Clover Park Sends Trio to State Track Meet

They’re small in number but big in promise.

Clover Park both send a trio of individual competitors to this weekend’s state track and field championships at Mount Tahoma High School–and their coaches could not be happier.

Clover Park senior Brooke Newhardt is the Warriors’ only female competitor. In the pole vault she placed 12th on Friday at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma by clearing the 9-foot bar. Bailee Jacka of Deer Park won with a vault of 10-9.

Although Newhardt was unable to reach the podium in the state finals event, she earned a lifetime best vault of 10 feet and placed second at the West Central District championships last week.

Clover Park coach Kyle Hagman said that she has been setting personal records every week for the past few weeks. Her vault of 10 feet at 2A districts tied the school record.
 
“We’re pretty young this year,” said Hagman, whose group of 12 seniors placed fifth at 3A state last year after being bi-district champions. “We’re just happy to have a couple of sophomores that qualified individually, and a good young group that will be much more competitive next year.”

Sophomores Ramon Figueredo and Isom Brown made their first and second state appearances, respectively. Brown placed ninth in the high jump on Friday with a leap of 6 feet and Figueredo ran the 800 meters in 2 minutes. Bellingham's Dan East won the high jump in 6-5 while White River's Marcus Dickson holds the top-ranked seed heading into Saturday's championship heat in the 800 with a finish of 2:00.35

This year was Figueredo's first competing for Clover Park. His coach calls him a “real strong athlete who is just learning more about track and field every week.”

Brown, who competed in the high jump, was a relay alternate last year. He is new to the event and just missed the qualifying for the hurdles.

“He’s still really new to the event, and has already cleared 6 feet,” Hagman said. “He’s kind of at midseason–he only competed in three meets in the regular season in the high jump–and he’s young, but he’s fresh.”

Hagman said they are looking forward to the underclassmen having the chance to “experience state.”

“We’re just looking forward to having those two young guys (here) individually,” he said.