State Championships Recap
Ella Nestingen
Garfield spring sports came to an amazing close as Garfield Girls Track and Field placed second in the Washington State Championship. The Boys placed 43rd out of the 77 teams competing. It was an exhilarating three days of competition. The Girls 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams won the State Championships in their events. There were many tight races, and despite cold and windy conditions, the Bulldogs managed to pull out astonishing performances.
The first two days of the meet consisted of preliminary events; the top 20 or 24 athletes competed in each event. The top eight finishers moved on to the final where they had the chance to vie for the championship title.
Takiyah Blue represented the Bulldogs in the Girls 100m dash. It was a tricky race. Blue’s heat had the odds against them with a strong headwind of -3.1. Despite a hard-fought race, Blue narrowly missed the final, placing 9th overall in the preliminary round.
In the 110m Hurdle preliminaries, Finn Albright ran a personal record of 15.87s. In fact, Albright was not even expected to race in that race, as he was seeded 21st, so the first alternate. However, the number three seed dropped out. Albright stepped in, and he placed 12th. Albright was one of only three athletes in the race to set a personal record.
The Bulldogs had the largest presence of any school in the Girls 200m dash, with three runners: Takiyah Blue, Lucy Richardson, and Mylea Lexing in the race. Despite strong headwinds, Garfield outdid all expectations. Blue and Richardson placed fourth and sixth respectively, both qualifying for the final. This was especially impressive for Richardson, who was expected to place 16th. In the final, Richardson and Blue again placed fourth and sixth, earning points for Garfield as they continued their bid towards top ranks at state.
In the Boys 300m Hurdles, Finn Albright again exceeded all expectations. Albright was predicted to place 19th in the race. He placed seventh and advanced to the finals, where he placed eighth. He was just two hundredths of a second behind the seventh-place runner.
The 300m Hurdles were one of the few of the events where both the Girls and Boys teams made their presence. Fiona Real represented Garfield in the Girls 300m Hurdles, placing 18th with a time of 49.91s.
In the Boys 400m dash prelims, Tawaf Aboudou ran a great time of 50.87s and placed 10th overall. In the Girls 400m dash, the Bulldogs started strong, with both Lucy Richardson and Takiyah Blue placing first in their heats in the Preliminaries. Richardson placed first overall for her time in the preliminaries. In the 400m final, Blue and Richardson had strong performances, and placed second and third.
Although recovering from a painful hamstring injury that caused him to have to limp through the districts final, William Phillips Nichols had a great performance at State. He broke two minutes with a time of 1:59.16s, placing 15th. Nichols said that the race was a bit messed up because of his injury. He added that he thought he could “for sure run 1:57” if it weren’t for this unfortunate strain.
On the Field, Garfield also had strong performances. In the Boys High Jump, Jamaica Myres jumped 5 feet 8 inches. In the Boys Long Jump, Tawaf Abouou jumped 20 feet and 3 inches. In the Girls Long Jump, Malia Samuels jumped 15 feet 7.75 inches. Shima True placed fifth in the Girls Triple Jump, with a personal record of 35 feet 10.25 inches.
Although the Garfield girls were already proving themselves to be top contenders for the championship trophy through the individual events, the relays were where they established themselves as such a strong force. In the Girls 4x100m relay, the girls got a season best in the preliminary round, with a time of 49.97s. The relay placed sixth. They advanced to the final and placed 8th with a time of 53.82s.
In the Girls 4x200m relay, the Bulldogs surged ahead of the teams in their heat and won by over three seconds. They placed first overall with a season best of 1:42.46s. The Bulldogs then advanced to the final where they again won by a margin of almost three seconds. This made the Garfield Girls 4x200m relay team state champions.
The 4x400 was the final event of the 2022 Track season. Garfield was represented in both the Boys and Girls races. Although the Boys gave a hard effort, they did not match their season best from Districts. They ran a time of 3:33.90, and placed 19th. However, the Girls had a very strong performance and became 4x400 State Champions. Lucy Richardson, Jayda Lewis, Malia Samuels and Takiyah Blue smoked all the other teams in the preliminary round. They placed first to advance to the finals. The Bulldogs 4x400 team won the state title with an an astounding time of 3:59.81.
Overall, it was a great season for the Garfield Track team. Throughout the whole season, the Garfield Girls dominated in the 400, 200, 4x200, and 4x400. Their hard work was demonstrated by their fantastic state runs. What is especially promising about Garfield’s team, is that only two of Garfield’s athletes are Seniors, so the team is out to accomplish more and become even stronger in the coming years.
The first two days of the meet consisted of preliminary events; the top 20 or 24 athletes competed in each event. The top eight finishers moved on to the final where they had the chance to vie for the championship title.
Takiyah Blue represented the Bulldogs in the Girls 100m dash. It was a tricky race. Blue’s heat had the odds against them with a strong headwind of -3.1. Despite a hard-fought race, Blue narrowly missed the final, placing 9th overall in the preliminary round.
In the 110m Hurdle preliminaries, Finn Albright ran a personal record of 15.87s. In fact, Albright was not even expected to race in that race, as he was seeded 21st, so the first alternate. However, the number three seed dropped out. Albright stepped in, and he placed 12th. Albright was one of only three athletes in the race to set a personal record.
The Bulldogs had the largest presence of any school in the Girls 200m dash, with three runners: Takiyah Blue, Lucy Richardson, and Mylea Lexing in the race. Despite strong headwinds, Garfield outdid all expectations. Blue and Richardson placed fourth and sixth respectively, both qualifying for the final. This was especially impressive for Richardson, who was expected to place 16th. In the final, Richardson and Blue again placed fourth and sixth, earning points for Garfield as they continued their bid towards top ranks at state.
In the Boys 300m Hurdles, Finn Albright again exceeded all expectations. Albright was predicted to place 19th in the race. He placed seventh and advanced to the finals, where he placed eighth. He was just two hundredths of a second behind the seventh-place runner.
The 300m Hurdles were one of the few of the events where both the Girls and Boys teams made their presence. Fiona Real represented Garfield in the Girls 300m Hurdles, placing 18th with a time of 49.91s.
In the Boys 400m dash prelims, Tawaf Aboudou ran a great time of 50.87s and placed 10th overall. In the Girls 400m dash, the Bulldogs started strong, with both Lucy Richardson and Takiyah Blue placing first in their heats in the Preliminaries. Richardson placed first overall for her time in the preliminaries. In the 400m final, Blue and Richardson had strong performances, and placed second and third.
Although recovering from a painful hamstring injury that caused him to have to limp through the districts final, William Phillips Nichols had a great performance at State. He broke two minutes with a time of 1:59.16s, placing 15th. Nichols said that the race was a bit messed up because of his injury. He added that he thought he could “for sure run 1:57” if it weren’t for this unfortunate strain.
On the Field, Garfield also had strong performances. In the Boys High Jump, Jamaica Myres jumped 5 feet 8 inches. In the Boys Long Jump, Tawaf Abouou jumped 20 feet and 3 inches. In the Girls Long Jump, Malia Samuels jumped 15 feet 7.75 inches. Shima True placed fifth in the Girls Triple Jump, with a personal record of 35 feet 10.25 inches.
Although the Garfield girls were already proving themselves to be top contenders for the championship trophy through the individual events, the relays were where they established themselves as such a strong force. In the Girls 4x100m relay, the girls got a season best in the preliminary round, with a time of 49.97s. The relay placed sixth. They advanced to the final and placed 8th with a time of 53.82s.
In the Girls 4x200m relay, the Bulldogs surged ahead of the teams in their heat and won by over three seconds. They placed first overall with a season best of 1:42.46s. The Bulldogs then advanced to the final where they again won by a margin of almost three seconds. This made the Garfield Girls 4x200m relay team state champions.
The 4x400 was the final event of the 2022 Track season. Garfield was represented in both the Boys and Girls races. Although the Boys gave a hard effort, they did not match their season best from Districts. They ran a time of 3:33.90, and placed 19th. However, the Girls had a very strong performance and became 4x400 State Champions. Lucy Richardson, Jayda Lewis, Malia Samuels and Takiyah Blue smoked all the other teams in the preliminary round. They placed first to advance to the finals. The Bulldogs 4x400 team won the state title with an an astounding time of 3:59.81.
Overall, it was a great season for the Garfield Track team. Throughout the whole season, the Garfield Girls dominated in the 400, 200, 4x200, and 4x400. Their hard work was demonstrated by their fantastic state runs. What is especially promising about Garfield’s team, is that only two of Garfield’s athletes are Seniors, so the team is out to accomplish more and become even stronger in the coming years.