SNOHOMISH — Taylor Roe just went for it.
Handed the baton in the girls’ 1,600-meter relay and initially facing about a 20-meter gap, Roe closed in the final 100 meters to edge Kamiak anchor Katherine Slack at the finish line to give Lake Stevens the improbable victory in the final race of the day at the Wesco 4A track and field championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“It was pretty much all I was going to have left,” Roe said. “I just said, ‘I’m going to give her a fight’ and I’ll just give it a chance. I know that the meet was really close and I know we needed those points, so I just decided to go for it with 100 to go.”
It helped the Lake Stevens girls earn the team title as their 417 points out-paced the 372 put up by the second-place Knights.
Roe is one of the top distance runners in the state, but the 400 is considered a sprint. Making the feat more remarkable was the fact the Lake Stevens sophomore had won the 3,200 just minutes earlier in 10 minutes, 51.18 seconds. Roe also won the 800 in 2:09.98 on Friday to go along with her 1,600 title on Wednesday.
“I focus on staying mentally tough and pushing myself and just really going for it,” Roe said. “I have an amazing team that has pushed me along and got me to where I am today.”
Glacier Peak’s Maya McFadden won the 100 hurdles in 15.51 to go along with the javelin and long jump titles she won during Wednesday’s portion of the meet.
Tamia DeSchmidt of Glacier Peak was another double-winner as she took the 100 crown in 12.65 and later added the 200 title in 26.53.
DeSchmidt wasn’t expecting the sweep though she set a personal record in the 100.
“It gives you a little taste of what getting to state is going to be like so I just have to repeat (next week),” she said.
The Kamiak girls took the 400 relay in 49.97, while Tracey Hatch led a 1-2 Kamiak finish in the 400 as her winning time of 1:00.05 edged teammate Kailin Wiley’s 1:00.59.
Mariner’s Suzy Pace won the 300 hurdles in 46.43 and the high jump at 5 feet, 2 inches, while Hannah Aaenson of Lake Stevens won the shot put by a margin of more than two feet at 39-7.75 feet. Adama Sanoh of Lake Stevens won the triple jump at 33-7.25.
On the boys’ side, Jackson won the team title with 329 points to the 309 put up by Lake Stevens.
Anthony Hutchinson of Lake Stevens claimed the 100 title in 11.04 and the triple jump with a leap of 43-3.5 to go along with the long jump title he claimed on Wednesday.
Jackson’s Daniel Arias was a double-winner as he took the 400 in 48.65 and the 200 in 22.86. Arias glanced to his right during the 200 and, seeing no one, cruised the final 30 meters.
“I don’t even know what happened right there,” Arias said. “I was just in my moment and I’m just happy I finished the race strong. … I have to do that to see where the other guy was at and see if I have to speed up or stay at my pace. I was just making sure where I was at.”
Arias finished second to Hutchinson in the 100 as the long strides of the Jackson junior are well-suited to longer sprints.
“Having the long strides really helps,” Arias said. “Knowing how to pace yourself and how to push yourself, I’ve learned that throughout the years. Having long strides really helps.”
Jackson teammate Silas Vega-Harris claimed the 300 hurdles in 40.05 while Monroe’s Jace Steele took the 110 hurdles in 15.16.
The Kamiak boys won both the 400 relay in 43.75 seconds and the 1,600 relay in 3:25.40. Jackson’s Matthew Watkins claimed the 3,200 in 9:25.14.
Noah Wallace of Lake Stevens won the 800 in 1:56.26 and teammate Blake May won the javelin with a toss of 175 feet.
Monroe’s Tristian Norton won the pole vault at 14-6.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
