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RAINIER — Good programs rebuild. Great programs reload.
Year after year, the Rainier Mountaineers girls are steadily one of the top track programs at the 2B level, no matter the roster turnover or injuries.
Girls try new events and excel. Athletes jump into track after competing in different sports and thrive. Entrenched leaders graduate and new ones step up with no drop off.
The Mountaineers cruised to a team victory at the Rainier Icebreaker Invitational on their home track Saturday, racking up 83 points.
Senior Jazzlyn Shumate competed in four events and was either a champion or a runner-up in all four. She won the 400 meters in a new personal-record time of 1 minute and 0.82 seconds to place her within one second of the school record of 59.80 seconds.
Shumate has taken on the 300-meter hurdles this season, and in two attempts, she’s won the event twice and is just under three seconds away from the all-time mark of 46.19 seconds, coming in at 48.83 seconds Saturday. She also finished second in the 200-meter race at 27.77 seconds and helped the mixed relay team take first at 1:46.14.
After years of dealing with knee injuries, Shumate is as healthy as she’s been in her prep career and believes she can qualify for state in four events later this spring. She chose not to play basketball this winter and joined an indoor track club alongside teammate Komaire Robles.
“We’ve been training together since the weekend after the cross country state meet ended [in November],” Shumate said. “One of the most important things for me with this year being my senior year is that I want to go to state for four events, and I want to place in every single one.”
Robles, a sophomore distance runner for Rainier, faced stiff competition in both the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters. She finished behind Ocosta’s Ailyn Haggard in the 1,600 and came up four seconds short against Montesano’s Haley Schweppe in the 3,200. However, Robles did set a new PR in the 3,200 meters and moved to third all-time in Rainier history, sitting just under three seconds away from the school record.
Despite Robles’ strong performance, Rainier head coach Rob Henry believes she’s got more levels to her game that she hasn’t yet attained.
“She’s still got a lot more in the tank. She’s got another 20 seconds in her,” Henry said.
Sophomore Alexis Myers placed third in the 1,600 meters behind Robles at 5:41.58 and took fourth in the 800 meters at 2:40.87. Junior Kinsley Barlow put forth her best 3,200-meter performance of her career, finishing in 13:09.03 to earn fifth. She also came in eighth in the 800 meters at 2:55.44.
Senior thrower Zaylee Bravo was the runner-up in discus, throwing 102-10 to finish behind Morton-White Pass senior Karah Fairhart, who broke her own school record with a toss of 103-4. Fairhart is the only MWP athlete to exceed 100 feet in discus, and she’s now done it in two meets.
Rainier has some young talent in freshman sprinter Francesca Halpin, sophomore pole vaulter Emma Mankowski and sophomore thrower Amelia Stephenson on top of the experienced nucleus of Shumate, Robles, Myers and Barlow. The Mountaineers also get junior Rayanna Wisner back into the fold after she suffered a serious head injury in August.
Rainier has been a top-five team in each of the last two trips to Yakima’s Zaepfel Stadium, and even with the new leadership and young pieces, the Mountaineers aren’t counting out another high finish out east in May.
“It’ll be tough, but I think it’s doable,” Shumate said of the possibility of another state trophy.
Onalaska junior Emalie Jacoby flashed her versatility, placing in the top five in discus, javelin and long jump. She won the long jump with a personal-best mark of 15-8, and she came in second in javelin at 109-0. Jacoby placed fourth in discus, throwing 99-10.
Onalaska sophomore Capri McGraw shined in the triple jump, recording a new PR at 29-11.5. She now ranks fourth all-time in Onalaska history in the triple jump.
Two Toledo underclassmen had themselves a day in Rainier. Freshman Sidney Kruger finished second in the 300-meter hurdles (49.74 seconds) and third in the 200 meters (28.18 seconds), while sophomore Lilly Cooper was the runner-up in both the high jump (4-8) and long jump (14-8). Cooper also took sixth in triple jump at 28-9.25.
Rochester senior Brooklyn Alfonso won the javelin event by throwing 110 feet, and she took fifth in the long jump at 14-4 for a new PR.
