TACOMA — About 10 minutes after recording their official final throws of their prep shot put careers on Thursday, Tumwater seniors Malijah Tucker and Jacob Dillon were the last two throwers on the field getting in a couple more tosses.
Even though no throw would ever count for them again, the veterans took it all in for their final meet at the 2A state championship meet at Mount Tahoma High School, where Tucker finished as the 2A runner-up and Dillon placed fifth in his first and only state trip.
Tucker’s best throw of the day was his last, coming in at 57 feet and 6.5 inches, a foot and a half shy of the first place mark from Grandview’s Titus Jeffrey at 59-0.25. Dillon registered a throw of at least 50 feet for the second straight meet, measuring in at 50-9.5 on his second attempt.
Although Tucker finished his day as the state runner-up, he still kicked himself for not reaching 60 feet, which would have surpassed his school record of 59-4 set at last week’s districts meet.
“I didn’t get first, but I still feel pretty good with what I did. Throwing 57 is no joke, so I’m really happy with that,” Tucker said. “My goal was to win and PR and hopefully get 60, but you can’t change the past. I did my best, and it’s all you can really do.”
Dillon, who began his track career as a junior last spring, credited Tucker for helping him qualify for state.
“It’s easy to practice when you have guys like Malijah and Dylan Gilliland, who sadly didn’t make it to state, pushing me every day and making me want to throw better,” Dillon said. “It’s honestly a great feeling to make state on something I just picked up a year ago.”
Tucker finishes his career as one of the most decorated athletes to ever throw the shot at Tumwater as he owns the school record, two district titles and back-to-back medals at state.
“Throwing 59 at districts was my proudest moment, and I’d even say not giving up today. I wasn’t having the greatest day at the start, but I picked it up at the end and I’m happy with what I did,” he said.
When Tucker was a freshman starting in shot, he struggled to find his confidence in the ring. It took him some time to have an approach and technique that worked for him, but once he discovered both his confidence and technique his junior year, he didn’t look back.
“I was really slow in the ring my freshman year. I just didn’t have that confidence that I do now, and my stance is definitely a lot better than it was freshman year,” Tucker said.
Dillon said his goal for his state trip was solely to score some points for Tumwater, a team hoping to win a team trophy on Saturday.
“I got my team points, and that’s what I wanted to do. I know it’s overall a team sport even though it’s really individualized in some ways, but I just wanted to come out there and give my best every single throw,” Dillon said. “I got out what I put into it.”
The throwers weren’t the only T-Birds to make it to a podium Thursday, as senior high jumper Aaron Paul concluded his prep career with a third straight medal, including two straight third-place finishes. He breezed to the top three with successful jumps up to 6 feet and 4 inches, and he kept his day going by clearing the pole at 6-5 on his second attempt. But trying to match his PR of 6-6 proved to be difficult as he came up empty.
“I was hoping to place a little higher, but it is what it is. It’s awesome to be here three years in a row. I think I show up when it matters most,” Paul said. “At state, I always jump close to my best.”
Paul said the long day got the best of him on his final three jumps, with the event beginning at 1:20 p.m. and his final jump coming about two hours later.
“I was trying to stay moving. It’s a little difficult to keep the same level of readiness when it’s been so long, so I think that’s definitely a contributing factor,” he said.
Dillon’s high school track career is complete, but Paul is set to compete in the triple jump at 10:10 a.m., and Tucker will throw in the discus on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
Centralia senior Jacoby Corwin also competed in the high jump in his debut season in the event and finished 16th at 5-10, coming up short on all three of his attempts to match his 6-0 PR.
W.F. West junior Carson Smith fouled all three of his throws in his first trip to Tacoma.
