Queen of distance: Johnson leads Lady Lakers to track state championship
HENDERSON, Nev. — North Tahoe Britta Johnson led the Lakers to a track and field state championship last weekend, claiming gold in three events and silver in another.
Johnson was spectacular at last weekend’s Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Class 2A State Boys and Girls’ Track and Field Championships in Henderson with a sweep of the distance events, a second in the 800 meters, and a first in the 4×800 meter relay.
Johnson has ruled over distance running this year, adding the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters championships to the 5,000-meter state title she won last fall in cross-country.
Johnson set a personal record in the 1,600 meters behind a dominant showing. The North Tahoe freshman ran to a time of 5 minutes, 23.95 seconds to top the field of runners by nearly eight seconds.
Johnson also led a Lakes sweep of the podium in the 3,200 meters, cruising to a more than 35 second victory with a time of 12:06.62. Freshman sister Niki Johnson was second in the race with a time of 12:40.01, followed by freshman Annika Johnston in third place with a personal-record time of 13:01.41, and junior Marion Snideman in sixth place with a time of 14:01.04.
Britta Johnson also set a personal record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:27.31 to finish in second place. She claimed her third gold medal of the meet by teaming with junior Kalena Steves, Niki Johnson, and sophomore Alexis Hallenberg to win the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 10:13.08.
Hallenberg also set a personal record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:27.34 to take third place. Steves was fourth in the event with a personal-record time 2:32.46 to finish in fourth, Niki Johnson took fifth place in the race with a personal-record time of 2:36.31.
Niki Johnson added to her medal haul with a personal record in the 1,600 meters with a time of 5:35.11 to take third place. Steves was fourth in the event with a personal-record time of 5:43.01, followed by Johnston in fifth place with a personal-record time of 5:47.06.
Junior Kaya Siig claimed bronze in pole vault, clearing 7 feet, 6.00 inches. Siig also took seventh in the 400 meters with a time of 1:04.64.
Junior Libby Webb leapt to a season-best mark of 29 feet, 10.00 inches in triple jump to take fourth place. Webb also cleared 4 feet, 6.00 inches in high jump to take fifth place.
Sophomore Sienna Clark set a personal record in the 200 meters with a time of 27.55 to take fifth place. Clark was also fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.64.
The Lakers rolled to the team state title by 54.5 points with a high score of 131.5 points.
Senior Skyler Sakrison led the Lakers boys’ team with a runner-up finish in triple jump with a mark of 40 feet, 5.50 inches. Sakrison also took eighth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 22.43.
Freshman Graham Snideman set a personal record in the 3,200 meters with a time of 10:46.52 to finish in third place. Snideman also finished eighth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:19.65.
Snideman, sophomore Ryder Hallenberg, sophomore Asher Dambach, and junior Isaac Pacheco-Martinez finished fourth in the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 9:09.48.
Pacheco-Martinez also took fourth in the 3,200 meters, setting a personal record in the event with a time of 10:49.86, and was seventh in the 1,600 meters with a time of 5:02.26.
Senior Jacob Lutz set a personal record in long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 0.50 inches to take fourth place. Lutz also finished high jump in eighth after clearing 5 feet, 6.00 inches, and eighth in the 100 meters with a time of 11.92.
Senior Daniel Joslin took sixth in shot put with a throw of 38 feet, 11.75 inches, and was sixth in discus with a throw of 120 feet, 4 inches. Hallenberg set a personal record in the 300-meter hurdles to finish in eighth place with a time of 46.19.
The North Tahoe boys’ team finished in eighth place with 45 points. Lake Mead Christian Academy won the state championship with a high score of 123 points.