Carissa Stovall entered Yelm High School three years ago with thoughts of being a runner. A broken foot during her freshman year ended that career before it even got started, forcing Stovall to make the transition away from the track side of things and over to the field portion of the sport.
We will never know how good she could have been as a runner, but there’s little mystery about how gifted she is as a thrower.
Stovall closed out her junior season by medaling twice at the Class 3A state track and field championships at Mount Tahoma High School, taking fourth in the girls’ shot put and fifth in the discus.
Maisy Williams, a junior at Black Hills, became the only local athlete in the larger school classifications to capture a state championship after triumphing in the 2A girls’ long jump.
Black Hills senior Madi Frampton and Timberline senior Keshara Roman joined Stovall and Williams as multiple state top 5 placers at the meet.
Stovall threw 41 feet, 1.5 inches to place fourth in the shot. Gig Harbor’s Hadassah Ward won her third straight 3A shot title with a throw of 45.05.50. That placing came a day after Stovall’s discus throw of 130-04 was good for fifth in the event and tops among all non-seniors.
“I was looking around on the podium and noticed all four that beat me in discus are all going to be gone next year,” Stovall said. “It’s going to be a long journey, but I hope I can get there.”
Not only was Stovall the youngest among the top five finishers, she was also the smallest by a significant margin, a scenario which has been consistent throughout her three years of throwing.
“Whenever I go up to the officials before an event, they are always surprised and say, ‘That’s you?’” said Stovall, who finished third in the shot and seventh in the discus in 2017. “I kind of want to show them even though I’m small I can do great things.”
Williams opened her state meet by finishing second in the 2A girls’ high jump, clearing 5-02, but falling just short of winner Yareli Ochoa of Lakewood, who registered a winning jump of 5-04. The following day it was Williams’ turn to take the gold as she won the long jump crown with a jump of 17-08.50. Ochoa, a senior, finished second with a jump of 17-07.75.
Frampton was also a finalist in the long jump, finishing seventh in the event. It was one of three medals for the Black Hills’ senior. Frampton also placed second in the 100 hurdles (15.02) and fourth in the triple jump (35-06.50).
Black Hills finished fourth overall as a team in the 2A standings with 33 points. Fife (45 points), Anacortes (44) and Ellensburg (41) rounded out the top three schools.
River Ridge freshman Taylor Woodworth made a pair of trips to the podium at the 2A meet, collecting a third-place finish in the 400 (58.18) and joining teammates Alona Wright, Raquel Robinson and Taryn Lucas to grab third in the 4×400 relay.
Timberline’s Keshara Romain closed out her career by registering a second in the 3A girls’ triple jump (37-04.50) and a fifth in the long jump (17-05.25). Romain’s teammate Rachel Izuagbe placed sixth in the long jump (17-05.00), while Timberline junior Jessica Neal secured a fourth-place finish in the high jump (5-04).
The Capital girls’ relay team of Kyra Skipworth, Paris Crawford, Lexi Solis and Regie Grady medaled twice at the 3A meet, finishing fourth in the 4×200 and eighth in the 4×400. Skipworth, a sophomore, also picked up a seventh place in the 400 and North Thurston sophomore Madison Vu was seventh in the 200.
Olympia’s Beatrice Asomaning was fourth in the 4A girls’ discus with a throw of 132-04.
2B State Girls’ Track and Field
The Northwest Christian girls’ team successfully defended its Class 2B state title at Eastern Washington University behind a stellar performance from senior Eliana Summers.
Summers won individual state titles in the 800, 1600 and 3200, and teamed with Jacalyn Tague, Tosin Faleke and Megan McSheffrey to grab a second place in the 4×400 relay.
McSheffrey also finished third in both the 400 and 300 hurdles and fifth in the 110 hurdles. The Navigators also received a second place in the 800 and a fifth in the 1600 from junior Ava Shackell.
Northwest Christian finished with 70 total points to claim the team title for a second consecutive season. St. George’s finished second with 64 points.
Rainier junior Elaina Hansen placed twice, earning a second in the 1600 and a fifth in the 3200.
