It was the Tahoma girls day out at the 4A state track and field championship.
The Wilson sister, Aliya, Alisha and Tierra with Oliva Ribera and Ginny Mehl carried home a bushel of gold medals and handed the Bears its first 4A girls track and field state title.
The girls won the state 4A title with 91 points at Mount Tahoma High Saturday. The team out ran the second place team, Union, by 35 points.
“We’ve been working hard for this all year,” Aliya Wilson said as Tahoma closed in on the title Saturday afternoon. “We lost to Issaquah by a couple points last year. If Tahoma can win for the first time, I think it is reflective of how super strong we are across the board, not just in sprints, but throws, pole vault, long jump, almost every event we have someone today. I am proud to be a part of Tahoma.”
The girls took home three gold medals, four silvers and three bronze.
Sophomore Aliya Wilson won the 100 meters in the 11:55 seconds, breaking the former state meet record of 11.61. She ran an 11.46 in the preliminaries, which placed her No. 12 in the nation.
Once she came out of the blocks the only question in the final was how fast she would finish.
“I tried to fix my running from districts because it wasn’t very fast,” she said. “So I had to power out of the start, speed up my power, get up on my hips, reach my max and just keep it going. People are around me, behind me, I can’t hear them, but I have to focus on me. I can sense it (runners around her) a little bit. It keeps me going. They’re pushing me to go faster.”
The sophomore speedster said she had some issues with her quadriceps, “When you’re running you really don’t feel it. I tried the best I could in the situation I’m in.”
Aliya Wilson was joined by her twin sister Alisha Wilson, older sister Tierra Wilson, a senior, and Olivia Ribera in the 4×100 relay. The girls won in won in 46.62, also a state meet record. The former record was 46.90.
“We came into the huddle and told ourselves, ‘this is our last race so don’t leave any regrets on the track,’” Alisha said. “Do what you need to do. We weren’t thinking about times but running the hardest we can. I have no regrets.”
Tierra said,” We wanted to finish strong and enjoy our last race.”
Olivia added, “Today we knew we had to do it and whatever happens, happens.”
Tierra and Olivia are graduating this year.
Olivia will be attending University of Washington and running for the Huskies track team.
Tierra received a full academic scholarship to University of Southern California Marshall School of Business to study business administration.
The Wilson sisters said the team has become so close that Olivia has become a fourth sister.
“Over the years we’ve built a bond,” Aliya said. “She’s like our real sister. Even though it is only two years, we’ve built a good bond.”
The girls also agreed that Aliya is the boss because, “She meal preps for us. She cooks. She’s the best cook and nutritionist,” Tierra said. “I’ll have to (learn) because I’m going to college, but we’ve been depending on her.”
Senior Ginny Mehl came out smoking in the shot put and took home the gold reaching 44 feet, 4 inches.
“I was hoping to get all three (throwing events) but I’m happy how I came back on my last event… and finished strong for my senior year.”
Mehl took second in the discus reaching 131-10 and second in the javelin at 136-03.
“My coach told me for my last two throws don’t worry about technique, just go after it and try my best,” Mehl said.
She won the shot put in 2015 as a sophomore with throw of 42-05.
GIRLS
100 Meters
1 Aliya Wilson 11.55
3 Olivia Ribera 11.82
100 Meters – Prelims
1 Aliya Wilson 11.49
2 Olivia Ribera 11.84
200 Meters
3 Aliya Wilson 24.38
5 Olivia Ribera 25.04
1600 Meters
8 Breanna Glover 5:04.72
3200 Meter
13 Breanna Glover
11:55.30
4×100 Relay
1 Aliya Wilson
Alisha Wilson
Tierra Wilson
Olivia Ribera 46.62
4×200 Relay
2 Aliya Wilson
Alisha Wilson
Tierra Wilson
Olivia Ribera 1:38.51
Shot Put
1 Ginny Mehl 44-04.00
Discus
2 Ginny Mehl 131-10
13 Jandrea Grobbelaar
108-05
Javelin
2 Ginny Mehl 136-03
Pole Vault
6 Tenley Mjelde 11.00
Long Jump
2 Alisha Wilson 18-10.50
6 Bryana Rogers 17-10.25
10 Alaina Brady 17-06.00
Triple Jump
3 Alisha Wilson 38-09.75
BOYS
The Tahoma boys took 25th with 11.5 points.
Bobby Say took the bronze in the triple jump reaching 45-11.
1600 Meters
9 Dawson Besst 4:19.34
3200 Meters
9 Dawson Besst 9:40.38
Javelin
9 Gabriel Shouman
174-02
High Jump
4 Damian Mercado 6-03
Pole Vault
9 Zachary Klobutcher
13-06
14 Ivan Montero 12-06
Long Jump
13 Bobby Say 20-08
Triple Jump
3 Bobby Say 45-11
8 Damian Mercado 44-02
KENTWOOD
By Heidi Sanders
Kentwood junior Destiny Capers took third in the 4A girls discus on Friday – her first year competing in the event.
Alexia “Bebe” Thomas, Capers’ cheer squad and track and field teammate, got Capers started in the sport.
“Throughout our season for cheer and up to track, she has been motivating me,” Caper said. “(She thought) ‘I might as well try it’ and I guess this is me trying it.”
Capers wasn’t sure how she’d do in the state meet.
“I guess it was just coming in here worrying about myself and not worrying about other people,” she said. “I definitely hoped I would place but I wasn’t going to think, ‘Yes. I am going to win.’ It was definitely fate right there.”
Capers took seventh place in the discus in the district meet last week. She also qualified for districts in shot put and javelin.
In addition to cheer and track and field, Capers is involved with Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and plans to try out for volleyball in the fall.
Capers hopes her first-year success carries over to next season.
“I am definitely going to see how next year’s season goes, and hopefully, it brings back a first (place),” she said.
GIRLS
The Kentwood took 26th as a team with six points.
1600 Meters
14 Nicole Soleim 5:15.51
3200 Meters
11 Nicole Soleim
11:42.12
Discus
3 Destiny Capers 126-10
Javelin
13 Hannah Roberts
114-11
High Jump
15 Nicole Ajayi 4-10
BOYS
The Kentwood boys took 24th with 12 points.
Christian Duenas-Palaita took home a bronze in the triple jump reaching 156-09.
800 Meters
7 Harsimran Singh
1:55.70
1600 Meters
13 Harsimran Singh
4:25.03
110m Hurdles
5 Keetaan DeWitz 15.00
4×400 Relay
9 Omari Brown
Daniel Gaik
Camden Phelps
Harsimran Singh 3:26.65
Discus
3 Christian Duenas-
Palaita 156-09
Triple Jump
17 James Rebro 41-00.75
KENTLAKE
The Kentlake girls team took 16th with 14 points.
Jordon Fong placed in three events for the Falcons — shot put, discus and javelin.
Shot Put
4 Jordan Fong 40-06
8 Marylinn Auelua 38-
05.75
Discus
6 Jordan Fong 121-05
Javelin
4 Jordan Fong 129-04
