Matt Hanson had a modest goal entering the track season: simply stay healthy.

After the Lake Washington sophomore missed the entire track season last year with an injury, he wasn’t going to let it happen again.

“I just wanted a chance to compete,” Hanson said.

Not only has Hanson stayed healthy, he’s made strides toward being one of Washington’s best sprinters. Hanson ran at the state meet Saturday and placed 13th in a preliminary race, missing the finals. He came in with the 27th best 100 meter time in the state this season, but had the fifth best time excluding juniors and seniors.

For Hanson, the state meet trip was simply icing on the cake.

“My goal this season was to stay healthy, but making it to state is a pretty good thing,” Hanson said. “I’ve never been to something this big before.”

This year has been largely a learning experience for Hanson. In his first meet of the season, he experienced defeat.

Bethel’s Radio Battle beat Hanson in the 100-meter dash at the Mountain Invitational in Yelm on April 18. Battle ran a time of 10.99 seconds. Hanson finished second with a time of 11.18 and doesn’t shy away from his feelings about beating Battle.

“My second goal this season is to beat Radio Battle,” Hanson said before the state meet. “He beat me in Yelm. I’d never been beat before. It opened my eyes to what high school track is really like.”

Another thing Hanson has learned is how to approach a race. He said he battles nervousness pre-race, but he has worked around it.

“I think I’m going to kick their (butts). I have that mindset,” Hanson said. “I get into my blocks thinking I’m going to win, even if someone’s faster and I know that. I go in not thinking about that. I go in thinking I can beat anyone.”

Hanson’s 100 times gradually improved through May, culminating in an 11.02 mark at bi-districts to earn his spot in the state meet, where he ran 11.36.

“These guys are for real,” Hanson said. “I try to copy what they do and go up and introduce myself. I just try and follow the big shots.”

Hanson finished just over two tenths of a second behind Battle at state. Ty Lang of Heritage of Vancouver won the 4A 100-meter dash in 10.82.

Hanson wasn’t the only Kangaroo in Pasco last weekend. Junior Brieccia Lewis ran the 100-meter high hurdles race, missing the final after finishing 10th in a preliminary heat.

Lewis booked her trip to Pasco with a tie for first place at the bi-district meet. She was part of a dominant hurdling crew at Lake Washington that also included sophomore Lacy Newbold and senior Molly Enger. Newbold finished 13th and Enger 15th in the 300-meter low hurdles race.

Lake Washington was the only school to have three hurdlers competing in the girls races.

Lake Washington’s Alix Boyd finished 15th in a preliminary 800-meter race and did not make the finals.

Juanita senior Trevor Roush was the top finisher from Kirkland high schools, taking third in the 400-meter final. The senior ran a time of 49.82 seconds, a season best. Roush finished sixth in the preliminary race to move to the finals, then came in less than half a second behind the winner.

On the field events side for Juanita, Sabrina Grandke-Bawab finished 15th in the shot put and Brianna “Breezy” Rinehart-Young finished 13th in the high jump.