CHENEY — With a huge time drop from the previous week, Ocosta’s Kathryn Anderson earned a fifth-place finish on the opening day of the state 1A/2B/1B track championships on Thursday night at Eastern Washington University.

The Ocosta senior took fifth in the girls 2B 1,600 meters. Her time of 5:29.65 was a personal best by some 12 seconds and represented a 17-second improvement over her mark at last week’s District IV meet at Chehalis.

Anderson ran a 1:19 final lap to move up a couple of places. The top eight in each event earn state medals.

“She put it all together and was not going to walk away without a medal,” said Aaron Anderson, her father and coach.

St. George’s Madison Ward won the race in 5:16.16. She beat Northwest Christian’s Eliana Summers, the District IV champion, by some five seconds.

Anderson was the lone Twin Harborite to crack the top eight on Thursday.

North River eighth-grader Ruby Gumaelius was 12th (6:28.36) and Wishkah’s Cristal Schrotberger 14th in the 1B girls 1,600 meters.

Montesano’s Jake Mustard and Logan Clements placed 16th and 18th, respectively, in the 1A boys 3,200 meters.

North River’s Luis Nieves was 15th and Wishkah’s Duncan Palmgren 16th in the 1B boys 3,200.