The Rainier High School girls track and field team proved it was the top dog in the Central 2B League with a dominant performance en route to the league title on Friday, May 10, at Kalama High School.
The Mountaineers put up 163 points, 51 points more than second-place Adna. Of the 17 events in which they competed, they clinched eight titles and placed second in three more.
Reigning 2B state champion high jumper Acacia Murphy broke her own school record with a 5-foot, 5-inch jump to earn the crown, while state champion pole vaulter Ella Marvin broke a 12-year record with a 10-10 leap to win the event.
Madison Ingram enjoyed a big day in Kalama, taking home league titles in the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and the 3,200-meter events and setting personal records in the former two. Sophomore Jazzlyn Shumate became the first Mountaineer to run the 400-meter dash in under 1 minute and 4 seconds in five years en route to the league title. She, along with Ingram, Anika Plowman and Angelica Askey, helped Rainier earn first place in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:20.
Senior Haleigh Hanson’s shot put throw of 33-6.5 was good for the first-place spot by just half an inch, and she finished in second place in discus with a 122-foot toss. Janess Blackburn and Zaylee Bravo also earned top-five finishes in discus with personal bests.
In total, 13 Mountaineer girls qualified for the 2B District 4 Championships in Chehalis on Friday, May 17.
The boys finished in fifth place in the league championship with a team score of 76.5. Junior Zander Peck took home the javelin league title with a throw of 164-1, nearly 7 feet better than any other thrower. Matthew Kenney, Chris Grey, Jake Meldrum and Josh Meldrum teamed up to win the 4x100 relay at 44.86 seconds, narrowly defeating Adna and Morton-White Pass.
While Josh Meldrum finished second behind Adna’s Tyler Price in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 11.21 seconds, he became the first Rainier sprinter to finish the event in under 11.35 seconds in 24 years. He was also the league runner-up in the long jump at 19-11.5, just missing first-place Tony Belgiorno’s mark of 20-0.5 to win the league title for Morton-White Pass.
Kenney placed second in discus, 140-10, and fifth in shot put, 43-10, while Keagin Howell took third in the high jump with a personal record of 5-4. Zach Hamilton shined in the distance events, placing fourth in the 1,600-meter race and third in the 3,200. He was the highest-placing underclassman in both events.
Nine Mountaineer boys will head to W.F. West High School on Friday for the 2B District 4 Championships.
