Piper Track & Field had a historic weekend at the 2025 5A State Championships, bringing home multiple state medals, school records, and the school’s first-ever 5A state track & field trophy.
The first medal of the weekend came from javelin, where Max Clark set a new school record and broke the 200-foot barrier with a throw of 201’06”, earning state runner-up honors. Kole Schaunaman also earned a medal in javelin, placing 5th overall with a personal best throw of 185’04”.
Nora Turney captured Piper’s only individual state championship of the meet, dominating the 100m hurdles with a winning time of 14.52. She later earned her second medal of the weekend in the 300m hurdles, placing 3rd overall to close an outstanding state meet.
In hurdles, Shinji Pollard ran a huge personal best of 14.12 in the 110m hurdles, earning state runner-up honors in a close finish. He added an 8th place medal in the 300m hurdles to cap a strong weekend. Carsen Avery contributed as well, placing 7th in the 110m hurdles and earning 4th place in the 300m hurdles.
The girls 4x800m relay of Kate Lockamy, Elizabeth Arenas, Breckyn Shaw, and Ella Eads broke their own school record with a time of 9:49.82, finishing 7th and earning a state medal.
Sprinter Kylie Rice raced to a 3rd place finish in the 100m dash, while Skyler Little powered through a busy weekend to place 3rd in both the 100m and 200m dashes. Sophomore Da’Mon Jamierson added to the sprint success, placing 7th in the 100m dash.
The boys 4x100m relay of Shinji Pollard, Da’Mon Jamierson, Eli Watts, and Skyler Little raced to 2nd place, running 42.12, the second-fastest time in school history.
In field events, freshman Ella L’Heureux placed 7th in the long jump, earning a medal in her first state appearance.
In the final race of the meet, the girls 4x400m relay of Kate Lockamy, Kylie Rice, Ella Eads, and Nora Turney ran a season-best 4:03.67, the second-fastest time in school history, finishing 6th overall and securing another state medal. Senior Kylie Rice capped her career with a personal-best split in her fourth consecutive state 4×4 appearance.
Finally, thanks to strong performances across all event groups, the Piper boys’ team finished 3rd overall, earning the school’s first-ever 5A state track & field trophy.
Coach Josh Baxter credited the coaching staff and team culture, saying, “None of this would happen without the event coaches. This has easily been the most well-rounded track & field team in school history with points coming from all event groups. Thank you to Coaches Beebe, Dolinar, Friesen, Kamienski, Lockridge, Lockwood, and Richmond.”
He added, “Thank you to parents, administrators, coaches, and of course the athletes for a fantastic 2025 track & field season! It’s a year we will all remember for a long time to come. Go Pirates!”
