3A TRACK: Adamko keeps topping herself, this time at state

TACOMA — Columbia River’s Anna Adamko stunned even herself Friday.

Not just by winning a state title in the girls javelin at the Class 3A track and field meet at Mount Tahoma High School, but by exceeding even her loftiest expectations.

"I am surprised because I got another six-foot PR," the sophomore said. "I can’t describe how happy I am."

Two weeks ago, Adamko’s personal record was 128 feet. Last week, she threw 135-9 at the bi-district meet. Friday, she won the state title with a mark of 141-4, outdistancing the 138-11 by runner-up Bianca Pope from Shadle Park of Spokane.

The winning toss came on Adamko’s first throw, but she surpassed her mark from the bi-district meet on four additional efforts.

"It’s lots of hard work," she said. "In order to be the best you can be, it has to come from the heart."

Adamko’s heart has been into throwing the javelin since she first took up the event in fourth grade. She plays varsity volleyball for the Chieftains and plans to play through high school, but she said her club volleyball career is coming to an end in favor of track and field.

"I started to realize I could be really good at this," she said.

That realization helped Adamko improve on last year’s performance at the state meet.

"Last year, I got nervous and I didn’t throw well," she said. "I finished ninth, and I cried and cried."

On Friday for Adamko, there was no crying in track and field.

In other results from the second of three days at the Class 3A meet:

— Adamko’s championship combined with the results of the triple jump to give Columbia River a big boost in the girls standings. Amanda Alvarez finished second in the event, while her twin, Athena, was third.

"I don’t think I could have asked for anything better," Amanda said. But Athena thought of something: "It would have been nice to beat my sister."

Athena set a PR at 37-1, but the Alvarez twins found themselves competing for second place. Olivia Ward from Cleveland of Seattle jumped 40-8½, which would have been a 3A meet record had it not been wind-aided.

For Amanda Alvarez, the triple jump provided a bit of redemption. She stumbled during Thursday’s qualifying in the 100-meter hurdles and failed to advance to the finals.

— Prairie’s Taylor Schmidt finished third in the boys 110 hurdles.

"The guy inside me was in my lane half the time, and I kept giving him a push with my lead leg," Schmidt said. "But that’s how it goes.

"You just show up, do your best, leave it all on the track."

Marc Jackson of Hudson’s Bay finished sixth in the 110 hurdles. Jackson also had the best time of the preliminaries in the 300 hurdles, while Schmidt was second.

— Chris Hayes of Camas tied for third in the boys long jump with a leap of 22-5½. Hayes said he set personal records on each of his three jumps before dashing off for qualifying in the 200. That took some of the bounce out of his step for the rest of his jumps, but at least he advanced to the finals in the 200.

— Prairie sophomore Jon Lawson finished fourth in the javelin with a mark of 151-2. Armin Basic of Renton won with a throw of 175-5 — 22 feet better than the runner-up.

— Kinsley Ojukwu of Union, the defending champion in the 100 and 200, easily posted the best time in qualifying for both events. He also led the Titans to the best time in qualifying for the 400 relay.

— Kaleb Kallappa of Columbia River won his second and third events of the meet, finishing first in the mixed class 800-meter wheelchair race and the wheelchair discus.