop before an event, an elite distance runner who enjoys the “Lord of the Rings” movie series, and a star underclassman who likes binge-watching “Gilmore Girls.” There were also several impressive performances by top contenders and ascending talent alike.

Here’s an introduction to five track and field athletes and the top performers from the Big C.

Sarah Dittman, Dimond

The Dimond junior is the reigning Division I girls long jump champion and was runner-up in the 200-meter at state in 2023 as well. Her goals this season are to run a low 26 seconds in the 200 and jump 17 feet in the long jump.

How did you get started in track and field? “I started my freshman year and kind of got more serious my sophomore year,” Dittman said. “Freshman year was really not that good, so I realized I needed to try a little harder and do a little more training.”

What is your favorite hype music genre, song or artist before an event? “Anything Taylor Swift,” Dittman said. “I’ll listen to whatever song comes on (her playlist).”

What is your favorite series to binge-watch? “I like ‘Seinfeld’ a lot,” Dittman said. “It’s funny and a little realistic.”

What is your favorite movie of all time? “I like ‘Hunger Games’ because it’s a lot of action and interesting storylines,” Dittman said. “I like (the series’ protagonist) Katniss Everdeen. She’s pretty cool.”

What is your favorite non-sports leisure activity? “Right now I’m focusing a lot on school,” Dittman said. “That’s not really my favorite thing, but I like going on walks and hanging out with family and friends.”

Marquez Nevitte, Bartlett

The Bartlett junior was just .01 seconds out of first place for the Division I boys 100-meter and came in third in the 200 at state in 2023. His goal this season is to run in the mid-10s for the 100-meter.

How did you get started in track and field? “This is my third year doing it,” Nevitte said. “My stepmom told me that I would be good at it, so I tried it out and it turned out I was really good.”

What is your favorite hype music genre, song or artist before an event? “I listened to Michael Jackson before I did my long jump,” Nevitte said. “He’s the go-to, and I really like ‘Dirty Diana.’”

What is your favorite series to binge-watch? “‘Naruto’ because of how the characters mesh together,” Nevitte said.

What is your favorite movie of all time? “The ‘Transformers’ series, 1-5,” Nevitte said. “Optimus Prime is very inspirational and all the fight scenes are entertaining to watch.”

Favorite fictional character of all time: “You can never go wrong with Batman,” Nevitte said. “He’s mysterious, he just can’t be stopped but he can stop you.”

What is your favorite non-sports leisure activity? “I play Madden all the time,” Nevitte said. “This year I’ve been playing with the Buffalo Bills because Josh Allen can’t be stopped in the game.”

Kevin Steger, Soldotna

The Soldotna senior was the Division I boys runner-up in shot put at state in 2023, throwing a personal record. His only goal this season is to finish in first place at state.

How did you get started in track and field? “I’ve been doing it since sophomore year,” Steger said. “I went out freshmen year, but wrestling and track overlapped that year because of COVID, so I decided to wrestle instead, but I wish I would’ve done track and field.”

What is your favorite hype music genre, song or artist before an event? “I listen to everything,” Steger said.

What is your favorite movie of all time? “I have a few favorites,” Steger said. “I just watched a movie I had never seen last night called ‘Baby Driver,’ and I really like that movie.”

Who is your favorite fictional character of all time? “It always has been Captain America,” Steger said. “I like his personality, the kind of person he is, and when I was younger I thought he was really cool.”

What is your favorite non-sports leisure activity? “I like to work on trucks and cars and especially my own,” Steger said.

Robbie Annett, Grace Christian

The Grace Christian junior is the reigning Division II boys state champion in the 800- and 1,600-meter, and he was the 2023-24 Cross Country Gatorade Player of the Year. His goals this season are to claim both titles again and win the 3,200 as well.

How did you get started in track and field? “I started track and field in sixth grade, so this is going on five years,” Annett said. “My dad was into running a lot, so I knew I could always be fast if I wanted to. So I just started running and really liked it from there on.”

What is your favorite hype music genre, song or artist before an event? “R&B,” Annett said. “I go off whatever I shuffle. I like Bruno Mars.”

What is your favorite movie of all time? “‘The Lord of the Rings,’ the entire series,” Annett said. “I like the message that it brings, and there’s a lot of action in it.”

What is your favorite non-sports leisure activity? “I have a younger brother, so probably just hanging out with him,” Annett said.

Jieaya Siatini, Mountain City Christian Academy

The Mountain City Christian Academy sophomore is the reigning Division II girls shot put state champion and was the runner-up in in discus last year as well. Her goals this season are to repeat as the shot state champion and secure a title in the discus.

How did you get started in track and field? “This is my second year, I started my freshman year,” Siatini said. “I really just do a bunch of sports just to stay active and have fun. My favorite is either volleyball or basketball.”

What is your favorite hype music genre, song or artist before an event? “Hip-hop and the modern music nowadays,” Siatini said.

What is your favorite series to binge-watch? “‘Gilmore Girls,’” Siatini said. “I like that it is just a good mother-and-daughter relationship and it’s super fun to watch.”

What is your favorite movie of all time? “‘Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift,’” Siatini said. “I like all the characters and I like how the movie runs.”

Who is your favorite fictional character of all time? “The characters from ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,’” Siatini said.

What is your favorite non-sports leisure activity? “I like to sing and dance,” Siatini said. “I did praise dance for my school.”

Top performances

Senior Alan Szewczyk Jr. of Eagle River, who is the defending Division I boys state champion in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, won both events with first-place times of 15.04 and 39.78. He is also the reigning Division I boys track and field Gatorade Player of the Year.

Chugiak junior Alliyah Fields won both girls 400- and 800-meter races with first-place times of 59.34 and 2:17.48, the latter of which was a personal record. She was also part of the Mustangs’ girls relay team that broke a 14-year old meet record with a first-place finishing time of 4:04.01.

Reigning Division I boys state long jump champion, West Valley senior Alex Emers, won that event with a first-place mark of 6 feet.

Dittman finished first in the girls long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 5 inches, and was on a pair of Lynx relay teams that finished first in the Sprint Medley Relay and the Mixed Swedish Relay.

Reigning Division I boys state high jump champion, Bartlett senior A’Lante Owens-Player, won his principal event with a first-place mark of 20 feet, 3.25 inches, and was on a pair of Golden Bears relay teams that finished first in the sprint medley and 4x100.

Tri-Valley senior McKinley Eddington and Dimond freshman Nevaeh Watkins swapped finishing first and second in the finals for the girls 100- and 300-meter hurdles. Eddington, who is the reigning Division II state champion in the 100-meter hurdles, came in second to Watkins (15.83) in the 100 with a time of 16.03. Eddington finished first in the 300-meter hurdles — an event that she took second in at state last year — with a time of 48.34 seconds while Watkins finished in 48.54 seconds.

Chugiak swept the top of the podium of the boys and girls 100 meters races with senior Semaj Walker running a 11.10 and freshman Jihsana Williams running a 12.84, respectively.

West senior Leileanah Toleafoa won both of the girls Lord of the Throwing Rings competitions with first-place marks of 41′ 3.25 in the shot put and 107′ 11 in the discus, both of which are new personal records.

Big C Relay

At the Dome

Girls

100 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Jihsana Williams, 12.84, Chugiak

2. Taylor Eddington, 13.03, Tri-Valley

3. Sarah Brown, 13.20, Soldotna

3. Anna Green, 13.20, South Anchorage

5. Gabrielle Okorodudu, 13.34, Eagle River

100 Meters Pentathlon - Finals

1. Makaylen King, 13.49, South Anchorage

2. Hope Jackson, 13.65, Grace Christian

3. Gracie Miotke, 13.72, Homer

4. Emily Moore, 14.10, Chugiak

5. Rylee McIntosh, 14.20, Colony

400 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Alliyah Fields, 59.34, Chugiak

2. Skyler Belmear, 1:00.91, Chugiak

3. Petra Knox, 1:01.44, Chugiak

4. Ryleigh Ervin, 1:01.73, Chugiak

5. Leila Petersen, 1:02.26, Palmer

800 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Alliyah Fields, 2:17.48, Chugiak

2. Petra Knox, 2:24.44, Chugiak

3. Ella Hopkins, 2:25.48, Colony

4. Hannah Bodkin, 2:26.41, Chugiak

5. Ashlyn Paynter, 2:26.55, Eagle River

800 Meters Pentathlon - Finals

1. Emily Moore, 2:28.61, Chugiak

2. Makaylen King, 2:40.87, South Anchorage

3. Rylee McIntosh, 2:48.89. Colony

4. Ellie VanDeventer, 2:49.06. Tri-Valley

5. Hope Jackson, 2:49.42, Grace Christian

3,200 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Ida Meyer, 11:25.27, Juneau-Douglas

2. Etta Eller, 11:31.61, Juneau-Douglas

3. Elizabeth Page, 11:59.01, South Anchorage

4. Madeleine Lojewski, 12:01.55, East Anchorage

5. Ella Hopkins 12:04.20, Colony

100m Hurdles Varsity - Finals

1. Nevaeh Watkins, 15.83, Dimond

2. McKinley Eddington, 16.03, Tri-Valley

3. Ellen Kruchoski, 17.29, Chugiak

4. Sarah Dittman, 17.37, Dimond

5. Samantha Jensen, 18.00, Chugiak

300m Hurdles Varsity - Finals

1. McKinley Eddington, 48.34, Tri-Valley

2. Nevaeh Watkins, 48.54, Dimond

3. Anaulie Sedivy, 48.75, Soldotna

4. Caelynn Carter, 49.15, Wasilla

5. Jenna Houck, 49.85, Mountain City Christian

300m Hurdles Pentathlon - Finals

1. Gracie Miotke, 49.43, Homer

2. Makaylen King, 50.15, South Anchorage

3. Emily Moore, 50.80, Chugiak

4. Hope Jackson, 51.06, Grace Christian

5. Rylee McIntosh, 53.16, Colony

4x100 Relay Varsity - Finals

1. Dimond - A, 52.75

2. Chugiak - A, 53.71

3. South - A, 54.51

4. Service - A, 54.56

5. West - A, 54.68

Sprint Medley Relay 800m Varsity - Finals

1. Dimond - A, 1:53.73

2. Chugiak - A, 2:02.33

3. South Anchorage - A, 2:02.53

4. Bartlett - A, 2:03.05

5. West Valley - A, 2:06.23

Distance Medley Relay

1. Soldotna - A, 13:43.06

2. Dimond - A, 13:59.44

3. Chugiak - A, 14:09.21

4. Eagle River - A, 14:10.95

5. Service - A, 14:15.08

Shot Put Pentathlon - Finals

1. Makaylen King, 29-5.25, South Anchorage

2. Hope Jackson, 26-6, Grace Christian

3. Emily Moore, 25-8, Chugiak

4. Gracie Miotke, 22-8.25, Homer

5. Ellie VanDeventer, 19-1, Tri-Valley

Discus Varsity - Finals

1. Leileanah Toleafoa, 107-p11, West Anchorage

2. Jieaya Siatini, 107-5, Mountain City Christian

3. Alexia Pike, 103-5, Redington

4. Josephine Mata, 100-9, West Anchorage

5. Shayvon Williams, 99-3, Chugiak

Shot Put Varsity - Finals

1. Leileanah Toleafoa, 41′ 3.25, West Anchorage

2. Jieaya Siatini, 37′ 2, Mountain City Christian

3. Abby Pettit, 35′ 8.75, Palmer

4. Liberty Lobe, 34′ 8, South Anchorage

5. Meg Roberts, 34′ 5.5, Soldotna

High Jump Varsity - Finals

1. Hannah Bodkin, 4-10, Chugiak

2. Avery Johnson, 4-10, Palmer

3. Kayla Cagle, 4-8, South Anchorage

4. Jessie Wentworth, 4-8, Su Valley

5. Nevaeh Watkins, 4-6, Dimond

High Jump Pentathlon - Finals

1. Emily Moore. 4-8, Chugiak

2. Rylee McIntosh, 4-6, Colony

3. Makaylen King, 4-6, South Anchorage

4. Ellie VanDeventer, 4-4, Tri-Valley

5. Hope Jackson, 4-0, Grace Christian

Long Jump Varsity - Finals

1. Sarah Dittman, 16-5, Dimond

2. Izzy Kizer 16-3.25, Valdez

3. Gabrielle Okorodudu, 16-1.5, Eagle River

4. Samantha Jensen, 15-1, Chugiak

5. Isabella Pederson, 15-1, Eagle River

Boys

100 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Semaj Walker, 11.10, Chugiak

2. Beckett Stolp, 11.26, West Anchorage

3. Marquez Nevitte, 11.35, Bartlett

4. Murad Wright, 11.36, East Anchorage

5. Tyce Escott, 11.46, Soldotna

100 Meters Pentathlon - Finals

1. Wilder Dillingham, 11.18, Juneau-Douglas

2. Tyler Drake, 11.58, Bartlett

3. Manuel Silva, 11.89, Kodiak

4. Cordell Randall, 12.08, Tri-Valley

5. Wyatt Faircloth, 12.19, Soldotna

400 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Curtis Beck, 50.29, West Valley

2. Ethan Stiller, 50.70, Dimond

3. Murad Wright, 51.57, East Anchorage

4. Reubin Williams, 51.61, Service

5. Lukas Underhile, 51.91, Mountain City Christian

800 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Colton Merriner, 1:59.95, Grace Christian

2. Owen Hayes, 2:00.49, Chugiak

3. Luke Shaw, 2:01.09, Eagle River

4. Elias Litzow, 2:01.09, Kodiak

5. Dash Dicang, 2:01.28, Dimond

800 Meters Pentathlon - Finals

1. Wilder Dillingham, 2:04.92, Juneau-Douglas

2. Manuel Silva, 2:16.26, Kodiak

3. Cordell Randall, 2:19.14, Tri-Valley

4. Matthew Watson, 2:21.74, Eagle River

5. Tyler Drake, 2:26.01, Bartlett

3,200 Meters Varsity - Finals

1. Elias Litzow, 9:58.21, Kodiak

2. Simon Nelson, 10:03.37, Grace Christian

3. Owen Hayes, 10:04.97, Chugiak

4. Edgar Jesus Vera Al, 10:09.13, Juneau-Douglas

5. Parker Larson, 10:15.06, Chugiak

110m Hurdles Varsity - Finals

1. Alan Szewczyk Jr., 15.04, Eagle River

2. Tyler Drake, 15.53, Bartlett

3. Fafo Lefano, 16.10, South Anchorage

4. Isaiah Douyon, 16.80, South Anchorage

5. William Klein, 16.89, Soldotna

300m Hurdles Varsity - Finals

1. Alan Szewczyk Jr., 39.78, Eagle River

2. Fafo Lefano, 43.07, South Anchorage

3. Makai Warren-Dowl, 44.08, Chugiak

4. Gabriel Almeida, 44.18, Soldotna

5. Malachi Coski, 45.51, Dimond

300m Hurdles Pentathlon - Finals

1. Wilder Dillingham, 41.37, Juneau-Douglas

2. Tyler Drake, 42.05, Bartlett

3. Manuel Silva, 43.49, Kodiak

4. Matthew Watson, 44.16, Eagle River

5. Wyatt Faircloth, 45.53, Soldotna

4x100 Relay Varsity - Finals

1. Bartlett - A, 44.40

2. Chugiak - A, 44.47

3. West Anchorage - A, 44.60

4. South Anchorage - A, 45.24

5. Soldotna - A, 45.61

Sprint Medley Relay 800m Varsity - Finals

1. Chugiak - A, 1:36.87

2. Bartlett - A, 1:38.77

3. West Valley - A, 1:39.08

4. East Anchorage - A, 1:39.78

5. Soldotna - A, 1:40.06

Distance Medley Relay

1. South Anchorage - A, 10:59.85

2. Kodiak - A, 11:37.19

3. Juneau-Douglas, 11:40.46

4. West Anchorage - A, 11:47.74

5. Service - A, 11:53.96

Shot Put Pentathlon - Finals

1. Wilder Dillingham, 34-0, Juneau-Douglas

2. Matthew Watson, 32-8, Eagle River

3. Wyatt Faircloth, 32-5, Soldotna

4. Tyler Drake, 29-10.25, Bartlett

5. Manuel Silva 29-2.5, Kodiak

Shot Put Varsity - Finals

1. Deuce Alailefaleula, 52-8.5, Bartlett

2. Truit McCaughey, 49-4, Nikiski

3. George Lane, 49-0, East Anchorage

4. Sone Falealo, 48-4.25, West Anchorage

5. Kevin Steger, 48-0, Soldotna

Discus Varsity - Finals

1. Sone Falealo, 150′ 6, West Anchorage

2. Deuce Alailefaleula , 141′ 7, Bartlett

3. Kevin Steger, 132′ 0, Soldotna

4. Benjemin Holladay, 124′ 6, Colony

5. Kent Maramba, 123′ 10, Kodiak

High Jump Varsity - Finals

1. Alex Emers, 6-0, West Valley

2. Phoenix Perkins, 5-8, Service

3. Trevor Jamison, 5-6, Colony

4. Marlin Burns, 5-6, Bartlett

5. Akeem Sulaiman, 5-4, East Anchorage

High Jump Pentathlon - Finals

1. Matthew Watson, 5-5, Eagle River

2. Wilder Dillingham, 5-4, Juneau-Douglas

3. Tyler Drake, 5-2, Bartlett

4. Manuel Silva, 5-2, Kodiak

5. Wyatt Faircloth, 5-0, Soldotna

Long Jump Varsity - Finals

1. A’Lante Owens-Player, 20-3.25, Bartlett

2. Marquez Nevitte, 19-8, Bartlett

3. Niko Alvarado, 19-6.75, North Pole

4. Devin Cooper, 19-2.5, North Pole

5. Akeem Sulaiman, 18-11.5, East Anchorage

Mixed 4x1652 Relay Varsity - Finals

1. West Anchorage - A, 21:54.00

2. Chugiak - A, 21:56.14

3. East Anchorage - A, 23:07.48

4. Juneau-Douglas - A, 23:18.95

5. Service - A, 23:39.00

Mixed Swedish 100-200-300-400m Varsity - Finals

1. Dimond - A, 2:15.90

2. Tri-Valley - A, 2:21.64

3. West Anchorage - A, 2:24.51

4. East Anchorage - A, 2:24.70

5. Soldotna - A, 2:25.02