Chalk up another national championship for Kim Beard.
The Mukilteo resident and King’s High School freshman took first place in the Championship Division of the girls hammer throw at the Nike Outdoors Nationals high school track and field meet held last week in Eugene, Oregon.
Beard, one of just three freshmen competing in the Championship Division, won the event with a throw of 168 feet, 1 inch. That was more than four feet farther than the second-place competitor, her King’s High School teammate and Edmonds native Adrianna Coleman. Coleman, who just completed her senior season, topped out at 163-11.
Competing in rainy conditions, Beard unleashed a huge personal best with her first throw, but fouled. While the mark didn’t count, it gave her confidence she could win the event in which she finished eighth a year ago.
“It was off and on raining, and on the last couple throws it started dumping on us,” Beard said. “A lot of the girls were from places that don’t get a lot of rain, so it was a bit of an advantage because I enjoy throwing in the rain. By the end there was standing water, it was like throwing in a puddle. But it was fun.”
The Nike national title joins the Junior Olympic girls ages 15-16 national title Beard won last summer.
Another local who came away with gold was Grant Buckmiller. The recent Lake Stevens High School graduate was part of two GLS Speed TC relay teams that won in the Club Only Division. He anchored the boys 400-meter relay team, which won with a time of 41.12 seconds, and he led off the 1,600 relay that won with a time of 3:10.43. Buckmiller also placed fourth in the Championship Division boys 400 in 47.08.
The other local entry that placed in the top eight in the Championship Division was the Arlington TC quartet of Dallas Miller, Blake Wayman, James Scott and Kellen Langford, which took eighth in 3:27.23.
Snohomish Sophomore Baella Stich was part of the GLS Speed TC team that placed fourth in the Club Only Division girls 400 relay in 48.45. Stanwood’s Ryan Khoury placed fifth in the Freshman Division boys mile in a time of 4:28.04.
Peterson representing Team GB at Softball World Cup
Cascade High School graduate Aubrey Peterson will once again represent Great Britain at a major softball tournament, as she was one of 16 players selected to play for Great Britain at the 2023 Softball World Cup Pool A, which takes place July 11-15 in Dublin, Ireland.
Peterson, who qualifies to represent Great Britain because her mother is British, has been an outfielder with the national team since 2017. Last summer she helped Great Britain qualify for World Cup pool play by earning the silver medal at the European Championship.
Great Britain, which is ranked 16th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, was drawn into a pool with No. 1 United States, No. 3 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Australia, No. 17 Ireland and No. 43 Botswana. The top two teams from each of the three pools advance to the finals, which take place in 2024 in Italy.
Jacobson transfers to WWU softball
Glacier Peak High School graduate Ashley Jacobson, who’s been a standout for the Stony Brook University softball team, is returning to her home state for her senior season as she’s transferred to Western Washington.
Jacobson, a first baseman, spent three seasons playing for NCAA Division I Stony Brook, which is located in Suffolk County, New York. In three seasons she appeared in 81 games, batting .298 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI. She was a first-team All-American East selection as a sophomore when she batted .370, and last season she started 53 of 56 games for the Seawolves, batting .280.
Jacobson joins a WWU team that went 26-23 and placed third in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference this past season. Her mother Margaret played for the Vikings in their inaugural season in 1993.
Galloway Shootout takes place Saturday
The Mark Galloway Shootout, one of Evergreen Speedway’s premier races, takes place Saturday at the Monroe racetrack. The Galloway Shootout features 75-lap main events on the 5/8-mile track for both Super Late Models and Pro Late Models. The gates open for spectators at 2 p.m., with opening ceremonies for the main events taking place at 6:00 p.m. Tickets range from $30 for adults to free for kids 10 and under.
PBA finals coming to Arlington
The Professional Bowlers Association is holding its PBA Tour Finals on Saturday and Sunday at Strikerz bowling alley, which is located at the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington.
The tour’s top eight points earners from 2022 and 2023 will be on hand to compete for a purse of $83,000, with $30,000 going to the winner. Sessions go from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
A limited number of tickets are still available on the PBA website.
If you have an item for the community sports roundup, email Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.
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