The queen of the Class 2B girls discus had four contenders to wear the crown. And all were from the Central 2B League.
Onalaska’s Kiley Talley, Rainier’s Janess Blackburn and the Adna duo of Lillian Boyd and Karsyn Freeman had the four farthest throws of the season. They’ve been competing at various league meets before the three most important ones in May.
The competition, like the sun beating down on Zaepfel Stadium on Friday afternoon, was heating up.
“It is cool to see all of us up there, that is amazing,” Freeman said.
It was Blackburn, like 10 previous times this season, who ended up on the throne.
The Mountaineers senior went from third place last spring to the undisputed state champion with a best toss of 138 feet, 3 inches for her first career title in any sport on day two of the 1B/2B/1A state championships.
“It honestly feels surreal,” Blackburn said. “I knew I had the ability to do it, but it is like, are you mentally tough enough to make it possible?”
It marks the first Rainier girl to win a state title in the throws since Peyton Dungan won the shot put in 2016. What it took for Blackburn to realize her potential was the very same ring from a year ago that served as the breakout moment.
She won once as a junior in a league meet in April. Her best throw entering state was a 103-7 in the C2BL championships. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she uncorks a then-lifetime best of 121-7 to secure a medal.
That following offseason changed everything.
“Going through leagues last year, I was doing it to have a sport during the spring (and) there was no intention behind it,” Blackburn said. “I’ve been training with a private coach and my standard bar is raised high.”
Whatever transpired over the next 10 months, while balancing state tournament runs in volleyball and basketball, it worked.
Blackburn was consistently over 115 feet and claimed the league title and was runner-up at districts. She fouled on two of her first three throws, but the second attempt in the prelims ended up as the winning throw.
It hugged the inside line and just stayed in for a mark.
“I wish I would have looked at it but I was spinning too many times at the end,” Blackburn said. “I was just praying it got in.”
On May 20, Blackburn signed a financial aid agreement to continue her track career at St. Martin’s University in Lacey.
She leaves Rainier grateful for everything.
“Beyond proud, but at the end of the day, it is all glory to God,” she said.
Acacia Murphy
Rainier’s Acacia Murphy placed second in the 2B high jump for the second consecutive state meet and it was just as emotional. In 2024, she lost on a tiebreaker. On Friday, she fell short due to a body part not getting all the way over.
Her final attempt at 5-4 was cleared only for the bottom of her ankle to tap the bar and it was enough for it to fall.
“Honestly going over it, it felt great,” Murphy said.
“When I get to higher heights, my form tends to fall apart and I forget how to high jump when it’s like oh my gosh I’m eye level with it.”
She was in a three-way battle with Kittitas’ Jalina Blackmore and Freeman’s Logan Pecht.
They all missed their first two chances at 5-4, then Blackmore cleared on her last chance. Murphy was the last of the three to jump.
Tears flowed down and Murphy still felt the disappointment after the podium awards. Yet she realized a career of a state title and two second places isn’t anything to scoff at.
Through it all, she stated it built up her character.
“It’s allowed me to realize I am a good athlete,” Murphy added. “I’m always grateful I got to experience this. It helped shape who I am today.”
Murphy finished eighth in the 100-meter-dash.
Ella Marvin
Ella Marvin finished as a runner-up in the 2B pole vault. And the circumstances surrounding her final trip are the same as her penultimate appearance.
When Marvin triumphed in the event in 2024, she mentioned an injury that doctors had no clue what it was or how to heal it. Fast forward a year and it’s the same ailment that still confuses doctors.
The senior tried to have a “glass half-full” thinking afterwards.
“I couldn’t be happier to have someone to compete with,” Marvin said. “I am proud of sticking in there.”
It ended up coming down to attempts between Marvin and Freeman’s Fiona Anderson. Both missed all three chances at 11-feet even and Anderson ended up with a perfect day otherwise.
Marvin had one more miss at 10-feet even.
College pole vaulting is up next for Marvin at Concordia University of Irvine, where she’s looking forward to getting into the weight room and continuing her development.
“It is going to be really fun,” she said. “I got good things to come. Got to figure out this injury first.”
Madison Ingram
For distance runner Madison Ingram, double knotting was mandatory at Yakima.
It was 365 days ago that the Rainier High School distance runner lost one of her spikes in the middle of the Class 2B 1,600-meter run.
She was seeded in the top-eight and crossed the line in 12th place.
“I put so much work in to be at a different spot and I embraced that,” Ingram stated. “How much improvement I’ve made and it really pushed me to be a better person and it made me really excited.”
Both spikes didn’t depart on Thursday.
Ingram earned her first state medal of the weekend in the 1,600 on day one of the 1B/2B/1A state track and field championships at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, snaring fourth place in a new lifetime best of 5 minutes, 23.54 seconds.
It’s the first time in her two years as a Mountaineer she leaves with hardware in the second-longest distance race of the meet.
“I tied them way too tight,” Ingram said of her spikes. “My feet were a little suffocated but that’s OK.”
Podium finishes
Freshman Komaire Robles placed eighth in 5:24.91, a near five-second PR to snare her first career state track medal. Teammate Alexis Myers was ninth, also in a new best of 5:28.22. Myers just missed the podium in her state meet debut.
The emotions took over with Ingram and Robles being by her side walking off the field in the same way the trio walked towards the track for the start of the race.
They’ve been a three-headed pack from the moment the season started two months ago.
“I love running with her and she’s such an amazing person,” Robles said. “Where she is right now is incredible. There’s more coming.”
In both the C2BL and District 4 meets, they went 1-2-3. Robles and Myers, before Thursday, established PRs in Chehalis at districts. It was never the plan to run as a pack, but after the success from a team state title in cross country with those three, it naturally worked out.
Ingram was the leader of the three for the majority of the race. Robles was on her heels and Myers was within striking distance.
With little competition from the rest of the league and district, they had to rely on pushing each other.
“I love running with this group,” Robles said.
The Mountaineers placed fourth as a team last year and qualified in double digit events once again. Injuries have bit them, but Ingram and Robles were confident they could contend for another trophy.
“Let’s individually do good and see where that places us,” Ingram said.
Robles finished fifth in the 2B 3,200-meter run. Ingram secured seventh in the 800.
The team of Rayanna Wisner, Anika Plowman, Myers and Ingram took sixth place in the 4x400 relay.
The entire Rainier girls track team was honored as the 2B Girls Academic State Champions on May 30.
Meldrum wins state title
On the boys side, Rainier’s Josh Meldrum brought home a state title in the 2B long jump, a year after placing third in the event, with a top leap of 21-08.25. The 2024 state title holder in the 100-meter dash missed the finals this year, placing outside the top-eight.
His friends helped him realize what he still could accomplish one day later.
“They were lifting me up,” Meldrum said. “I was gonna have fun with this one instead of taking it so seriously. That’s how life works, you gotta move on.”
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Mountaineers senior. He battled through sickness, a foot ailment caused by dropping a weight lifting plate on it and needing rest to recover from the grind of playoff football and basketball seasons.
Prior to Friday, Meldrum only had five registered finishes in the long jump under his belt.
“I knew I could get third or fourth, but every day, I worked on it,” he said. “Rest is a big part of performing well. That helped a lot.”
After the first three jumps in the second flight saw Meldrum atop the leaderboard, he extended his cushion to six inches after the fifth leap. He was far from calm seeing St. George’s Braydon Bayless, Reardan’s Evan Krupke and Goldendale’s Matthew Gray still with one jump left.
Rainier head coach Rob Henry would give a thumbs up after each mark that was short of Meldrum’s.
“It is state track, anything can happen,” Meldrum said. “I sat in the tent and just hoped don’t out-jump me, don’t out-jump me. I knew it was gonna be a battle.”
Rainier’s Zander Peck (javelin) ended his prep career with a runner-up finish. He will continue competing in college at St. Martin’s.
Peck’s best toss in the competition was 177-05. It came on his second throw of the day and he equaled that with his final toss as a prep in the javelin. Peck made the finals in the discus, but failed to medal.
“Pretty happy with how it turned out,” Peck said. “To have so many coaches that were very supportive and people that were around, it is pretty cool.”
Rainier’s Alex Salinas finished fourth in the 400 with a time of 52.58. He earned a PR of 51-flat during the prelims. Zach Hamilton placed 14th in the 1,600.
The 4x100 relay team of Salinas, Matheus McKitrick, Jordan Pringle, and Josh Meldrum placed fourth in the finals.
