The first big meet of the season took place at The Dome over the weekend, featuring a range of personalities as well as impressive performances.
The first big meet of the season took place at The Dome over the weekend, featuring a range of personalities as well as impressive performances.The Anchorage Daily News caught up with some of the top track and field athletes from around the state at the annual Big C Relays.
The list includes a sprinter who likes to play disc golf, a pair of Spider-Man fans, a reigning state champ who can’t get enough Macklemore, and three elite athletes whose biggest influences have been their older brothers. There were also several notable performances by perennial contenders and up-and-coming talent alike.Soldotna sprinter Tyce Escott answers questions at the Big C Relays track meet at The Dome in Anchorage on March 26, 2026. The Soldotna senior sprinter was the Division I boys state runner-up in the 100 meters in 2025 by 0.01 seconds, and is the reigning state champ in the 200 meters. At the Big C Relays, he competed in the 100 and finished second in the prelims with mark of 11.34 seconds, then finished fourth in the semifinals in a time of 11.37 seconds. Escott helped the Stars Mixed Swedish Medley Relay team come in first place with a time of 2:09.55.“I kind of just grew up running and decided to try it as a sport when I got to middle school, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”“I don’t usually listen to music. I’m just in my own head and do what I want to do.”Favorite fictional character of all time:“I like the Tom Holland ones the best, but I like Andrew Garfield too.”“I look up to my older brother. He didn’t do track but he always did sports and he was known for being fast. He did football and soccer.”“I’m hoping to come back and try to get first , try to improve as much as I can and do the best to my ability. My goals are to hopefully win state, beat my and just do as best as I can.”“I play disc golf sometimes. There’s probably three or four down in Soldotna.” Anna Green of South Anchorage High School leans into the finish of a 100-meter sprint heat at the Big C Relays track meet at The Dome in Anchorage on March 26, 2026. The South Anchorage senior sprinter is the reigning Division I girls state champion in the 200 meters, and she also finished third in the 100 and fourth in the 400 last year at state. At the Big C Relays, she competed in the 100 meters and clocked the top times in the prelims and the semifinals . In the finals, she came in third place with a time of 12.83 seconds and also helped the Wolverines finish third in the girls Swedish Medley Relay 1600-meter race with a mark of 4:37.22.“My middle school health teacher. I was originally a hurdler and she transitioned me to a sprinter, and I’ve stuck with it ever since.”“Macklemore! Before every race, I listen to him.”“‘Prison Break.’ It was just thrilling.”“Donald Duck. He’s always been my favorite since childhood.”“My dad. He grew up in Australia and ran and played soccer. I played soccer my entire life, and I’m going to run track in college, and he was a big part of that.”“I want to , break another school record after I broke the 400 last year and I want to try to defend my 200-meter state title.”“Watching movies and hanging out around my house with friends.” Benjamin Hiestand, a Chugiak senior, talks before the shot put event at the Big C Relays track meet at The Dome in Anchorage on March 26, 2026. The Chugiak junior thrower is the Division I boys state champion in discus and came in fourth in the shot put at state last year. At the Big C Relays, he competed in the shot put and discus, setting a new personal best in the shot with a first-place mark of 50 feet, 3.25 inches Friday. He came back on Saturday and recorded the top mark in the discus as well, 161 feet, 1 inch.“My brother . I always followed what he did when I was younger so in the third grade, I did sprints because I was just following him and then he transitioned to throws, so that’s what started getting me into throws too.”“I usually do no music so I can stay locked in and just focus.”“My favorite show is ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and for movie series it’s ‘Ip Man’ for the martial arts and John Wick.”“Zuko from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ I just like his story of how he kind of redeemed himself at the end. He showed a lot of growth.”“My brother. He taught me a lot and I was really thankful to have him growing up as an example.”“This season, I’ve been seeing massive breakthroughs in both shotput and discus and I’m ready to really see what I can do. ... Last year I kind of ran into a slump in shot put and I didn’t really improve at all from freshman year, but this year I’ve been really hammering down on the rotational form and I’ve been seeing breakthroughs in that, and I’m really starting to feel comfortable with the rotational form.”“Just exploring and driving around and playing video games.” Bella Connally of Juneau-Douglas talks with fellow competitors after a 100-meter sprint heat at the Big C Relays track meet at The Dome in Anchorage on March 26, 2026. The Juneau-Douglas sophomore sprinter is the reigning Division I girls state champion in the 100 meters and came in fifth in the 200 meters. At the Big C Relays, she competed in the 100 meters, finishing fourth in the prelims with mark of 13.03 seconds, second in the semifinals in a time of 12.90 seconds and first in the finals in a time of 12.68 seconds. She earned the title of Fastest Alaskan on the girls side.“My brother. He did track and field and I saw him running all the time and I was like, ‘Whoa, that looks really cool,’ and I thought I’d be good at that too.”“I like to listen to Frank Ocean. I like to get in my feelings and stuff. I can’t do hype music.”“‘Modern Family’ and ‘The Office.’”“I love ‘Spider-Man.’ The Tom Holland one is my favorite.”Goals for this season: “I’d really like to run a , I’d like to qualify for Nike Nationals, to win state again. That’d be really cool.”“I like to do ceramics. I have a class in my high school for it, so basically every day.” Joshua Woko of Mountain City Christian Academy competes in long jump at the Big C Relays track meet at The Dome in Anchorage on March 26, 2026. The senior from Mountain City Christian Academy was Division II boys state runner-up in the triple jump in 2025 by about an inch, placed fifth in the long jump and was part of the state champion 4x400 relay team. At the Big C Relays, he competed in long jump and recorded the second-best mark with a new personal best of 20 feet, 8.75 inches on his first attempt, and he recorded the fifth-best mark in the high jump with 5 feet, 2 inches. He also helped the Lions Mixed Swedish Medley Relay team come in fifth place with a time of 2:19.50.“I started my sophomore year. It was something I was kind of debating if I should do, but I was told, ‘Just try it out,’ and when I tried it out, I saw I was good at it and I decided to do it.”“Rap music. Kendrick and Don Toliver.”“I’m into anime, so probably ‘Jujutsu Kaisen.’ I like the energy that each character has and the bosses they have to fight.”“Definitely my uncle. He’s my pastor and he’s also my spiritual leader, so he helps me with life struggles, shows me the right path to take, and he’s my counselor.”“I’m trying to make sure I do my best this year because I only have one last chance. ... Try to in the 400 again and then get 43 for triple and at least 21 or 22 for long jump.”“I love watching shows, and I also love to play games like chess, and I also draw a lot.” Dimond High’s Ailafo Fautanu answers questions at the Big C Relays track meet at The Dome in Anchorage on March 26, 2026. The Dimond junior thrower was the Division I girls state runner-up in the shot put in 2025 and placed third in the discus. At the Big C Relays, she competed in the discus and produced the fourth-best mark at 99 feet, 6 inches, and came back on Saturday and recorded the third-best mark in the shot put with a mark of 33 feet, 9.25 inches.“With volleyball being my main sport, I just thought, ‘Why not fill my free time with track and field?’ and it was really fun for me and I really liked the experience, so I just decided to keep going at it.”What is the best movie or series you’ve watched in the past year? “‘The Miracle Season.’ I just like how the girls had something to motivate them and push them through the season and win their state championship. It’s a volleyball movie.”Who is the most influential or inspirational person in your life? “My mom. She’s been a really good role model for me, she’s a hard worker, takes time out of the day to support her kids, even when she’s busy.”“Hopefully win a state championship but first reach my goals of .”“I like skiing and going hiking. I like to hike every once in a while to get in shape and stay in shape. I like to go on sunset drives to unwind from stressful weeks.” Chugiak's Jihsana Williams competes in a sprint event during the Big C Relays at the Dome in Anchorage on Friday, March 27, 2026. Nevaeh Watkins, a Dimond junior and reigning Division I girls 100-meter hurdles and high jump state champion, had quite the first day of action at the Big C Relays. She started by setting a new meet record for the high jump with a first-place mark of 5 feet, 2 inches, and followed it up by recording the fastest time in the 100-meter hurdle prelims and semifinals, which included a new personal best of 15.25 seconds in the semis. Seward senior and reigning Division II boys state high jump champion Olin Liljemark was the only jumper to clear 6 feet in the event on Friday, which bested his title-winning mark of 5 feet, 10 inches from last year. Mountain City Christian senior thrower Jieaya Siatini, who is the three-time Division II shot put state champion and reigning discus state champion, won the girls discus by a wide margin. Her mark of 128 feet, 4 inches was more than 23 feet farther than second-place finisher Mattelyn Elliott of Colony . Siatini won the girls shot put as well with a mark of 39 feet, 10.75 inches. Runner-up Lilly Davidge, a Lathrop senior, recorded a mark of 33 feet, 11.5 inches. Chugiak senior distance runner Hannah Shaha successfully defended her Big C title in the 3,200-meter race with a time of 11:53.92, which edged out Eagle River’s Ashlyn Paynter, who came in second at 11:56.32. Shaha, the 2023 Cross Country Gatorade Player of the Year, is also the reigning Division I girls state champion in the same event. West Valley senior Cedar Robichaud outpaced Chugiak sophomore Frederick Millen III in the boys 100-meter finals with a first-place time of 11.26 seconds to earn the title of Fastest Alaskan. The Chugiak quartet of Luke Poland, Ahmir Walker, Elijah Udall and Frederick Millen III set a new meet record in the boys 4x100 meter race with a first-place time of 43.44 seconds, besting the previous record of 43.74. Lathrop's Wilson Lawson competes during the Big C Relays at the Dome in Anchorage on Friday, March 27, 2026.
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