RIDGEFIELD — Trey Knight’s favorite moment this track and field season came wearing someone else’s shoes.
It wasn’t breaking Ridgefield High’s long-standing shot put and discus records held since 1962 or a shot put mark of 63 feet, 5 inches at districts that rewrote the state’s all-time sophomore record in the event.
Watching teammate Wyatt Layman, a senior, rise to the occasion to secure a state berth and join Knight at state put the sophomore throwing standout over the moon.
“That whole meet,” Knight said, “I wasn’t pumped for me; I just wanted him to make it. That’s where the adrenaline came from in me where I threw big that meet, because he was throwing big.”
Throwing big is what Knight’s done for years. He just turned 16 this week, and already owns multiple national age-group and class records, including ones previously held by 2016 Olympian Conor McCullough. His most recent national title came at March’s New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York, but a missing link in Knight’s circle of success is winning a state title because it represents more than himself.
“This is almost bigger for me than nationals,” he said. “It’s for our school, for our community.”
Now, back to the shoes.
At last Friday district meet in Tumwater, Knight made the trip but his throwing shoes did not. He improvised as best he could for the shot put competition, cramming his size 15 feet into the 11 1/2 shoes worn by Layman, his teammate.
But as luck would have it, a thrower from W.F. West came to the rescue by lending Knight a pair of size 14s.
Knight is forever grateful.
“W.F. West saved me,” he said. “Looking back … it all worked out well.”
Both he and Layman hit personal-best marks, and Knight’s 63-5 throw to repeat as district champion couldn’t have come at a better time leading into state.
It’s rewarding for Layman, too, whose made big strides the past two months to earn his first trip to state. An Ridgefield transplant from Eatonville, Layman gave up high jump and long jump last spring to solely concentrate on the throws.
Sharing it with a teammate who’s helped mentor the senior made Friday a more joyous moment.
“Trey is super fun to hang out with,” Layman said. “He’s been a very good supporter of me and trying to give me pointers.”
Knight already owns the state’s all-time freshman and sophomore marks in the shot put, and his personal-best marks this spring in the shot (63-5) and discus (187-6) leads all classifications heading into the state meet at Mount Tahoma High School.
He’s still formulating a plan for his future, but on it are lofty goals that include throwing the shot 70 feet — a mark that’s never been accomplished in Washington — and further down the road, the Olympic Games in his favorite event, the hammer throw.
The non-WIAA sanctioned state hammer-throw championships are Sunday at Centralia High School, where Knight is the reigning state champion.
But first is settling unfinished business that slipped from his grasp at last year’s state meet. No male thrower in Washington has won four consecutive WIAA state titles, and that, in part, is what hurts about finishing runner-up at last year’s state meet. Knight led the entire shot put competition until defending champion Ben Malquist of Sehome uncorked a personal-best throw to surpass Knight on his final attempt.
The next day, Knight also finished second in the discus to Fife’s MJ Ale. The two will compete again in Saturday’s morning’s 2A boys discus competition. The 2A boys shot put is Friday morning.
And that’s all the fuel Knight needs for this weekend.
“Hopefully,” he said, “this year I’ll redeem myself and throw far. …
“I like to finish things when I start something.”
But first, double-check the throwing shoes he’s wearing.
