Family members, friends, coaches and Yelm High School athletes gathered on June 7 at the school’s football field to celebrate five Tornados who will continue their athletic journeys at the collegiate level.
Lilly Baca, Kaylee McJunkins and Kendall McJunkins all signed to Central Washington University to continue their cheerleading careers, while track athletes Breeanna Hurajt and Zach Walsh were also celebrated during the ceremony. Hurajt will be a member of the track team at Eastern Washington University, while Walsh will join the track team at the University of Nevada.
“We wanted to gather to honor some of our athletes that are moving on to play at the next level,” Yelm High School Athletic Director Rob Hill said at the event. “All of these athletes will be moving on and competing and performing at the NCAA level.”
Walsh’s coach, Alex McIntire, spoke about the long distance runner’s tenure at Yelm High School and discussed the work ethic that earned Walsh a Division One scholarship.
“I want to talk about Zachary Walsh because he deserves to be talked about,” McIntire said at the signing day celebration. “It’s really important to know that a few years ago we did a similar signing for an athlete that went to Gonzaga University, and I was often told by others that ‘this might only happen once in a lifetime.’ Then, you fast forward four years later, and (Walsh) has all of his school records now.”
The coach described Walsh as a great kid and a hard worker, who achieved amazing feats as a Tornado.
“(Walsh) believed in himself. He had the support from some teammates, some that are here now and some that have graduated before,” McIntire said. “Zach Walsh, who was a JV athlete four years ago, has a nearly full-ride to the University of Nevada to run D1. Everyone here can be inspired and know that with a little bit of talent, but all the right work ethic and all the right belief, and a really strong support system, you can do some really incredible things.”
Coach Chris Stovall spoke about Hurajt, who will attend Eastern Washington University to compete on their track team.
“Bree Hurajt, when she first came out to me, said ‘coach, I think I’ll try hurdling one day.’ I said, ‘you’re pretty fast, you’re pretty good at doing some other stuff and you’re strong,’” Stovall said. “After she went over the hurdle for the first time, I said, ‘nope, you’re not doing this.’”
As the years went by, Hurajt showed how good of a sprinter and leader she was. Stovall eventually decided to let her participate in a hurdles event during the summer. Stovall said Hurajt had a great showing and improved tremendously.
“She killed it this year. She was a team leader, team captain and she was here all the time. She is what you want in a leader, period,” Stovall said. “She knows how to lead by example. She does it. She came in this year, and at one point in time, was top three in the state in the 300 (meter) hurdles.”
Stovall said Hurajt ran one of the fastest times on record at Yelm High School in her event. He’s confident Hurajt will continue to succeed.
“If you want something, you’ll work at it consistently,” Stovall said. “You’ll just get it done and that’s what she has done.”
Madison Hummel, the head cheerleading coach at YHS, spoke about her three CWU-bound athletes. She said she first became involved with Baca and the McJunkins when she was an assistant coach at the school.
“I’ve had Lilly for four seasons, and I’ve had Kaylee and Kendall for two,” Hummel said. “This season, they came back and they were like ‘OK, you get to be head coach. We’ll take a chance with you.’”
Hummel said she’s thankful the three athletes stuck with her and the team for their senior year. The trio, aside from Azariah Carter at Washington State University, are the coach’s only athletes from Yelm to become college cheerleaders.
“It’s a very challenging thing to do. Teams have 50, 60 plus people that try out for them and they take a very small amount for cheerleading,” Hummel said. “To have all three of them make the same exact team is a huge accomplishment.”
Baca served as a team captain for the Yelm cheer team as a junior, and Kaylee McJunkins was a team captain during her senior year, Hummel said.
“In some way, all three have been some form of leadership on our team and have helped kids that are younger prepare to fill their shoes once they move on,” Hummel said.
Hill concluded the ceremony by once again congratulating the students on their upcoming collegiate endeavors.
