April 24, 2025 Mica Van Buskirk and Seward Folly Staff

Seward High School’s track and field team kicked off their 2025 season with impressive performances at Homer’s first April track meet in over three years. The event, which drew teams from across Alaska, including Colony, Palmer, Wasilla, Houston, Redington, Nome, Nikiski, Kenai, Soldotna, Ninilchik, and Homer, saw 34 Seward athletes competing under surprisingly favorable conditions.

Despite starting with rain and snow showers, the typically snow-covered field was clear for competition, allowing for a full day of events under eventually sunny – if still blustery – skies.

Standout Performances

Freshman Olive Jordan led the charge in distance events, securing second place in the 2K Steeplechase. Jordan later joined Katie Van Buskirk, Juniper Ingalls, and Lucy Bamford to claim second place in the women’s 4×800 relay with a time of 10:49.

Ronan Bickling dominated the sprints, taking second place in both the 100M (11.76 seconds) and 200M (24.21 seconds) races, followed by a strong fourth-place finish in the 400M. In the women’s sprints, Regan Seibert and freshman Hannah Leatherman showed promising form, with Seibert placing 7th in the 100M (14.20s) and 6th in the 200M (29.28s).

Distance runners made their mark as well, with Indigo Leslie setting a personal record of 5:47 in the women’s 1600M for fifth place. Leslie later claimed second place in the 3200M with a time of 12:17, followed by Katie Van Buskirk in fourth (12:26).

Field Events Highlight

The field events saw particular success from Olin Liljemark, who claimed first place in the high jump with a clearance of 5’10” and fourth in the triple jump with a personal record of 38’10.5″. Van Shank complemented these performances with fourth place in high jump (5’4″) and fifth in triple jump (38’2.75″, PR).

Looking Ahead

The team’s strong start sets an encouraging tone for the season ahead. They’ll continue their competition schedule this weekend, departing Thursday evening for Kodiak via Homer and the ferry system.

Notable Results:

• Maddie Haas: 3rd place, 300M Hurdles
• Men’s 4x400M relay team (Bickling, Brueckner, Fink, Shank): 6th place
• Women’s 4x400M relay team (Haas, DesErmia, Bamford, Bickling): 6th place
• Esme Wilder: 9th place in shot put with PR of 25’9.5″
• Discus: Esme Wilder (13th, 66’9″), Gracie Russell (14th, 66’3″), Jennifer Fernandez (19th, PR)