Mission Bulldogs make their mark at District 7B track meet
The St. Ignatius boys’ track and field team turned in an impressive all-around performance at the District 7B Meet on Friday, May 9, with top-three finishes across sprints, distance, throws, and jumps — a strong showing as the Bulldogs gear up for the divisional and state rounds.
Leading the charge was senior Harlon Leishman, who claimed gold in the 3200 meters with a time of 10:37.50 and took second in the 1600 meters at 4:37.98, in what proved to be a fast and competitive distance field. Leishman also anchored the 4x400 relay team to a fourth-place finish, showcasing his endurance and leadership across multiple events.
Joining Leishman in the long-distance ranks was Brooklyn Leishman, who made her own statement in the girls’ division, taking second in the 800 meters (2:50.92) and fifth in the 1600 meters (6:38.78), putting the Leishman name on both sides of the competition.
In the field events, Lex LaFrombois delivered one of the meet’s most dominant performances for Mission, winning the long jump with a leap of 18-11.5 and the triple jump at 39-6, both marks well ahead of the field. Teammate Iyezk Umphrey wasn’t far behind, taking second in both events — 18-2.5 in the long jump and 39-5.5 in the triple jump — giving Mission a 1-2 sweep in the horizontal jumps.
Umphrey also placed fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 12.04 and ran on the Bulldogs' 4x100 and 4x400 relays. The 4x100 team, which also included Umphrey, Dakota Zeiler, LaFrombois, and Ryan Sharbono, was unfortunately disqualified in the final. However, they rebounded with a strong fourth-place finish in the 4x400 relay (3:56.24).
Sharbono made his mark in the throws, placing second in the discus with a toss of 130-4.5, and fourth in the shot put at 41-9, giving the Bulldogs crucial points in the field events.
Freshman Kaiven Patten turned in a strong effort in both hurdle races, taking sixth in the 110-meter hurdles (21.93) and seventh in the 300-meter hurdles (53.03), gaining valuable experience for the underclassman in a deep field.
In the high jump, LaFrombois also notched another podium, clearing 5-8 for second place, narrowly edged out on attempts by Thompson Falls’ Ian Myers.
In the girls’ field events, Esther Gambrell placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles (22.11) and sixth in the 300 hurdles (1:01.06), while also competing on the girls' 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Gambrell was joined by Sierra Girsch, Brooklyn Leishman, and Abigail Gillin for a third-place finish in the 4x100 (1:11.10), and again teamed with Leishman, Girsch, and Ayla Boykin for a fifth-place 4x400 relay (5:37.59).