Yelm High School’s track teams participated in the Oregon Relays meet at the University of Oregon in Eugene, as the boys secured fifth place in the two-day event on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22.
The boys took on teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California and British Columbia.
“The Oregon Relays is a chance for all of our entered athletes to test themselves against the best competition they can face, outside of the high school nationals meet, and see how they stack up,” Chris Stovall, the boys head track coach, said. “The experience of running, throwing and jumping at the house track built is monumental. It showed each one of them that they belonged on the big stage and that they could handle the pressure and perform well.”
Wilson High School from Long Beach, California finished in first place with 60 points, followed by Curtis High School, of Tacoma, with 52 points. Crater High School, of Central Point, Oregon took third with 45 points, followed by Jordan High School of Long Beach with 44 points and Yelm High School in fifth with 42 points.
“The top five finish for boys proved that our top qualifiers are a team to be reckoned with at state. Without a few missed opportunities to score, we would have finished first overall against a stacked program from Long Beach, California and second overall with our added girls and boys total,” Stovall said. “Other coaches from Washington, Oregon and California were very complimentary to the way our athletes supported each other and didn’t get rattled by the stage.”
Junior Brayden Platt finished the shot put event in first place after shoving an 18.29 meter throw. Platt also set a personal record in the hammer throw competition with a toss of 48.14 meters, which was good for third place.
Platt added two more top 10 finishes in the javelin and discus competitions. With a throw of 54.34 meters, Platt finished in fifth place in the javelin competition and he placed ninth in the discus competition with a throw of 46.67 meters.
Trevontay Smith placed second in the triple jump event, setting a new personal record with a jump of 14.77 meters. He also finished in 11th place in the long jump event with a jump of 6.3 meters.
Jordan Lasher also had strong performances at the Oregon Relays, placing seventh in the pole vault event with a leap of 4.55 meters, a personal record, and ninth in the 110-meter hurdle sprint with a 15.42 second finish.
In the hammer throw competition, Tyler Blevins finished in sixth place with a throw of 42.67 meters, while Ami Fakava finished in 11th with a heave of 29.56 meters.
Distance runner Zach Walsh secured a 16th place finish in the mile competition, setting a new personal record of 4:18.80, and also finished the two-mile race with a time of 9:21.14.
“Zach was phenomenal. He has proved himself as one of the distance giants of the state,” coach Alex McIntire said. “Although it is challenging to pull off, I asked him to run the two-mile and then come back 22 hours later to run the mile. He did it like a warrior.”
Sam Hall set a personal record in the freshmen two-mile race with a time of 10:29.83. Hall’s time is the second fastest freshmen time in Yelm High School history, according to McIntire.
“As a coach, it was great to see Walsh race like a champion while Hall reminds us the future is bright,” McIntire said. “The distance runners of Yelm are strong now and will continue to be strong in the future.”
For the girls, Tatiyanna Wadley was the highest placing Tornado in Eugene. Wadley finished in seventh place in the hammer throw competition with 34.22 meters. Three of her teammates set personal records in the event as Madelyn Lawson threw 30.25 meters, Nolah Wofford secured 28.66 meters and Lily Lawson threw 27.74 meters.
Ayla Danner-Bun finished in 16th place after a 4.83 meter long jump, while Breanna Hurajt finished with a long jump of 4.34 meters.
Eliana Lewis participated in the 100-meter hurdle competition and finished with a time of 20.82 seconds.
Hurajt and Bethany Venuto had neck-and-neck finishes as they placed 18th and 19th, respectively, in the 300-meter hurdle competition. Hurajt finished with a time of 47.46 seconds, while Venuto finished with a time of 47.47 seconds. They both set personal records, along with teammate Chloe Baublits who finished with a time of 50.45 seconds.
Wofford also threw in Eugene at the Oregon Relays, launching her javelin 28.45 meters, while Jayde Connally threw her shot put 8.64 meters.
Following the competition, Stovall said the team will continue to work on the details of their specific events as the team heads toward the postseason and the state championship meet.
“We don’t rest on where we are. All of our athletes have a mind and will to perform better, and good weather added to that determination, will lead to good things,” Stovall said. “I’ve said it to them before, over and over, there are some that doubt you. Don’t let them tell you what you can’t do — show them what you can do. What they did as a team and how they supported each other was phenomenal.”
