The dream of the Tumwater High School girls track and field team leaving Mount Tahoma High School with three consecutive Class 2A state team title trophies ended on Saturday.
Still, it kept a three-peat alive in one event.
The quartet of Cassidy Hedin, Annabelle Clapp, Reese Heryford and Ava Jones triumphed in the 800 relay for the third straight year in 1 minute, 42.77 seconds. It marks the second-fastest time the four of them have run this season.
“We wanted to have the fastest time,” Clapp said. “We were confident. (800 relay) is our race and we know we’re able to get the dub. It was never a question.”
The Thunderbirds ended up 10th in the 2A race with 25 points. Clapp was responsible for a bulk of them, placing seventh in the 800 and sixth in the 400.
The same group that won the 800 relay nabbed a fourth place finish in the 1,600 relay. They had the fastest prelim time in under four minutes.
“It is a more competitive race,” Clapp stated. “We gave it our best effort.”
Clapp is the lone senior on the T-Birds roster and head coach Jordan Stray was grateful for the imprint she left on the program.
“Super proud of Annabelle,” he said. “Being present and willing to have that hard conversation.”
The nucleus is back for another run at a team trophy. Plenty of Tumwater’s youth in the jumps and distance races were able to get the full state meet experience.
Which Stray believes will serve them well for 2025.
“It was a very competitive 2A meet,” Stray said. “Flip a negative to a positive, this will set the tone for their offseason training.”
W.F. West’s Amanda Bennett finished runner-up in the javelin, unable to defend her state title. The junior unleashed a throw of 126-05 for a new-season best on the last throw of the event. It was four inches shy of Shadle Park’s Abbey Flerchinger.
