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Track sends four to state
Kunkel crowned ditrict triple jump champ; Grigg, Hille, Kennedy also head to Mt. Tahoma
Taylor Kunkel is all business on the track. You are not going to see a lot of emotion or flying off the handle from the Quincy first team all-league jumper. What you will see is the junior flying off the board in both the long jump and triple jumps and straight into the WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington 2A Track Championships this week at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
Kunkel will be joined by hurdler Luke Grigg, pole vaulter Brandon Kennedy and thrower Kevin Hille – all four qualified for the state tournament during the CWAC Championships last Friday in Prosser. Grigg qualified in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-hurdles, Kennedy returns to state in the pole vault, where he was the runner-up last season, and Hille makes his first trip to state on the heels of a huge personal best throw in the discus.
Kunkel jumps into state
Kunkel knew going into the long jump what she needed to do to make a return trip to the 2A Track Championships – match her career best.
“My goal was over 16 feet,” she said. “I knew if I went over 16 feet I would go to state.”
She accomplished the mission, soaring 16 feet three inches and placing third.
But what about the triple jump, an event she entered Friday night as the CWAC's top-seed. Again, she had an idea what mark she needed, and again she did what she needed to do.
“I wanted to get first,” Kunkel said. “I knew if I hit 34 feet I would have it.”
She bounded 34-5 and claimed the triple jump CWAC title and heads back to the state meet for the second straight year. She is a double qualifier for the QHS track team and seems to be hitting her stride entering this weekend's state meet in Tacoma.
“I was impressed – somewhat proud of myself,” Kunkel said.
But is she really peaking?
“I hope so,” she said. “I really hope so, because now would be a nice time to have it.”
Grigg speeds into state
A little bit of blood did not slow down Grigg, a sophomore. The QHS hurdler placed second in the 110-high hurdles and third in 300-hurdles and punched his ticket to the 2A Track Championships.
Grigg had a day full of personal bests, which started with the the long jump and ended with a third-place finish in the 300-hurdles. He was fifth in the long jump, with nearly a foot and a half improvement at 19 feet, eight inches. Then he followed that with a PR in the 110-hurdles in a time of 15.80 seconds and more importantly placed second to qualify for state.
“It was like a half second faster,” he said. “I had terrible form, I didn’t feel like I was going fast and I didn’t think I would clear the last hurdle, I hit is so hard.”
But the sophomore had a fast race, his first under 16 seconds in his young career. He moved to the pole vault and had a season’s best mark of 13-0 to place third, just missing a trip to state. He capped the day in the 300-hurdles, where he had a personal best time of 42.36 seconds and placed third to qualify for state.
According to coach David Stoddard, the week leading up to Friday’s meet was key.
“Rest,” he said. “You know what it’s like. These kids are on the go 24/7. So he just needed rest.”
It worked to Grigg’s advantage – a kid who would rather do too much than too little. He filled his event ticket every meet all season long.
“I told Stoddard at the beginning of the year I wanted to be a four-event athlete,” he said.
By the end of the season a little rest was in order. According to Stoddard it made him faster when it counted and he was able to edge out Ephrata hurdler Austin Gillespie in the short race.
“I just really wanted to beat Austin Gillespie,” Grigg said. “It was kind of sweet. It was kind of a fun competition.”
Kennedy launches into state
Kennedy finally made it back to the 14-foot club in the pole vault just in time. The senior earned his second straight trip to the pole vault championships via a 14-0 season's best mark. Last season he was the 2A runner with a career best 14-9. After a season of mediocrity and injury, Kennedy has turned a corner.
“I was in between poles and now I’m not,” he said. “I am comfortable on both.”
His 14-7, 175 pole was the ticket Friday to placing third and qualifying for state.
“It’s coming back,” he said. “It’s a feeling I need to feel. I hadn’t had it all season.”
Hille passes mentor into state
Hille dug deep to finish second in the big boy club of throwers. He was entered in both the discus and shot, but found the greatest success in the discus. He had a personal best mark of 133 feet, two inches, which eclipsed the best mark by coach Joey Sanchez (130-7).
“They all felt real good, then I got a nine-foot PR,” Hille said. “I finally beat Joey’s all-time (personal) record. I guess I got bragging rights.
“It feels good, especially after tearing my ACL. I finally accomplished something.”
QUINCY RESULTS
Boys
100-12, Kevin Rincon 12.17. 200-10, Rincon 24.50. 400-8, Rincon 54.95. 110H-2, Grigg 15.80; 8, Christian Perez 18.07. 300H-2, Grigg 42.36; 12, Perez 47.92. 400-7, Quincy (Michael Lemon, Perez, Michael Ren, Rincon) 49.05.
Shot-6, Hille 43-8; 16, Mitchell Karstetter 33-3.75. Discus-2, Hille 133-2; 14, Karstetter 102-0. HJ-6, Huxtable 5-6. PV-3, Kennedy 14-0; 4, Grigg 13-0. LJ-4, Huxtable 20-10.5; 5, Grigg 19-8.
Girls
100-8, Jazmine Perez 13.60;9, Maricela Serrano 13.67. 200-6, Serrano 27.89; 8 Perez 28.26. 400-7, Perez 1:03.38. 800-12, Kristen Heikkila 2:51.21. 1600-9, Rachel Brazier 6:07.20. 3200-8, Brazier 13:45.53; 10, Sarah Martinez 14:02.95; 13, Marymar Rabadan 14:47.49. 100H-4, Allie Kiehn 17.08. 300-10, Kiehn 53.25. 400R-6, Quincy (Elizabeth Blancas, RaeAnna Hand, Sara Horning, Serrano) 55.03. 800R-6, Quincy (Blancas, Hand, Horning, Serrano) 1:56.81.
Discus-15, Megan Slager 72-8. LJ-3, Kunkel 16-3. TJ-1. Kunkel 34-5.
