Tumwater senior David Malroy, a returning state medalist in the long jump, cleared 22 feet for the first time in his prep career and his leap of 22-02.25 was enough to triumph in the event at the 80-team Pasco Invite on Saturday afternoon.
Malroy’s win helped the T-Birds finish fifth in the team race with 41.5 points. His jump came in the third flight, the last of the prelims, before three finals jumps. Of the nine finalists, he was one of four to not foul on his last attempt.
Tumwater had several top-eight finishes. Blake Kirkpatrick placed second in the 200-meter dash while Malijah Tucker took third in the shot put. Malroy, Kirkpatrick, Cash Short and Jaxson Budd ran 42.54 to take second in the 400 relay. The first three and Josh Schlecht teamed to take seventh in the 1,600-meter relay.
Aaron Paul (high jump), Short and Schlecht (400) picked up top-eight finishes for the Thunderbirds.
W.F. West’s highest boys placer was junior Carson Smith, who set a personal best in the shot put with a heave of 46-02. Rochester’s Gunnar Morgan notched two top-25 finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.
On the girls side, five events with top-seven placements allowed Tumwater to tally 26 points to tie with Walla Walla for eighth. Ashlyn Hufana, Cassidy Hedin, Reese Heryford and Ava Jones ran 49.64 seconds to take second in the 400 relay, a new season-best for the quartet.
Jones nabbed fifth in the 200 and sixth in the 100 while Hedin ran a new lifetime best of 47.19 seconds to finish fourth in the 300 hurdles.
Hedin, Jones and Heryford alongside Alexandra Broome crossed the line in seventh in the 1,600-meter relay. McKayla Clary took fifth in the javelin for Tumwater.
W.F. West’s Amanda Bennett nabbed fourth in the javelin while Rochester’s 400 relay quartet of Merecedies Dupont, Jordyn Johnson, Kenna Pratt and Kailyn Black finished 17th overall.
Harris, Dale place in Tacoma
Just three athletes for Black Hills made the trek to the Mt. Tahoma Track Festival on Saturday and two of them walked away with top-eight finishes.
Ezra Harris, a returning district qualifier in the javelin, finished eighth with a toss of 144 feet, 8 inches. For the girls, senior Anneliese Dale ran a new lifetime best of 13.25 seconds to take eighth in the 100-meter dash.
Dale also took 17th in the 200 while Laura Mock placed 16th in the discus.
