ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

PATRICK GIBSON

School: Squalicum

Year: Junior

Event: Distance

What he did: Won the 2A state title in the 3,200 meters with a personal-best time of 9 minutes, 1.86 seconds. ... Also placed second in the 1,600 meters at state in a personal-best 4:11.29. ... Won the 2A Northwest District titles in both events in 9:07.00 and 4:21.52 and claimed the 1,600 at the Northwest Conference Championships. ... Was unbeaten in the 3,200 this year and won all but two times he entered the 1,600.

Coach's quote: "He's a very modest kid. To talk to him, you wouldn't know how talented he is. But he is very talented and very focused. When he sets his mind to something, there's nothing that's going to keep him from achieving it." - Katrina Henry

COACH OF THE YEAR

TED FLINT

School: Squalicum

What he did: Led the Storm boys to a third-place finish at the 2A State Championships. ... Boys' team got individual state championships from Patrick Gibson in the 3,200 and Jarek Jensen in the shot put. ... Team claimed seven state medals in all. ... Also led the Squalicum girls to a third-place finish at state, and he and his staff coached Gina Flint to titles in the shot put and discus and Kirsten Webber to a pole vault championship. ... Turnout has improved during his three-year tenure, leading to the strong finishes.

FIRST TEAM

SAM AUBERT

School: Sehome

Year: Senior

Event: Discus

What he did: Finished 14th in the discus at the 2A State Championships with a throw of 12 feet, 7 inches. ... Also was 14th at state in the shot put with a throw of 45-9. ... Finished second at the 2A Northwest District meet in the discus (personal-best 161-0) and fourth in the shot (personal-best 48-111/2). ... Placed second in the discus at the Northwest Conference Championships.

Coach's quote: "Sam came off a major knee surgery that had him miss his junior year track season. Sam put in a lot of work to rehab his knee, but missing a year led to some early-season technical struggles. Sam really focused on the technical side in practice, which helped him come into form late in the year and get some big throws." - Tim Carlson

EDDIE AVENA

School: Blaine

Year: Senior

Event: Throws

What he did: Finished 13th in the shot put at the 2A State Championships with a throw of 46 feet, 4 inches. ... Also finished second in the event at the 2A Northwest District meet with a personal-best throw of 51-101/4. ... Was 15th at district in the discus (93-1), and had a personal-best throw of 124-5 a week earlier. ... Finished second in the shot put at the Northwest Conference Championships (50-103/4). ... Planning to study engineering at the University of Washington.

Coach's quote: "Eddie ended up with our MVP award, which you don't see throwers make MVP very much. They don't get a lot of points, and the running events are a whole lot more showy. For Eddie to get MVP as a thrower is a great accomplishment for him and shows how much the kids respected him. He placed fourth at state last year, and he was the one stabilizing thing we had from last year coming back." - Mike Grambo

MITCH BEARD

School: Nooksack Valley

Year: Senior

Event: Middle distance

What he did: Won the 1A state title in the 800 with a time of 1 minute, 59.44 seconds. ... Also placed third in the 1,600 at state with a time of 4:31.74. ... Won the 1A tri-district title in the 800 with a personal-best time of 1:58.52. ... Also had a personal-best time in the 1,600 at tri-district, finishing fourth in 4:25.71. ... Finished third in the 1,600 at the Northwest Conference Championships (4:28.50).

Coach's quote: "Anytime you've got a state champion, obviously it's a pretty exciting thing. The last state champion (from Nooksack Valley) in a running race I can remember was (1994) in the girls' 4x1 relay. After that, we haven't had any. He also placed third in the mile. He had a really strong season from start to finish. He had a goal in mind all season long and worked toward that goal. It was really exciting to see him get there." - Robb Myhre

JOE CHARBONNEAU

School: Bellingham

Year: Junior

Event: 1,600 meters

What he did: Finished 10th in the 1,600 at the 2A State Championships with a time of 4 minutes, 25.10 seconds. ... Finished 12th at state in the 3,200 meters in 9:28.90. ... Also was part of the Red Raiders' 13th-place 4x400 relay at state. ... Finished fourth in the 1,600 (4:24.59) and 3,200 (personal-best 9:28.05) at the 2A Northwest District meet and second in both events at the Northwest Conference Championships.

Coach's quote: "Joe elevated himself to a new level as a middle distance runner with his 4:20 1,600 meters and (9:28) 3,200 meters. He also ran a low 52 (seconds) on the 4x400 relay, sometimes in big meets right after the 3,200. Joe is very talented, and each season he learns more about himself and training and racing, and that shows as he moves more consistently into the ranks of the top runners in our area." - Bill McClement

NATHAN DUNFORD

School: Mount Baker

Year: Junior

Event: Pole vault

What he did: Won the 2A state title in the pole vault by clearing 15 feet. ... Also won the 2A Northwest District title in the event by clearing 15-0. ... Won the Northwest Conference title by clearing a personal-best and school-record height of 15-3. ... Placed fourth in the event at the BorderDuel (14-9). ... Won every time he entered the event until the BorderDuel.

Coach's quote: "Nothing but positivity and smooth confidence. He's a great kid from a great family. He had very supporting siblings and parents. He was never upset - the only thing he might have been upset about was not having a personal record at the state meet, but he was only three inches shy of that. ... When you've got a kid that really wants to win and achieve and you put good coaches with him, the results obviously can happen." - Tyler Mitchell

IAN EARLE

School: Sehome

Year: Senior

Event: 300 hurdles

What he did: Placed fourth in the 300 hurdles at the 2A State Championships in 39.64 seconds. ... Also was part of the Mariners' third-place 4x100 relay and finished 14th in the 110 hurdles at state in 16.44 seconds. ... Won the 2A Northwest District titles in the 300 hurdles (39.91 seconds) and 110 hurdles (15.74 seconds) and the Northwest Conference titles in both events.

Coach's quote: "Ian is an athlete who is always looking to improve the little things and strives to get better every practice and every meet. His attention to form and technique has made him so successful at becoming the hurdler he is today. Each meet, he ran his hardest and pushed himself until the very end. He has had an awesome high school track career, and it has been so great to watch him become a stronger and faster hurdler each year." - Janelle Allison

MICHAEL FAULKNER

School: Sehome

Year: Senior

Event: Long jump

What he did: Finished 11th in the long jump at the 2A State Championships with a leap of 20 feet, 11/2 inches. ... Also placed seventh in the triple jump at state with a leap of 41-63/4 and was 10th in the 100 with a personal-best time of 11.17 seconds. ... Won the 2A Northwest District title in the long jump (20-91/2) and was second in the triple jump (42-31/4) and 100 meters (11.31 seconds). ... Won the Northwest Conference title in the long jump (20-91/4).

Coach's quote: "One of the most dedicated kids I have come across. A great all-around athlete and an even better person. Qualified for state in three individual events, which is a first in this program in a long time. A quiet leader who leads by example. Always on task and doing exactly what was asked. Does all the little things to get better." - Nic Castona

BRADEN FISHBOOK

School: Lynden

Year: Senior

Event: Sprints

What he did: Placed seventh in the 400 meters at the 2A State Championships with a time of 50.74 seconds. ... Placed second in the 400 at the 2A Northwest District meet with a season-best time of 50.74 seconds and was eighth in the 100 in 13.20 seconds. ... Also ran on Lynden's 4x100 and 4x400 relays. ... Won the Northwest Conference title in the 100 with a personal-best time of 11.18 seconds.

Coach's quote: "Braden had a year filled with injuries. It's too bad, because he was very dedicated this winter getting ready for this spring. He was still able to pull things together and have some success at the end of the season. He's very gifted and a hard worker. When he was healthy, he and Caleb (Newman) would push each other to get better." - Layne Hutchins

RILEY FRASER

School: Sehome

Year: Senior

Event: High jump

What he did: Won the 2A state title in the high jump by equaling his personal-best leap of 6 feet, 6 inches. ... Finished second at the 2A Northwest District meet with a leap of 6-4. ... Won the Northwest Conference title in the event by clearing 6-2 and finished in the top four every time he entered the high jump.

Coach's quote: "A great student of the sport, who always is engaged and asks questions. A fierce competitor, who was looking to get better every single day. High jumping can be lonely at times and is a very mental event. Riley didn't turn out until he was a junior, and he showed an aptitude for it beyond his years. His attitude was always positive; (he) never lost faith, even when he was dealing with some injuries. Set a great example for how to find an event, be extremely dedicated to it and find success in the end." - Nic Castona

REED HENDERSON

School: Sehome

Year: Junior

Event: 800 meters

What he did: Placed second in the 800 at the 2A State Championships with a personal-best time of 1 minute, 53.40 seconds. ... Won the 2A Northwest District title in the event in 1:56.04 and was second at the Northwest Conference Championships (1:59.10). ... Also placed fourth at the 2A Sub-District meet in the 1,600 with a personal-best 4:25.93 and was part of the Mariners' fourth-place 4x400 relay team at the district meet.

Coach's quote: "Incredibly talented. Reed allowed the season to come to him. Reed worked hard and went through some valuable early-season race experiences, setting himself up for his spectacular state performance. His 1:53.35 is second all-time at Sehome." - Kevin Ryan

ISAIAH JACKSON

School: Blaine

Year: Sophomore

Event: Sprints/jumps

What he did: Finished 14th in the 200 meters at the 2A State Championships with a time of 23.80 seconds. ... Was part of the Borderites' ninth-place 4x400 relay at state. ... Placed second in the 200 at the 2A Northwest District meet with a personal-best time of 22.88 seconds and was 11th in the long jump with a leap of 18-01/4. ... Had a personal-best long jump of 21-2 at the Larry Eason Invitational.

Coach's quote: "He jumped 21-1, which is only two inches off our school record. That school record was set in 1962. Any kid that can jump in the 21s, it's great accomplishment, and the fact he has two years left is exciting. He also ran the fastest leg on our 4x4 that made it to state. He's our anchor. ... I know he didn't make it to state in the long jump, but I'm very proud of Isaiah stepping into that anchor role and helping us finish ninth, and he made it in 200, as well." - Mike Grambo

JAREK JENSEN

School: Squalicum

Year: Senior

Event: Shot put

What he did: Won the 2A state title in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 54 feet, 11 inches. ... Also placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 153-5. ... Went on to place second in the shot and sixth at the BorderDuel. ... Won the 2A Northwest District title in the shot and was third in the discus and won both events at the Northwest Conference Championships. ... Holds the school records in the shot put (54-11) and discus (153-8). ... Plans to attend Montana State and attempt to walk on for the track and field team.

Coach's quote: "I'm just really happy for his success. He put four hard years of work into it. This year it all paid off for him. He ended up winning state in the shot and placing sixth in the discus. That's great payoff for all the work he put in." - Chris Benson

CONNER JOHNSEN

School: Sehome

Year: Junior

Event: 3,200 meters

What he did: Placed sixth in the 3,200 at the 2A State Championships in 9 minutes, 24.20 seconds. ... Also placed eighth in the 1,600 with a personal-best 4:20.60. ... Finished second in the 3,200 (personal-best 9:22.81) at the 2A Northwest District meet and was third in the 1,600 (4:24.48). ... Won the 3,200 at the Northwest Conference Championships (9:36.50) and was part of the Mariners' fourth-place 4x400 relay team at the district meet.

Coach's quote: "A great year of growth for Conner. He overcame some offseason injuries to have a very successful season. The 2A distances were extremely deep this year, and to place in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at state was a significant achievement." - Kevin Ryan

JOEY MALLOY

School: Squalicum

Year: Senior

Event: Relays

What he did: Helped the Storm place second in the 4x400 relay at the 2A State Championships in 3 minutes, 26.85 seconds and sixth in 4x100 relay in 43.57 seconds. ... Ran a personal-best split of 49.60 seconds in the 4x400 relay. ... Also won individual races in the 100, 200 and 400 during the Northwest Conference regular season. ... Helped Squalicum claim its first boys' relay district championship in the 4x400 and set school records in both relays.

Coach's quote: "Joey's first love is rugby. If he had wanted to dedicate himself to track, I'm not going out on the limb to say he'd be one of the best athletes in the league. He was a good runner on the relays. He was the anchor for us on our 4x1, and he ran the fastest split in the history of Squalicum in the 4x4 at state." - Ted Flint

CALEB NEWMAN

School: Lynden

Year: Junior

Event: 400 meters

What he did: Finished 10th in the 400 at the 2A State Championships with a time of 51.44 seconds. ... Won the 2A Northwest District title in the event with a personal-best time of 50.72 seconds and placed fourth at the Northwest Conference Championships (52.30 seconds). ... Also was part of Lynden's third-place 4x400 relay at state and ran on the 4x100 relay.

Coach's quote: "Caleb is obviously a great all-around athlete with football, wrestling and track. He is one of the great leaders on our team. He is a very hard worker and is dedicated to being there every day and doing his best. He's good at comedic relief, too and keeps everybody loose." - Layne Hutchins

JASON PFANNENSTIEL

School: Squalicum

Year: Junior

Event: Relays

What he did: Helped the Storm place second in the 4x400 relay at the 2A State Championships in 3 minutes, 26.85 seconds and sixth in 4x100 relay in 43.57 seconds. ... Ran a split of 51 seconds in the 4x400 relay. ... Won the 110 hurdles at the Tomahawk Classic with a personal-best time of 15.94 seconds and the 300 hurdles at the Bedlington Twilight with a personal-best time of 41.94 seconds.... Helped Squalicum claim its first boys' relay district championship in the 4x400 and set school records in both relays.

Coach's quote: "Easily the hardest worker on the team. We had big plans for him - we were going to run him in the open 400 and 110 hurdles, but he just got a hamstring cramp that wouldn't go away right before sub-districts. So we pulled him out of the individual events. ... It turned out to be a positive thing for the relays. We put Kyler (Reed) in the anchor for our 4x4 - we kind of flipped them because of the injury - and we ran just as well. It didn't matter where Jason ran." - Ted Flint

KYLER REED

School: Squalicum

Year: Junior

Event: 100 meters

What he did: Placed fifth in the 100 at the 2A State Championships with a time of 11.19 seconds. ... Also was part of the Storm's sixth-place 4x100 relay and second-place 4x400 relay at state. ... Won the 2A Northwest District title in the 100 (11.30 seconds) and was second in the event at the Northwest Conference Championships. ... Won the 200 at the 2A Sub-District meet, but did not compete in the event after that.

Coach's quote: "Kyler always had a lot of talent. He really started using it this year, and the talent started to show up. It was obvious he had that talent for a while. For him to come out and get fifth at state - it was a nice surprise, and I think it was an indicator of how much track meant to him. Because of an injury, he kind of fell into the anchor for our 4x4 relay, and he did a real good job for us there." - Ted Flint

JAKE SCHMITT

School: Meridian

Year: Senior

Event: 200 meters

What he did: Placed third in the 200 at the 1A State Championships with a time of 22.84 seconds. ... Also placed fifth in the 100 (11.18 seconds) and eighth in the 400 (51.91 seconds) and helped the Trojans' 4x100 relay team place fifth at state. ... Won the 1A tri-district title in the 400 (personal-best 50.68 seconds) and finished second in the 200 (22.75 seconds) and third in the 100 (11.31 seconds). ... Won the Northwest Conference title in the 200 (23.39 seconds).

Coach's quote: "Tremendous versatility on the track in the sprint events. He finished the last two weeks strong. At state, he became just the second boy in school history to go under 11 seconds. Then he was just a tenth of a second off breaking the school record in the 200 and helped the 4x100 relay to a school record. He definitely finished in style with four medals. Maybe it wasn't the same as Cherish Morrison, but he was our first boy to take home four medals from state in a number of years." - Patrick Ames

PARIS SPEIDEL

School: Bellingham

Year: Junior

Event: Middle distance

What he did: Placed fourth in the 800 meters at the 2A State Championships with a personal-best time of 1 minute, 55.60 seconds. ... Also finished 13th at state in the 400 meters (52.74 seconds) and was part of the Red Raiders' 13th-place 4x400 relay at state. ... Finished third in the 800 (1:57.83) and 400 (personal-best 51.02) at the 2A Northwest District meet and won the 400 at the Northwest Conference Championships.

Coach's quote: "Paris surpassed just about everybody's expectations. It was his first season in track. He accomplished the unusual feat of qualifying for state in the 400 meters, 800 meters and 4x400 relay. His 1:55 800 meters may be only an indicator of what the future holds in store for Paris. Paris is very coachable and is one of the best at applying racing concepts." - Bill McClement

DEREK TREMAINE

School: Lynden Christian

Year: Senior

Event: Triple jump

What he did: Finished ninth in the triple jump at the 1A State Championships with a leap of 41 feet, 91/4 inches. ... Also placed seventh in the long jump at state with a leap of 20 feet. ... Won the tri-district title in the triple jump by leaping 41-31/2 and was second in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 20-03/4. ... Also competed in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays for the Lyncs.

Coach's quote: "He got a late start to the season, but he stayed healthy and got some great jumps in this year. It was delightful for him and for us to watch him this year, because he was able to put it all together and get some great jumps. ... He's very coachable and a great kid, and even with his late start do well enough to make it through to state." - Kent De Hoog

DENVER VANDER YACHT

School: Meridian

Year: Senior

Event: Javelin

What he did: Placed third in the javelin at the 1A State Championships with a throw of 183 feet, 11 inches. ... Also placed seventh in the shot put at state with a throw of 48-1 and competed in the discus at state. ... Won all three throwing events at the 1A tri-district meet, claiming the javelin (179-9), discus (personal-best 149-6) and shot put (personal-best 48-43/4). ... Won the Northwest Conference title in the javelin (136-4).

Coach's quote: "The untold story on Denver at state was he severely sprained his ankle the day before in practice throws for javelin. He came off the runway funny, and it was touch and go if he would even compete. At state, he literally limped down the runway and threw 183 feet - only 3 feet off his personal best. He was probably only at 60 percent. If he had been healthy, he would have contended for the state title. His team awarded him the most inspirational athlete, not only for the way he competed throughout the entire season, but to compete at state the way he did." - Patrick Ames

DANIEL VAUGHAN

School: Sehome

Year: Senior

Event: 110 hurdles

What he did: Finished 13th in the 110 hurdles at the 2A State Championships in 16.04 seconds, after running a personal-best 15.75 earlier in the day. ... Finished third in the event at the 2A Northwest District meet in 15.92 seconds and was fifth at the Northwest Conference Championships (16.47). ... Was 11th in the 300 hurdles at district with a personal-best 44.27 seconds.

Coach's quote: "Daniel had a great senior track season. From the first meet to the last, he continued to improve his technique and figure out his race pattern. He always gave it his all in every practice and was always trying to improve on the little things. He had some awesome races throughout the season, and it was awesome to see him make it to state. He had a great race at state, finishing his high school track season with a personal record." - Janelle Allison

HONORABLE MENTION

Athlete School

Konstantin Andrushenko Sehome

Brandon Becerra Blaine

Blaise Black Sehome

Spencer Blackburn Meridian

Brandon Blake Lynden

Trevor Burden Lynden Christian

Tyler Buss Mount Baker

Brian Chmelik Bellingham

Kobe Clark Squalicum

Andrew Dahl Blaine

Oliver Dougherty Bellingham

Nick Eggen Bellingham

Jorge Esparza Squalicum

Cody Esquiro Blaine

James Fakkema Blaine

Paulin Fleishman Lynden

Eddie Fontes Blaine

Chris Fredlund Squalicum

Nick Gallaher Squalicum

Nate Gwaltney Meridian

Ryan Hamstra Lynden Christian

Kalien Hayes Bellingham

Kaleb Heezen Meridian

Tyler Ho Squalicum

Tristan Hurley Bellingham

Ricky Heilmann Sehome

Jonah Jacobson Squalicum

Titi Lamositele Sehome

Simon Maguire Bellingham

Terry McClement Bellingham

Enrique Medina Lummi

Michael O'Brien Bellingham

Tyson Perry Nooksack Valley

Jalani Phelps Lynden

Kyle Redmond Bellingham

Caleb Rodriguez Ferndale

BJ Salmonson Nooksack Valley

Jamie Sayegh Bellingham

Nick Saupe Sehome

Cody Spoelstra Lynden Christian

Brandon Vargas Lynden

Elijah Varner Lynden

Brad Whitley Blaine

Malik Williams Sehome

Chris Wilson Sehome

Reach DAVID RASBACH at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2271.