VHS track and field brings home four state medals
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 1, 2016
The giant banner at Eastern Washington University’s Roos Field read, “You’re in the inferno.” The atmosphere at the WIAA Track & Field Championships in Cheney last weekend, however, was more a demonstration of heavenly athleticism and angelic sportsmanship than something hellish. The four Vashon High School athletes who braved the inferno, and the near-constant gusts of spring wind which are common in Cheney, came out with smiles and four coveted medals to show for their efforts against the best 1A, 2B and 1B high school athletes in the state.
Friday’s events for the Pirates’ crew began with the long jump preliminaries and final flights. Annika Hille and Marie Kier found their marks on the runway and a beneficial wind at their backs to complete their first three jumps. Kier’s best at 15 feet, 3.25 inches was a successful showing for the first-year track participant, but not the big personal record (PR) she needed for finals. She finished in 15th place.
Hille managed to squeak into the ninth spot of finals competitors, thus earning a second set of jumps to try to better her medal chances. Her next leap was 16 feet, 8 inches, which won her eighth place on the long jump podium. After returning without a medal from her three previous state trips to compete in the long jump, this one was particularly gratifying.
Later that afternoon, Lauren Jenks took to the track for the 800-meter preliminary race. The top eight finishers from the preliminary heats qualified for Saturday’s finals. Jenks was seeded 19th coming into the event. The pace from the starting gun was swift, with the top runners taking a quick lead. Jenks had a strong finish in 2:34.51, took seventh place in her heat, and improved her final standing to 16th place overall in the state.
Next up for Hille were the punishing 400- meter preliminary and her favorite event, the 200 meters, for which she holds the VHS school record of 26 seconds. She was well prepared for both, finishing in second place in each of her heats, and relished the opportunity for finals action the next day.
Saturday ushered in warmer weather and the first event for Kat Andrus: the javelin throw. Seeded 16th out of the 16 competitors, Andrus was excited to participate and hoped for a PR. Against the wind, she got her wish and launched the stick 103 feet, 8 inches, which was enough to improve her standing to 13th place overall and give her the satisfaction of a PR in state competition.
The triple jump event brought Andrus back to the pit where she finished in fourth place as a freshman. She is the VHS record holder with an impressive PR of 36 feet, 6 inches. With a headwind that would stall her quest for a final mark over 35 feet, she bounded her way in the preliminary flight to a best overall jump this time of 34 feet, 8.25 inches. Andrus celebrated her seventh place medal on the podium and the day’s successes.
Hille closed the Pirates’ participation at state with her final races of the season. First up was the 400 meters. Long considered one of the toughest races, it requires a full-lap sprint that can leave you with legs of concrete at the finish. Hille looked strong throughout the first 350 meters, holding a confident place in third. With 10 meters to go, she hit the proverbial wall, but managed to will her way over the finish line and to a fifth place medal in 59.38 seconds. After a short rest, she shot out from the blocks for her last high school race in the 200-meter final. There were no surprises, as the eight finishing times and racers held the same order established in the preliminary heats. Hille bolted to another fifth place in 26.61 seconds and enjoyed her third trip to the winners’ podium.
With head coach Rob Kearns and assistant coaches Kevin Ross and Adria Cannon, the four athletes donned state sweatshirts and celebrated their trip to the “inferno.”
— Carrie Van Buren is the mother of a VHS track & field athlete.
