These are the best Tri-Cities-area high school track & field athletes this season

As we start to close out the regular season of high school track and field, Kamiakin senior Isaac Teeples seems to be the athlete who has been most dominant from our area.

Teeples leads all area runners in three events this spring: the boys 800 meters, 1600 meters and 3200 meters.

His 1:53.79 time at the Pasco Invite on April 16 leads the Mid-Columbia, and is second best in all of Washington state.

A 4:09.93 time in the 1600 meters is ranked No. 2 in the state. And Teeples has an 8:55.97 in the boys 3200, which he accomplished on April 9 at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational (and ranks third-best in the state).

But Teeples isn’t the only outstanding track and field athlete so far this season.

There are plenty of other local athletes leading in multiple events. And there is still room for improvement, as the state meets are about a month away.

Here’s a look at the rest of the current Mid-Columbia leaders in high school track in this region:

• Richland senior Hannah Chang is the area’s leader in both hurdle events: She clocked a 14.97 seconds time in the 100 high hurdles; and a 47.48 time in the 300 low hurdles. Both times were accomplished at the Oregon Relays in Eugene on April 23.

• Speedy Lucien Cone, a junior from Southridge, ran the 200 meters in 22.41 seconds at the Prosser Rotary Invite on April 23. That gives Cone the top ranking in the region for that event.

• Walla Walla sophomore Dane Gardea and Hanford senior Ethan Henning are tied as the region’s top boys high jumpers. Gardea cleared 6-foot-4 on April 1 at Eastmont. Henning cleared his at the Prosser Rotary Invite on April 23.

• Hanford senior Katelynn Gelston is headed to Oregon State University next year to throw. Meanwhile, she’s dominating the region in two events: discus and javelin. Her discus toss of 156-0 at Arcadia on April 9 not only easily leads the Mid-Columbia, but is also the state leader.

Gelston also threw the javelin 133-3 in an MCC meet on April 20 to lead that category in our region, and is ranked fourth in state.

• Walla Walla junior Jake Hisaw clocked a 42.03 seconds time in the boys 300 hurdles in an MCC meet on April 20. That makes him the area’s fastest boy in that event.

• Hermiston senior Caden Hottman doesn’t just have the top boys shot put mark in the region, but it’s the top toss in the entire state. His 56-0 foot shot put at the Hermiston Bulldogs Invite on March 24 is the best.

His discus throw of 185-8 leads the Mid-Columbia, and is No. 2 in the state. That mark came at an MCC meet on March 31.

• Kamiakin’s girls have the top 4x100 relay team so far.

The Braves’ lineup of KaiLi Knapp, Emily Legard, Danica Helms, and Adelyn Mitchell clocked a 49.37 seconds time in the 4x100 relay race in an MCC meet on April 20.

• Richland’s 4x100 boys relay team of Zachary Rose, Seth Shook, Ethan Child and Lex Luther have taken the area lead in that event after crossing the finish line at the Oregon Relays on April 23 in 44.05 seconds.

• Richland junior Lex Luther clocked an 11.04 seconds 100 meters dash to lead all Mid-Columbia boys in that event. Luther did it for the Bombers at the River City Relays on April 14.

• Richland sophomore Elijah Lynch cleared 13 feet, 6 inches, in the boys pole vault at the Oregon Relays on April 23 to lead that event.

• Although she’s been hampered with some injuries, Kennewick senior Macy Marquardt leads the region’s girls in two events: the 1600 and 3200. Marquardt covered the 1600 in 5:04.06 at the Walla Walla Jamboree on March 12.

Marquardt ran the 3200 in 10:33.39 in an MCC on March 31.

• Richland sophomore Macie Milum had a long jump leap of 17 feet, 3.75 inches in an MCC meet March 31. That makes her the leader among all area girls long jumpers.

• Kamiakin sophomore Adelyn Mitchell has come out fast as the region’s leader in both the girls 100 and 200 meters. Mitchell clocked a 12.59 seconds time in the 100 and 26.33 seconds in the 200 at a Mid-Columbia Conference meet on March 30.

• Sunnyside senior Myles Newhouse ran a 49.85 seconds time in the 400 meters at the Gear Up Eason Invitational on April 23. That’s the top time in the region for boys.

• Hanford senior Graison Oberman cleared 11 feet, 6 inches, in the girls pole vault event on April 23 at the Prosser Rotary Invite. She leads all area girls pole vaulters.

• Richland’s 4x400 girls relay team of Hailey Summers, Alyssa Marsh, Hannah Chang and Natalie Ruzauskas had a time of 4:02.49 at the Oregon Relays on April 23 to lead that category.

• Connell senior Carson Riner is the region’s leader in the boys long jump. Carson leaped 22-0 feet at the Quincy Invite on April 23.

• Natalie Ruzauskas, a senior at Richland who will compete next year at Eastern Washington University, clocked a 2:17.68 in the girls 800 meters at the Pasco Invite on April 16.

• Richland junior Seth Shook ran the boys 110 hurdles in 15.15 seconds at the River City Relays on April 14, giving him the region’s top time.

• Walla Walla senior Dash Sirmon tossed the javelin 213 feet, 1.75 inches, on April 23 at the Oregon Relays. That mark is a personal record, and is ranked No. 1 in the nation.

• The Southridge boys 4x400 relay team of Liam Stites, Brian Beardsley, Heston Homme and Abdelrahim Abdelrahim took over the top spot in that event when they clocked a 3:33.32 at the Prosser Rotary Invite on April 23.

• Southridge’s 4x200 girls relay team of Chloe Bond, Jayden Bertsch, Kylie Gideon and Mattison Stayrook went 1:48.50 at the Prosser Rotary Invite on April 23 to lead this event.

• Southridge senior Jayden Smith leads the region in two girls events. Her leap of 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump at the Kennewick Kickoff on March 17 is also ranked third in state.

She also leads the region in the girls triple jump with 35 feet, 5 inches, which occurred at the Pasco Invite on April 16.

• Chiawana junior Kade Smith is the area’s top boys triple jumper. Smith’s mark of 43 feet, 11.25 inches — which happened at the Clay Lewis Invite on April 2 — is also the fourth best among all boys triple jumpers in the state.

• Richland sophomore Hailey Summers ran a sub-1 minute girls 400 meters at the Don Holder Relays in Yakima on April 2. Her time of 58.78 seconds leads all Mid-Columbia girls.

• Finally, Hermiston senior Bailey Young has taken the area lead in the girls shot put. Young tossed the shot 46 feet, 1.5 inches, at the Oregon Relays on April 23.