TACOMA — It’s true: you’ll be seeing double on the track in Saturday’s Class 4A girls 200-meter final.
That’s because for the first time since their freshmen seasons, Union High’s Merriweather sisters — Dai’lyn and Jai’lyn — will compete against each other in a state final.
As freshmen at Evergreen in 2014, the finished third and fourth in the 400 meters, but the state meet’s schedule wasn’t favorable to their individual races and relays.
Now, they decided to switch things up for their final state meet.
“This year, we wanted to try something new,” said Jai’lyn Merriweather, moments after clocking in the second-fastest 200 prelim time (24.47).
Dai’lyn is the two-time defending 200 state champion, and ran the fastest preliminary time Friday (24.30). Jai’lyn also had a top prelim time, which turned out to be a 4A meet record.
She ran her heat of the 400 in 53.83, breaking the previous meet record of 54.14 set in 2005 by Becca Noble of Rogers (Spokane).
It’s Jai’lyn’s second sub-54-second time in as many weeks; she ran a 53.80 at last week’s bi-district meet. The pair also anchor Union’s 4×200 and 4×400 relays, which also have the top times entering Saturday’s finals.
2A GSHL GOES 2-3 IN HURDLES
Ellie Walker knew it’d be a close race.
Not just because of the 0.01 seconds that separated the prelim times of Walker, Columbia River’s senior and Ephrata’s McCall DeChenne, entering Friday’s final of the 2A girls 100 hurdles, but also the times Walker watched DeChenne post all season.
“And I’m sure she was watching me,” Walker said.
At the tape, it was DeChenne who edged Walker for the state title. Walker clocked in at 15.07, and second place is her highest state finish. Hockinson’s Alyssa Chapin was third (15.38) and she also ran the fourth-fastest 300 hurdles time in the prelims (46.38) entering Saturday.
Two years ago, a torn meniscus shifted Walker’s focus in track and field to track-only events.
Gone was the high jump, where she was a two-time state participant.
That was a blessing in some ways, since event schedules always seem to overlap, she said.
“It was good to focus on hurdles and get to where I want to be. .. “Second is pretty good. I ran good. That’s all I can really ask for.”
AROUND THE TRACK: Woodland’s Julia Stepper continues on her quest for her first state title. She was third in the 2A girls long jump Friday (17-2 ½), and ran the fastest 100 (12.00) and second-fastest 200 (24.70) prelim times. The finals are Saturday. … Skyview’s Krystal Kaufman had the fifth-fastest 800 prelim (2:15.24). Issaquah’s Sami Corman had the top time (2:14.75).
