Girls state track: Bay’s Weems, Woodland’s Flanagan win titles (video)

TACOMA – Few people thought McKenna Flanagan would win a state track and field title on Friday. Not even Flanagan herself.

Erykah Weems was favored to win one state title. Now she wants two.

Weems and Flanagan were the two local athletes to win titles on the second day of the state track and field championships at Mount Tahoma High School.

Flanagan, a Woodland sophomore, was a surprise winner of the Class 2A javelin.

Weems, a senior at Hudson’s Bay, is halfway toward sweeping the 2A hurdles titles. She won the 100 hurdles Friday and is favored to win the 300 hurdles Saturday.

While Weems arrived in Tacoma with state title goals, Flanagan had no inkling she would be standing atop the awards podium.

“No, I had no expectations,” she said. “I just wanted to beat last year because I got eighth.”

Flanagan’s wiry build seems more fit for cross country, in which she finished eighth in the district meet last fall. In addition to javelin, she ran the 800 meters and 1600 relay in most meets this season.

“I just do all my running, then whatever time I have left I do javelin,” Flanagan said.

Now as reigning state champion, she might start considering herself a javelin thrower.

“I guess so, I kind of have to,” she said.

Flanagan entered the state meet with the sixth-best mark in the field. But her 119 feet, 6 inches was nearly 20 feet behind the state-leading mark of Cheney’s Rylie Pease.

“I was just ecstatic,” Weems said. “I couldn’t speak after, so I just yelled out.”

Injuries limited Weems to just five meets last season, which ended with a fifth-place state finish in the 300 hurdles. So she was understandably nervous when some pesky pain in her quad and calf appeared this week.

But after lots of ice, Epsom salt baths and a victory in the 100 hurdles, Weems is all-systems-go for a second state title.

“I am absolutely going for the double,” Weems said. “I love the hurdles, so it would be great to get that second title.”

Prairie’s Kaylin Sperley ran the fastest time in the 3A 100 meter preliminaries. Columbia River’s Grayson Burke was third-fastest.

In Class 2A, Woodland’s Julia Stepper ran the second-fastest time in the 100 meter preliminaries and won her heat in the 200 meters.

R.A. Long twins Abby and Joey Weiler became the first siblings to win state pole vault titles in the same year. Abby cleared 13 feet while her brother cleared 15 feet, 10 inches to break his own 2A meet record.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Class 4A State Championships

At Tacoma

Friday’s Finals

Winner and local athletes

100 hurdles – 1, Brandi Hughes (Skyline) 14.12.

Javelin – 1, Elizabeth Lowell-Forker (Bothell) 137-11; 9, Ahmika Kluka (Camas) 115-2; 10, Stephanie Knight (Camas) 112-7.

Shot put – 1, Hadassah Ward (Gig Harbor) 44-2; 10, Nkem Aduka (Camas) 37-4.25.

Long jump – 1, Jelani Heath (Rogers-Puyallup) 19-11.5.

Preliminaries (top 8 to finals)

100 meters – 6, Dai’lyn Merriweather (Union) 12.76.

200 – 1, Dai’lyn Merriweather (Union) 25.24;

400 – 1, Jai’lyn Merriweather (Union) 55.66.

800 – 6, Krystal Kaufman (Skyview) 2:15.02; 10, Savanna Craig (Mountain View) 2:15.90; 12, Molly Beaman (Skyview) 2:17.21.

Class 3A State Championships

At Tacoma

Friday’s Finals

Winner and local athletes

100 hurdles – 1, Heather Donais (Kamiakin) 14.79.

Long jump – 1, Chinne Okowronkwo (Mountlake Terrace) 19-3.25; 7, Tiarra Ringold (Columbia River) 17-1.5.

Preliminaries (top 8 to finals)

100 meters – 1, Kaylin Sperley (Prairie) 12.45; 3, Grayson Burke (Columbia River) 12.77.

200 – 5, Grayson Burke (Columbia River) 25.80.

400 – 11, Grayson Burke (Columbia River) 58.74.

300 hurdles – 16, Valerie Schmidt (Prairie) 48.15.

400 relay – 4, Prairie (Claire Papworth, Makenna Alfson, Mihaela Keller, Kaylin Sperley) 49.55.

Class 2A State Championships

At Tacoma

Friday’s Finals

Winner and local athletes

100 hurdles – 1, Erykah Weems (Hudson’s Bay) 15.36; 4, Alyssa Chapin (Hockinson) 15.67.

Javelin – 1, McKenna Flanagan (Woodland) 122-3; 5, Shiane Oerding (Hockinson) 118-8.

Discus – 1, Jaden Shadle (Burlington-Edison) 135-0; 8, Kate Cochran (Woodland) 107-11.

High jump – 1, Sara Absten (Burlington-Edison) 5-4; 5, Chloe Lindbo (Ridgefield) 4-11; 11, Sarah Retter (Woodland) 4-8.

Triple jump – Peyton Russell (Tumwater) 37-3.75.

Pole vault – 1, Abby Weiler (R.A. Long) 13-0; 12, Christina Murray (Washougal) 9-0.

Preliminaries (top 8 to finals)

100 meters – 2, Julia Stepper (Woodland) 12.18.

200 – 2, Julia Stepper (Woodland) 25.49.

400 – 13, Chloe Lindbo (Ridgefield) 1:02.53.

800 – 3, Chloe Lindbo (Ridgefield) 2:20.77; 11, Lexie Rutherford (Ridgefield) 2:24.08.

300 hurdles – 1, Erykah Weems (Hudson’s Bay) 43.63; 4, Alyssa Chapin (Hockinson) 45.86.

400 relay – 8, Woodland (Sarah Retter, Julia Stepper, Cierra Massey, Amber Malik) 50.99; 10, Hudson’s Bay (Elizabeth Bronder, Diana Stelmahk, Sierra Jones, Erykah Weems) 51.09.

Class 1A State Championships

At Cheney

Friday’s Finals

Winner and local athletes

Shot put – 1, Jordan Spradlin (Montesano) 48-4.

High jump – 1, Sienna Swannack (Lakeside) 5-7.

Long jump – 1, Lauren Newman (La Salle) 19-4.5; 10, Sierra Block (La Center) 16-1.

Pole vault – 1, Elli Kimes (Cashmere) 13-0.5; 12, Josie Partridge (Seton Catholic) 8-0; 15, Rachel Zolp (Stevenson) 7-6.

Preliminaries (top 8 to finals)

100 meters – 12, Kari Staples (King’s Way) 13.47; 17, Rilea Wolfe (La Center) 13.83.

200 – 13, Kari Staples (King’s Way) 27.26.

400 – 11, Elena Carrion (Seton Catholic) 1:01.68; 16, Laynie Erickson (La Center) 1:04.95.

800 – 11, Jorie Freitag (Seton Catholic) 2:25.96.

100 hurdles – 10, Sarah Turcic (King’s Way) 17.59.

400 relay – 15, King’s Way (Haley Hutchin, Emily Turcic, Madi Bertrand, Kari Staples) 53.41.

800 relay – 15, King’s Way (Haley Hutchin, Emily Turcic, Sarah Turcic, Kari Staples) 1:51.94.