TACOMA — Kate Kadrmas prepared all season, and in fact, her entire high school track and field career, for the state championship race of her dreams Friday.
As one of the state’s top hurdlers all spring, the Mountain View senior thrived being among the state’s best in her final high school meet.
The senior was all smiles crossing the finish line not only her first state title in the Class 3A 100-meter hurdles, but the first hurdles title in the school’s track and field program history.
“This is awesome,” said Kadrmas, bound for Nebraska next year. “It’s something I’ve been working on all year, for my entire high school career. It’s really awesome.
Kadrmas won in 14.91 seconds, just off her state-leading time of 14.89 seconds she shared with Southridge’s Emily Meek. Kadrmas’ win highlighted one of two local girls champions on the second day of the 4A/3A/2A state track and field meet at Mount Tahoma Stadium. Earlier Friday, Washougal senior Kiersten De La Rocha took the 2A discus title.
Kadrmas’ win came hours after running a lifetime best time in the 300 hurdles to qualify for Saturday’s final. No tired legs for Kadrmas, though, by the time it came to the 100 hurdles. She took the lead for good by the fifth hurdle, edging Grace Sarver of West Seattle (15.06) and Meek (15.15).
“I had to keep making sure I continued to push and push,” Kadrmas said, “because people can come at any moment.”
No one did, and Kadrmas hopes Friday isn’t her last title. She runs in Saturday’s 300-meter hurdles final with the third-best seed time from Friday’s preliminaries (45.77).
De La Rocha wins
Three inches separated the top three 2A girls discus placers, and De La Rocha, the Washougal senior, didn’t know what place she got.
Although her coaches knew, De La Rocha learned she was a state champion after the competition.
Battling through early-morning steady winds, De La Rocha’s 116-foot, 4-inch throw on her fifth attempt moved into the lead for good in the 2A girls discus.
Throwing in similar conditions isn’t new for De La Rocha, and she took advantage Friday.
“Every once in a while,” she said, “I could catch (the wind) pretty good. I was hopeful that if I got one and it was good it could ride the wind out.”
De La Rocha came full circle as a four-time state competitor. As a ninth-grader, she qualified for state in the shot put and placed 16th. Past experiences, including a podium finish in the discus in 2018, helped her in her final high school meet ending as a champion.
“It’s nice to have all those experiences behind me,” she said, “and know I’ll be OK no matter what I do. Doing well is all the more reward and good feeling that the work I put in is paying off.”
Other performances
• A day after placing second in the 2A high jump, Columbia River’s Giovanna Rhoads was third in the long jump (17-3). She’ll compete in Saturday’s triple jump. Teammate Lucy Ianello had the sixth-fastest 800 preliminary time entering Saturday’s final.
• 4A District javelin champion Lexi Raymore of Union placed eighth (120-8) and 3A District shot put champ Jasmine Tiatia of Evergreen got seventh (40-11.25).
• Washougal’s Kiara Kallie placed sixth in the 2A 100 hurdles and ran in the Panthers’ finals-qualifying 400 relay.
