YAKIMA — Treyton Marty sees the light at the end of the tunnel of his prep career. Conner Hill’s is just getting underway. Adam Kruger wanted to make up for his 2024 state meet performance.
The three stalwarts of the Toledo High School boys track and field team showed out on the first day of the Class 1B/2B/1A state championships on Thursday night.
Marty claimed his third consecutive medal in the 2B 1,600-meter run with a third place performance of 4 minutes, 28.15 seconds at Zaepfel Stadium on the campus of Eisenhower High School. Hill finished seventh in a new lifetime best of 4:33.15.
“We put on so many miles, probably more than a lot of people in high school, especially in the 2Bs,” Marty said. “I’m proud we pushed through every single workout and we were able to help each other.”
Kruger, a year after missing the finals of the 2B triple jump and settling for 10th place, earned fourth place with a PR leap of 41-08.25.
“It motivated me a lot, especially when you’re right on the edge of almost making it,” Kruger said. “It felt really good to break into the finals and get on the podium.”
It took until the final jump in the prelims last spring for Kruger’s best of 39-06. He was nine inches away from jumping three more times and guaranteeing a medal.
The junior attributed his shortcoming to overworking himself. The District 4 championships was the first time he eclipsed 40 feet last season. He hit 40-plus feet in the second meet of the season and secured 41 feet flat at a league meet in Toutle.
“I rested a lot during the postseason; come in and your body is fresh,” Kruger said. “My achilles started bugging me (after the Toutle meet), just going to do short approach, rest and then short approach coming into a meet and just go for it.”
After fouling on his first attempt, Kruger landed in the pit and his lifetime best mark on his second attempt put him in prime position to medal. He stated he hyperextended his knee on his fifth jump.
Still, he was more than happy with the outcome in his first and only event this weekend. Also in the field, Winlock’s Landen Cline and Napavine’s Austin Lyons each placed in the top-15.
“It showed me that if you dedicated yourself to something, you can do it,” he said.
Marty and Hill have been intertwined through workouts and meets. They even have a set bed time they hold each other accountable towards.
“9:00 to 9:15 p.m.,” Hill said.
That set the stage for the duo to finish 1-2 at both the C2BL and District 4 Championships. The momentum continued on Thursday.
A year after a frantic pace in the opening two laps, Marty went alongside Morton-White Pass’ Vanson Armstrong in the first 200 meters and was drafting behind Liberty Bell’s Dexter Delaney through the first 800 meters.
Delaney and St. George’s Shawn Jones broke away from the field and Marty settled in for third.
“I was pretty broken pretty quickly. I stayed with them for about a lap,” Marty said. “I coasted the last 200 meters since my season is still not over yet.”
Hill was in the chase pack and broke his previous PR by two seconds to snare his first career state medal. He ran sub-1:08 in three of the four laps.
“I did exactly what I thought I would do,” Hill said. “It went perfectly.”
Even though the Riverhawk distance stars will only run one more race together – the 3,200 on Saturday – they have enjoyed what this season has meant to both of them.
“It is pretty surreal,” Hill said. “It’s a goal we had. Definitely accomplished it.”
Rainier’s Zach Hamilton and Armstrong placed 14th and 15th, respectively. Rochester’s Gunnar Morgan led the first two laps of the 1A 1,600 before tailing off and finishing 25th overall. In the 1A shot put, Tenino’s Guy Lowery heaved a best throw of 45 feet flat to secure 12th.
