When Marysville Pilchuck High School junior Maya Velasquez entered last week’s Class 3A state track and field meet, she didn’t exactly think she’d end up bringing home a state high jump title, let alone leave the stadium as the first female state championship winner in the school’s 54-year history.
Velasquez cleared 5 feet, 4 inches to secure a first-place medal in the girls high jump on May 24 at Mount Tahoma High School. The jump also marked her personal best.
Velasquez not only is the first girls track and field state champion in school history, she’s just the second champ regardless of gender. The only other Tomahawks gold winner is Austin Joyner, who won the boys long jump in 2014.
“Honestly, when I was first told that I had won, I was shocked,” Velasquez said. “Because I didn’t think it was real. … I wasn’t seeded to get first, maybe third or fourth. So, really I was just shocked and surprised all at one time.”
First-year head coach Kris Jensen said Velasquez came into the year poised, and she stayed that way.
“She’s pretty calm,” Jensen said. “She has a game face on. I don’t even know how to explain it .. She comes in and does her job. … I don’t know how to quite explain her. I don’t think she even knew that she was this good.”
Velasquez came into the season sporting a personal-best leap of 4-10, which she cleared as a sophomore, and she slowly made her way to the top of the 3A field this spring.
“I always thought I’d make it back to districts because I was there last year,” Velasquez said. “I started getting up to 5-0 and 5-2 at my first few meets this season, and throughout my whole season it was just the consistency in trying to keep that.”
Velasquez hit 5-2 and tied for first at the Eason Invitational back in April, which she said served as big breakthrough. She also got to share her moment at the state meet with teammate and senior Gianna Frank, who took third in the girls shot put.
The performance from the pair made Marysville Pilchuck the highest placing Wesco 3A team on the girls side of the state meet.
“Even a week later when people ask me about it, I’m still shocked that its even real,” Velasquez said. “Because it’s a state title that I wasn’t expecting whatsoever. It’s really just shock and gratefulness.”
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