PASCO – With the last throw of her freshman year, Whitney Hooks entered the Washington State Track and Field record book.
With the last throw of her senior year, Hooks shot to the top of the record book. And along the way, she became one of the greatest track and field athletes in the state’s history.
In unleashing a Class 4A state meet record-setting shot put of 47 feet, 3 inches during Friday’s state championship at Edgar Brown Stadium, Hooks, a senior from Cascade High School, became the first Class 4A athlete ever to win a state title in any event four years in a row. It was Hooks’ fifth career state title (she also won the discus last year) and she will go for a sixth in the discus today.
But as is often the case with champions, Hooks wasn’t particularly thrilled with her performance. She had hoped to at least equal her career-best throw of 49-21/2, achieved earlier this year, and possibly break the 50-foot mark. That would have tied her with national leader Allyn Laughlin of Pennsylvania. As it is, Hooks will have to settle for her state meet mark and unprecedented career performance, as well as having the third-best mark in the nation.
“It feels good, but at the same time, I’m not content with my throw,” said Hooks, who will compete for the University of Washington next year. “A lot of people would say, ‘Four titles, you should be ecstatic.’ I am, but I have high expectations for myself. I look at this as a good win, but I didn’t get the great win, and that’s what I wanted.”
It didn’t take Hooks long to wrap up the title, but it also didn’t come easy. University High School sophomore Dana McClendon threw 44-61/2 on her first toss of the preliminaries, and Hooks scratched on her first attempt. But on her second attempt, Hooks tossed the shot 45-11, a mark no other competitor realistically was going to approach. From that point, it was all about going for 50 feet.
“This was an awesome field, and she got pushed today,” said Hooks’ coach, Bill Stengele. “She got over 50 feet last week, but she fouled, so she put a lot of pressure on herself today. There’s no question she can throw it, because she did it last week.”
Hooks didn’t reach the mark that she wanted, but she did get the state mark. Record-holder Cherron Davis, a former Auburn Riverside High School athlete who set the 4A mark of 47-1 1/2 in 2001, was watching as Hooks set the record with her final toss of the day.
She said she entered the meet believing that since she had thrown 49 feet, 47 should be no problem, and that made it more difficult. She was so focused on setting the mark that she forgot about her technique.
“The last throw I just said breathe and trust my technique,” Hooks said. “Just focus on what I’ve been working for instead of focusing on the mark. I kept focusing on the 50 line; I pounded it in my head. … The last throw, I just reacted instead of thinking about it.”
Stengele said Hooks has become more consistent since winning the state meet on the last throw of her freshman year. He said it was clear from the start that Hooks had the strength and athleticism to be a state champion, but winning four in a row was not anticipated.
“She’s just an amazing kid. She’s the total package,” Stengele said. “A great student, a great person and a great athlete. That’s pretty rare.”
Hooks said she didn’t feel any pressure to get her fourth title or set a meet record. She’ll have one more meet – next week’s Meet of Champions between top Oregon and Washington athletes – to go for the 50-foot mark. She turned down opportunities to compete in big meets in North Carolina and California because they fell on her senior ball and graduation days, and she chose being a regular high school kid over being one of the nation’s top shot putters. Besides, there’s only so much more she can accomplish: She’s got five state titles, a meet record and a college scholarship.
“For me to be able to go to college and get an education for throwing a shot put and a discus is amazing,” Hooks said. “Without track, I’d probably be going to community college and struggling to pay for it. It’s just amazing.”
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