Cedarcrest Team Earns First Girl State Track and Field Trophy in School History! Sophomore Laine McKenzie Wins Two Individual State Championships! Photos courtesy of Corey McKenzie and Marc Hillestad
“Well, that was quite an end to an outstanding and historic 2024 Cedarcrest Track and Field season,” shares Coach Bruce McDowell.
Historic indeed, because for the first time in Cedarcrest High School history, the Girls’ Track and Field team are bringing back a state trophy, following the team’s second-place finish at the WIAA 2A State Track and Field Championships at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma on May 23-25, 2024!
Sophomore Laine McKenzie made Red Wolves’ history, earning two individual state championships! She is the 2024 Girls Long Jump champion, with a leap of 17’ 8 ¼”. Additionally, Laine also won the Girls Triple Jump title, with a jump of 37’ 7”. Not only did Laine win the state title with that leap, she also broke her own Cedarcrest school record.
Laine becomes the sixth and seventh individual state Track and Field champion in school history and the first Cedarcrest Track and Field student-athlete to win two state titles at the same competition. She joins Jacob Predmore (1994 Boys Triple Jump and 1995 Boys Triple Jump), Adam Candland (2009 Boys 400 meters), Grant Van Valkenburg (2018 Boys 3200 meters) and Avril Wilson (2022 Girls Pole Vault) as Red Wolves state Track and Field titleholders.
In total, the Girls Track and Field squad saw 10 podium placements out of 12 possible events, another first for the school and program. With an additional podium placement on the Boys’ side, as Ethan Swenson reached the podium in the Boys 400 meters, Red Wolves’ Track and Field achieved 11 total podium appearances, besting the previous school record of eight in 2017.
Here are the results, of those who reached the podium, for the Red Wolves Track and Field team at the State Championships:
• Laine McKenzie – First Place – Girls Long Jump (17’ 8 ¼”)
• Laine McKenzie – First Place – Girls Triple Jump (37’ 7”)
• Laine McKenzie – Second Place – Girls 200m (25.78)
• Laine McKenzie – Third Place – Girls 100m (12.57)
• Maddy Brooks – Third Place – Girls Discus (116’ 10”)
• Mira Knowlton – Fourth Place – Girls Triple Jump (34’ 6 ¾”)
• Summer Soptich – Fourth Place – Girls 400m (58.40)
• Ethan Swenson – Fifth Place – Boys 400m (49.99)
• Lydia Swenson – Fifth Place – Girls 800m (2:20.35)
• Addy Jenkins, Kaylee Scott, Summer Soptich and Lydia Swenson – Fifth Place – Girls 4 x 200m (1:46.68)
• Addy Jenkins, Kaylee Scott, Summer Soptich and Lydia Swenson – Eighth Place – Girls 4 x 400m(4:10.03)
“Scoring in 10 of 12 events is a really good reason why we finished second. We had students willing to take on extra workload and run relays on top of their individual events. Without that happening, we don’t finish as strong as we did,” said Coach McDowell. “The girls were ecstatic, and the coaching staff was thrilled. This year was quite a ride!”
In a summary email message to Track and Field families, Coach McDowell made a point to celebrate the members of the Track and Field coaching staff.
“Dean Vergillo is the girls’ head coach and in charge of the sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, and vaulters. Mike Miyoshi is our throws coach. Marc Hillestad is our jumps coach. Michael Seymour is our hurdles coach, and this year we added two Cedarcrest alums. Ben Benson is our pole vault coach and Austin Ward coaches with me with the distance runners,” he adds.
McDowell also coaches the boys’ program.
At season’s end, the 2024 Cedarcrest Track and Field team set new school records in 11 separate events: the Boys 100m, Boys 200m, Boys 4x100m, Girls 100m, Girls 200m, Girls 400m, Girls 800m, Girls 4x200m, Girls Discus, Girls Long Jump and Girls Triple Jump.
Congratulations to the Girls Track and Field team, Ethan Swenson, and all our Track and Field student-athletes for putting together the greatest season in Cedarcrest Red Wolves’ history.
Quite a ride indeed!