The Seward High School track and field team finished another monumental season on May 31.
The Seahawks started their year on April 4 at the Russ Edwards Big C Relays at The Dome in Anchorage, the season’s only indoor meet. Ten of the team’s 36 members competed, as qualification was determined on an invitation-only basis. The high jump was won by junior Olin Liljemark, at height of 5’ 10”, beginning a winning streak that would last the rest of the season. Additionally, sophomore Indigo Leslie placed 7th in the 3200m run with a time of 12:20.88, the same race in which senior Katie Van Buskirk placed 9th at 12:37.85. Unfortunately, senior and star sprinter Ronan Bickling missed the finals of the 100m dash by only 0.01 seconds.
After meets in Homer, Kodiak, Soldotna, Anchorage, and Kenai, the Seahawks arrived at the Region III Championships at Service High School on May 23. This meet was the athletes’ final chance to qualify for State, and their determination was on full display during the competition.
The high jump was swept by Seward, won by Liljemark, who set a state season record of 6’1”, and was followed in second and third by freshman Luke Elhard (5’10”) and senior Van Shank (5’8”), respectively. Bickling took first in the 100m at 11.39, and the 200m with a personal record of 23.03. Freshman Olive Jordan placed second in the 400m with a time of 1:00.28, 0.22 seconds behind Homer’s Vera Bates. Sophomore Regan Seibert was close behind, at 1:00.97. Jordan also won the 1600m, with Katie Van Buskirk at a near second (5:27.43, 5:30.39, respectively). Van Buskirk again placed second, this time in the 3200m (12:04.13) behind Indigo Leslie (12:00.37). Junior Madeleine Haas, the team’s sole region-qualifying hurdler, stuck to the front of the pack in both the 100m and 300m hurdles, finishing third (17.21) and second (49.30), respectively.
Additionally, three relay teams had outstanding results: Girls’ 4x800m (Indigo Leslie, Juniper Ingalls, Selah Brueckner, Katie Van Buskirk; 10:31.42); second, Girls’ 4x400m (Regan Seibert, Hannah Leatherman, Madeleine Haas, Selah Brueckner; 4:26.03); second, Boys’ 4x400m (Ronan Bickling, Noah Flowers, Martin Fink, Van Shank; 3:46.72); fourth.
These stirring results sent many of the Seward athletes through to the state championships, hosted at Dimond High School in Anchorage. Though windy and rainy for much of the two-day event, the Seahawks pushed forward and put on an incredible performance.
Liljemark once again impressed with a final high jump of 5’10”, winning his eighth meet of the year. Bickling took his second consecutive state title in the 100m dash, and did so in style, breaking his own school record with a time of 11.27 (previously 11.35). Later, he ran a 23.40 in the 200m, securing third. Haas excelled in the 100m hurdles with a personal best of 16.17, taking second place overall. She lost to Grace Christian’s Hope Jackson by only two hundredths of a second. Later, she found a spot on the third step of the podium in the 300m hurdles (49.07). Jordan, already a cross-country state champion, placed third in the 1600m run at 5:27.41, setting a PR in the process. She was also fourth in the 400m (1:01.31).
Furthermore, the three previously mentioned relays all improved: Girls’ 4x800m; 10:23.46, third, Girls’ 4x400m; 4:20.27, third, Boys’ 4×400 (now Noah Flowers, Van Shank, Oliver Trobaugh, Ronan Bickling); 3:39.50, fourth.
Finally, in the team standings, the Seward Boys finished fifth out of 22, and the Girls fifth out of 15. The Boys also won the sportsmanship award.
These accomplishments are especially profound when considering the fact that the team’s staff saw two brand new faces this year; head coach Ryan Bringhurst and distance coach Dylan Gillespie.
“It’s hard to sum up, there’s been a lot of amazing learning experiences,” the former commented. “There’s been a lot of joy to see [the team] do super well, and to see [the team] embrace each other.” Bringhurst operates his team on the Ubuntu philosophy, an African mantra stating “I am because you are.” “We’ve made each other better, and to see that actually happening means a lot,” he said.
As for Gillespie, an SHS alumnus, the honor of coaching has been profound. “It’s so good to be back and involved. Track meant a lot to me when I was in high school, so it’s such a good feeling to keep things going and help inspire the next generation of runners.”
Unfortunately, as is with the passing of every school year, the team must say goodbye to their senior athletes: Ronan Bickling, Martin Fink, Gracie Russell, Van Shank, Oliver Trobaugh, and Katie Van Buskirk.
“I am very sad to be leaving everyone behind here,” lamented Bickling, who is on scholarship to run at Northwest Nazarene University. “But, I am looking forward to running in college, and meeting new people”
The 2025 SHS Track season was undeniably an exceptional one, filled with competition, comradery, and sportsmanship. With a brand-new rubberized track on the way, the town of Seward can only wait and see where the team will go next.
