Falcons set school records at the Capital Invite

Under blue skies, the track teams wearing blue singlets Friday and Saturday at the Capital Invitational at Thunder Mountain High School scored mighty well.

Strong individual performances by Jonah Penrose, Aiden Hildebrand and company gave the metallic shade of blue jerseys — TMHS — the boys title over Sitka. The Falcons finished with 134 points, ahead of Sitka (98), Ketchikan (73), Petersburg (57), Skagway (52) and Juneau-Douglas (44). Haines, Thorne Bay and Gustavus rounded out the standings.

On the girls side, the Sitka Wolves, in their regal blue uniforms, bested Petersburg and Thunder Mountain with 140 total points. Behind the Falcons’ third-place finish was Juneau-Douglas (74), Ketchikan (36) and Skagway (10). Gustavus and Haines rounded out the standings.

Aidan Hildebrand, third in last year’s 100-meter dash at the state championships, finished first in the 100 on Saturday. After crossing the tape in 11.45 seconds in the preliminaries on Friday, Hildebrand ran an 11.26 in Saturday’s finals.

“I was going for a [personal record] but it didn’t happen,” Hildebrand said after the race, “but I still got to run with some of the best runners in Southeast Alaska.”

Hildebrand’s teammate Penrose also brought in points for the Falcons. Penrose ran a smoking 10:05 in the 3200 meter run on Friday behind Skagway’s running machine Ethan Goebel (9:59). Falcons’ James Burger finished in 10:16 for fourth place.

On the following day in the 1600, Penrose ran a 4:43 behind Goebel’s 4:38. Burger finished third.

Other notable results for the Falcons included Alvin Ailey’s school record-setting high jump (6 feet 0 inches) and the Falcons girls 4×100 relay team. The Falcons finished the relay in 53.94 seconds — less than a half second behind Sitka’s team — to set a school record of their own.

For the third time this season, Aly Heaton and Tzadi Hauck finished second and third respectivley behind Sitka’s Joei Vidad in the 100 meter.

Gabe Crawford finished first in the 110 meter hurdles and long jump for TMHS.

For the red and black, Crimson Bear Sadie Tuckwood swept the 1600 and 3200 meter races. On Friday, teammate and fellow freshman Anna Iverson finished 26 seconds behind Tuckwood, good for second place. In the 1600 meter, Tuckwood clocked a 5:35, giving herself 21 seconds at the finish line all to herself before Petersburg’s Kayleigh Eddy finished.

“I was just trying to stay the same pace the whole time and keep my second and third laps as fast as my first,” Tuckwood said.

Elizabeth Ramseth, who finished third in the 1600 and second in the 800, was the talk of her coaches after the meet was over.

“Her progress over the course of the season has been drastic — we didn’t predict that at all,” coach Janette Gagnon said of her finishes in the 800 and 1600.

The JDHS boys 4×800 relay team of Arne Ellefson-Carnes, Dalton Hoy, Timothy McKenna and John White narrowly finished first, just three seconds ahead of Stika.

JDHS’ Ellefson Carnes was impressive in the 3200 on Friday, when he set a personal record in 10:07.

JDHS and TMHS run at home next in two weeks for the Region V championships May 19-20.

• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.

Thunder Mountain senior Finn Cole, right, and junior Erick Whisent pass the baton during the 4x200 relay race on Saturday afternoon. (Lance Nesbitt | For the Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain senior Finn Cole, right, and junior Erick Whisent pass the baton during the 4×200 relay race on Saturday afternoon. (Lance Nesbitt | For the Juneau Empire)

Thunder Mountain senior Laurel Sheufelt, left, sprints down the track in the girls’ 1600 meter race during Saturday’s Capital Invitational at Thunder Mountain High School. (Lance Nesbitt | For the Juneau Empire)

Track and Field teams from all over came together on Saturday to compete in the Capital Invitational at Thunder Mountain High School. (Lance Nesbitt | For the Juneau Empire)