Mountaineer girls win again at home league meet

The Rainier track and field team has hit the midway point of the 2025 outdoor season.

So far, they keep improving.

At the District 4 1B/2B league meet at Rainier High School on Tuesday, April 22, the Rainier girls won with a score of 207 points, beating second-place Adna by 80 points.

Senior Acacia Murphy won the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.55, her best this year. Murphy also tied Naselle’s June Miller with a high jump of 5 feet, and finished fourth in the 200-meter dash.

Jazzlyn Shumate shaved a full second off her 400-meter time from last month’s home meet, winning with a season-best 1:01.85. Shumate finished second in the 800 and the 100-meter hurdles.

The crew of Madison Ingram, Komaire Robles, Rayanna Wisner and Kinsley Barlow continued their dominance in district distance events. Ingram notched a season-record time of 2:31.57 to win the 800. Robles easily won the 1600, with Wisner and Barlow finishing second and third. Robles took the 3200, too, with Barlow finishing second.

In the final event of the day, Wisner teamed up with Murphy, Ingram and Shumate to win the 4x400 relay.

The girls added more success in the field. In the discus, Janess Blackburn scored a personal-best throw of 131 feet, which leads both the district and WIAA Class 2B.

Blackburn now holds the Rainier school record, beating out Isabella Holmes’s previous mark of 127 feet, 8 inches, set in 2021.

“It was kind of surreal,” Blackburn said of her record-breaking throw. “Wasn’t really expecting it. It has been a goal for sure, but I didn’t expect to hit it so early in the season, so it was exciting.”

Blackburn finished third in the shot put, right in front of teammate Zaylee Bravo, who also finished third in the discus. Katelyn Eckroth earned a PR in the javelin with a throw of 99 feet, 5 inches, winning the event by just over two feet.

District-leading and two-time 2B state champion Ella Marvin won again in the pole vault, despite failing to clear 10 feet for the second straight event. Anika Plowman narrowly lost to Napavine’s Jenna Gallagher in the long jump, finishing second at 14 feet, 6 inches. Gallagher’s jump of 14 feet, 9 1/2 inches was a personal best.

For the Rainier boys, Alex Salinas won the 100-meter with a time of 12 seconds flat. Zach Hamilton (PR of 57.09) and Christian White finished 1-2 in the 400. Jake Hanson took second in the 800 and 3200. Ean Viik finished second in the 1600, less than two seconds from Adna’s Brady Morgan. The 4x100 thrower’s team of Dorien Cano, Zander Peck, Steven Johnston and Jake Hanson won with a time of 54.27.

Peck excelled in his field events, landing a PR of 172 feet, 4 inches to win the javelin. He now leads the district and sits second in Class 2B behind NW Christian’s Colby Shamblin.

“I guess everything kind of came together in that moment. It felt really good,” Peck said of his PR throw in the javelin.

After beating a PR earlier this season, Peck said he was hoping he could get to 170. He did.

“I’ve been really focusing on my run up and making sure that I’m giving myself enough distance to get the power that I want, so I can focus on my power output instead of my speed,” Peck said.

Peck mentioned the “kid on the east side of the mountains,” Colby Shamblin, who threw the javelin over 200 feet the previous week. Peck said Shamblin’s throw provided motivation.

“I want to start breaking some numbers, too,” Peck said. “I want to be that guy.”

Peck took third in the discus.

Jordan Pringle earned a PR of 18 feet, 5 inches to win the long jump. Adison Poole cleared 10 feet to win the pole vault. It was a personal best for Poole.
The Rainier track and field team will compete again in a 1B/2B league meet at Ocosta on Thursday, May 1.