PASCO – Nearly 20 minutes after pulling off an unfathomable achievement, Laura Bulander still quivered with excitement.
“I didn’t have any expectations at all,” said Bulander, a senior exchange student at Snohomish High School. Bulander, who came to Snohomish from her home in Solothurn, Switzerland, surpassed her previous career best by a foot to place a surprising third in the Class 4A girls pole vault Saturday during Star Track XXIII, the 3A/4A Track and Field State Championship meets at Edgar Brown Stadium.
This is the first year of vaulting for Bulander, who entered the state meet seeded 11th with a personal record of 9 feet, 6 inches. Her best effort Saturday was 10-6. “When I cleared 10 (feet),” she said, “I was so happy. … Now I’m shaking.”
Bulander’s Snohomish teammates, seated high above the track under the Snohomish tent, erupted in cheers as the Swiss Miss soared higher and higher.
Snohomish pole vault coach Ron Johnson said Bulander’s performance was a pleasant surprise. “She jumped out of her mind,” he said.
Johnson brought Bulander along slowly at the start of the season but she managed to peak in time for state. “She did it in a big way,” Johnson said.
Bulander had never competed in any track and field events until this year. But the pole vault quickly won her over. It’s unusual, she said, and, “You fly through the air.”
Bulander returns to Switzerland on June 27. She said she has important plans to take care of as soon as her plane lands. “The first thing I’m going to do,” Bulander said, “is find a pole vaulting club to join.”
Everett’s Cardenas grabs two third-place medals: Forest Cardenas of Everett High took third place in the 1,500- and 400-meter wheelchair finals. Cardenas completed the 400 in 1 minute, 37.71 seconds and the 1,500 in 6:06.3.
Felnagle flies past 1,600 field: Bellarmine Prep senior Brie Felnagle surged to a 4A state meet record time of 4:42.28 en route to winning the 1,600. Felnagle, who won the 3,200 on Friday, crossed the line 9.31 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Nicole Cochran, her freshman teammate.
Toussaint sets another meet record: Rashad Toussaint, a senior from West Valley of Spokane, set his second 3A meet record of the weekend with a winning effort of 49-11.75 in the triple jump. After setting the all-time state record in the event (50-8.75) earlier this year, Toussaint broke Johnny Taylor’s 1986 3A state meet record of 48.6.5.
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