Rainier High School girls track head coach Rob Henry’s claim that the program hasn’t had such a complete roster since 2005 appears to have more truth to it by the week.
A whopping 30 student athletes qualified for the Central 2B League Championships coming up on Friday, May 10, at Kalama High School, with 14 boys and 16 girls set to make the trip. All but six of the athletes will compete in multiple events, with Josh Meldrum leading the boys with four events and six girls each competing in five.
The Mountaineers finished the regular season on a high note, as the boys took 11th out of 25 teams at the Spudder Track & Field Classic at Ridgefield High School on Friday, May 3, while the girls took sixth out of 22 teams. Rainier’s boys, who scored 23 team points, had the second-highest score among 2B schools, ranking behind sixth-place Raymond’s 31 points. The girls, who scored 48 points, ranked first among all 2B schools, with Toutle Lake coming in second with 10 points.
Senior Haleigh Hanson set a personal record in the discus with a throw of 123 feet, 5 inches, to take the event title. Junior and reigning 2B state high jump champion Acacia Murphy was Rainier’s other first-place finisher with a leap of 5-2.
The Mountaineers also earned five top-three finishes, including reigning 2B state pole vault champion Ella Marvin (third), along with Meldrum (third) in the long jump, Zander Peck (second) in the javelin, Matthew Kenney (third) and Rainier’s 4x400 relay team of Madison Ingram, Anika Plowman, Angelica Askey, and Jazzlyn Shumate, who finished third. Only two other 2B athletes took home titles during the Spudder Track & Field Classic.
Rainier’s distance runners have impressed all season, as Ingram and Askey have clinched personal bests in both the 800- and 1,600-meter events in consecutive meets. Zach Hamilton also set a personal record in the 800- and 1,600-meter events in Ridgefield.
“We had some really good marks. Madison had a season record in the mile, and Angelica was right behind her, so they’re coming along,” Henry said after Rainier’s final home meet on Tuesday, April 30. “Last year, Angelica was pretty much a sprinter, but this year she’s really bought into the distance, and she’s pushing Madison, which is fantastic. She’s willing to step up and go. She’s really versatile, which is great.”
Rainier’s coaching staff added that the distance runners have practiced on weekends when they didn’t have to, leading to their steady improvement over the course of the season. Boys head coach Josh Frunz said that the program is peaking at the perfect time heading into the postseason, where the Mountaineers are as hungry as ever to represent their school.
“They’re putting the time in. At this point in the season, we’re seeing their hard work paying off. They’re really putting in a lot of extra time, and they’re seeing the fruits of their labor,” Frunz said. “It’s fun to watch.”
The first event at the Central 2B League Championships begins at 4:30 p.m. To view the full list of qualifiers, visit https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/531933/info.
