Three YHS track athletes compete in 4A state competition

Three Yelm High School students — girls high jumper Alissa Alverado-Young, boys long jumper Jay Sumich and boys high jumper Josiah Hardie — represented the Tornados from Thursday, May 29, through Saturday, May 31, at Mount Tahoma High School in the WIAA’s 4A Track State Competition.

Alverado-Young, a sophomore, had the highest finish in the competition for the Tornados by placing second overall with a mark of 5 feet, 4 inches, a personal best for the young athlete competing in her second state tournament. She trailed just Aubrey Herrin, a senior from Kamiakin, who claimed first overall with a mark of 5 feet, 6 inches.

“Alissa had a great showing at the competition. It was pretty fantastic. That was definitely a highlight of the event for us,” YHS girls coach Shannon Gubser said. “Her work ethic and commitment are second to none. It really highlights how hard she worked this track season. She has a very bright future.”

She was proud of Alverado-Young and the girls team, who, despite low turnout numbers for the 2025 season, made the most of every competition.

“We saw a decline in numbers this season. The kids that were there shined bright, and pretty much every area,” Gubser said. “There were definitely a lot of highlights in there this season with our girls. A majority of our girls will be returning next year as seniors.”

YHS’s boys head track coach Richard Houghton said he was proud of his two athletes, Sumich and Hardie, for making it to the 4A state competition in the team’s first year in the classification. He’s hoping to expand on the number of boys participants at the competition in 2026. He has the blueprint for how to do it.

“We dealt with a lot of injuries on the boys side this season. That took us down a few notches, performance wise. But we’re looking to improve that for next season,” Houghton said. “We’ve got some plans through strength training to give them a little more resilience heading into next year. We’re hoping to prevent injuries next season instead of dealing with them.”

Junior long jumper Jay Sumich narrowly missed out on the podium in Tacoma, as he finished in ninth place overall with a mark of 20 feet, 8.5 inches, a quarter of an inch from tying for eighth place. He finished behind four graduating seniors and faces a real opportunity for a top five finish in 2026.

“Jay just missed the podium. He had a little bit of bad luck on one of his jumps. They raked it out before they marked it, and the judges looked at the person who raked it like, ‘what are you doing?’ Jay got to jump again, but he scratched his next jump,” Houghton said. “He ended up in ninth place. He made state. Last year, he didn’t. That’s a work in progress, and he’s looking forward to coming back and performing better next year.”

Senior Josiah Hardie finished in 18th overall place in the 4A boys high jump competition with a mark of 6 feet even. He tied with nine other 4A jumpers at Mount Tahoma High School with the same mark.

“Josiah hit 6 feet, but his PR is 6-2. He didn’t quite hit his PR, but he showed up and gave it his best,” Houghton said. “It just wasn’t meant to be this year. He’s a senior, so he won’t be back next season.”

YHS track’s jumps coach, Courtney Hickman, told the Nisqually Valley News that he’s proud of all three state competitors for their efforts at the event and the long road that led them to Mount Tahoma High School.

“It’s always good to make it to that stage, to make it to the final dance in a way. I’m very proud of them because track is a little different from other sports. You’re really fine tuning all year until you make it to leagues, and then to districts and on to state,” Hickman said. “I’m proud of all three of them and the work they needed to do to make it to state, because that’s where the best of the best are. Congratulations to them for making it to that stage.”

He worked with all three athletes — Alverado-Young, Sumich and Hardie — throughout the season, and saw their development first hand leading up to the WIAA’s 4A State Track meet last week.

“Alissa’s potential is unlimited. We don’t know her ceiling. She’s not only a jumper, but she runs the 800, the 400 — she’s a beast. We don’t know her ceiling yet, which is awesome. To watch the development she’s had from last year as a freshman at state, where she placed 10th, to this year where she’s battling for first,” Hickman said, “I’m excited about her future and where she’s going to go. I have no doubts that she can become a state champion, and not only that, but she’s going to come after some records here in Yelm.”

Like Alverado-Young, Sumich will also return to Yelm’s track program in 2025 and will train under Hickman’s coaching. The jumps coach believes Sumich’s senior season will be his best.

“Jay, I got him during his sophomore year. He was in the 18-foot range, and now he’s in the 21-foot range. With that, he was also battling some injuries this year,” Hickman said. “We have this internal thing where we want to own jumps as a whole. I can’t wait for next year and for him to get healthy. He’s knocking at the door.”

He also described Hardie as a strong leader and said he helped lay a strong foundation for underclassmen in the program to follow — even after Hardie graduates this month.

“Josiah’s senior year, and he had lots of potential. He didn’t make it to where he wanted to as far as the podium, but for him to be able to come in and make it to that level was great,” Hickman said. “He hasn’t been doing track forever, so to be able to make it to state says a lot about his work ethic.”