PREP GIRLS TRACK: Cummings shines in 400-meter run

Published 11:18 pm Saturday, May 30, 2009

TACOMA — She’s competitive, talented and has a great work ethic.

But the scariest thing about Stephenie Cummings according to her coach?

She’s got one more year left.

Cummings, a junior at Glacier Peak, turned in a time of 57.28 seconds in the 3A 400-meter dash on the final day of the 2A/3A/4A state track and field championship at Mount Tahoma High School to place second behind Rainier Beach’s first-ranked Dyneeca Adams.

And she’s only been competing in the event a few weeks.

“Midway through the season she stepped up to the 400s and she’s PR’d each week for the next four weeks,” coach Brannon Jackson said of Cummings, who started out competing in the 100 and 200. “She’s strong, talented, has got the drive, (and) hates to lose.”

“(Considering) she lost to a fifth-year senior,” Jackson added of Cummings, “She’s in a position to be a force to be reckoned with next year.”

Cummings, who also plays for Glacier Peak’s soccer team, had the lead in the 400 until Adams pulled ahead at about the 200 meter mark.

Cummings response to placing second in the entire state of Washington? “She (Adams) really beat my butt in the last (leg).”

Clearly, Cummings does indeed hate to lose. She even doesn’t like to lose to the boys, who Cummings said she races in practice.

“The guys don’t get too far ahead of me,” Cummings said.

But Jackson said that doesn’t stop Cummings from doing little things to help Glacier Peak’s new program.

“She’s a great mentor to our young sprinters,” said Jackson, who also coached Cummings when she was a freshman at Snohomish.