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Jumping to the next level
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Kaylee
Young made one of the
biggest decisions of her
athletic career in the spring
of her freshman year.
The blossoming Herm-
iston High School athlete
decided to turn out for track
instead of playing softball,
which she had played for
years.
Her decision turns out to
have been a good one. Young
signed a letter of intent
on Sunday, March 14, to
compete in track and fi eld at
Central Washington Univer-
sity.
“I was a softball player,
now I’m a jumper and going
to college,” Young said. “I
played softball all the way
until my freshman year. It
was one of the biggest deci-
sions I had to make. I rolled
the dice on myself and won.”
Hermiston track coach
Emilee Strot said Young had
quite a dilemma on her hands.
“I fi rst saw her in middle
school,” Strot said. “Her
grandma (Kay Edwards)
said she was fast and that we
had to get her out for track.
When Kaylee said she was
going to do track, I asked her
if she had told coach (Kate)
Greenough. She said she had.
I was so excited.”
Young competes in the
long jump, sprints and relays,
and CWU is excited to have
her as part of its program.
“What caught my eye
about Kaylee fi rst was her
natural talent (vertical jump
and weightlifting strength),”
CWU sprints/jump coach
Bryan Mack said. “After
speaking with her and
getting her on campus, I
really enjoyed her passion
for the sport and her willing-
ness to put in the extra work
to reach her goals. That level
of work ethic will serve her
well in college when self-mo-
tivation is a big factor in their
success.”
Young also had interest
from Idaho, Eastern Oregon
University and Lewis-Clark
State College, but she felt at
home at Central Washington.
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
MaKaylee Young, of Hermiston, long jumps during the fi rst
day of the 2019 Mid-Columbia Conference Track & Field
Championships at Hermiston High School.
“It has a very good family
culture there,” Young said of
CWU. “It reminded me of
home. When we drove up,
it felt like home right away.
Ellensburg is very spread
out, but homey. I’m a very
big homebody, and leaving
makes me nervous. I got to
do tours with a freshman, a
senior and the coach, so I got
to see things in their world.”
CWU also off ered Young
a 50% scholarship.
“It is a really nice schol-
arship for track and fi eld,”
said Young, who will major
in education. “I also have
academic money to put in.
When they tell you to keep
your grades up, they mean it.”
The Wildcats recently got
a $10.4 million upgrade to
Tomlinson Stadium, which
includes a new track and fi eld
facility that meets NCAA
standards.
“They have a very nice
facility,” Young said.
More than just a
track athlete
Young also plays basket-
ball in addition to track, and
has been a part of Strot’s
strength and conditioning
program for the past four
years.
“She has made such an
impact at Hermiston High
School,” Strot said. “She has
been a leader for my team.
She is a hard worker and is
such a pleasure to coach. She
will do what a coach asks.
She trusts who she is working
for. She is going to be special
at the next level, I guarantee
it.”
Those traits also drew
Mack to Young.
“Being a multi-sport
athlete helps in college in
two ways,” Mack said. “The
fi rst is that the athleticism and
coordination of being able to
move in all different ways
helps athletes pick up tech-
nique changes much quicker
than athletes who have been
doing the same thing for
years.
“The other benefi t of being
a multi-sport athlete means
they have experience work-
ing with multiple coaches and
having many diff erent people
as teammates, which means
they’re often very coach-
able and can assimilate with
a group of new people very
easily.”
Young had a breakout
sophomore year in the long
jump, leaping 17 feet, 5½
inches at the District 8 meet
in Richland, Washington.
She competed at the 3A state
meet, where she placed 13th
with a mark of 16-0½.
She has her eyes on the
school long jump record of
17-10½, which was set by
Mariah Delepierre in 2011.
Her top time in the 100
meters is 12.60 seconds, and
her best 200 time is 27.28.
Young said competing in
the Mid-Columbia Confer-
ence, and against Spokane
schools at district, have
helped her confi dence.
“The first year in the
MCC, I was very nervous
and in awe of how good their
programs were,” Young said.
“I had jitters, but I had some
confi dence in myself. Now,
I go out and I am confi dent
— I am part of the MCC. Our
program is getting noticed.”
Adjusting to
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic
washed away Young’s junior
year of track, but it gave her
a chance to spend time with
her family.
“It was a blessing in
disguise,” she said. “It helped
grow a stronger family bond.
I have about 20 cousins here
and in the Tri-Cities.”
While family time is
important, Young missed
competing.
She began training a few
months ago, and competed in
the long jump and 100 meters
in a Resolute Series meet Feb.
28 in Portland. She jumped
16-11¼ to place second. In
the 100, she was fourth with
a time of 13.52.
“It’s good for me to go and
get my nerves out,” Young
said. “I will be more prepared
for my next one.”
Hermiston will begin
track practice on Monday,
March 22, for the upcoming
season.
A12
Former Hermiston
athletes shine at
PNW Team Clash
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
CORVALLIS — East-
ern Washington Univer-
sity sophomore Madison
Wilson (Hermiston) placed
second in the high jump
(5-4¼) and third in the 100
hurdles (15.10 seconds)
Saturday, March 13, at
the PNW Team Clash at
Oregon State University.
Fr e s h m a n J a z l y n
Romero (Hermiston) placed
fi fth in the javelin (138-11)
for OSU, which won the
women’s team title with 262
points. EWU was second
with 190 points.
Wrestling
Senior Sam Colbray
(Hermiston) is one of eight
Iowa State University wres-
tlers who qualifi ed for the
NCAA Wrestling Champi-
onships.
It’s the third time
Colbray has qualifi ed for
the tournament. He reached
the Round of 12 his sopho-
more year, and the tourna-
ment was canceled last year
because of the COVID-19
pandemic just before it was
Colbray
Romero
scheduled to begin.
Colbray, who finished
fi fth at the Big 12 Champi-
onships, is the No. 29 seed
at 184 pounds and faces No.
4 seed Parker Keckeisen
from Northern Iowa on
Thursday, March 18, in the
fi rst round.
The tournament will
be held March 18-20 in St.
Louis.
Football
Trent Durfey (Umatilla)
started at defensive end
for Carroll College against
Rocky Mountain College
on Saturday, March 13.
Durfey, a redshirt fresh-
man, had two tackles in
the Saints’ 14-12 Frontier
Conference victory.
Carroll College will play
at Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity in La Grande at 1 p.m.
Saturday, March 20.
ON THE SLATE
TUESDAY, MARCH 16
Prep volleyball
Pendleton at Hood River, 6:30 p.m.
Irrigon at Weston-McEwen, 5 p.m.
Stanfi eld at Heppner, 5 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Riverside, 5 p.m.
Nixyaawii at Griswold, 5 p.m.
Condon at Ione/Arlington, 5 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Hermiston at Pendleton, 6 p.m.
McLoughlin at Umatilla, 5:30 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Ontario at Pendleton, 4 p.m.
McLoughlin at Umatilla, 7 p.m.
Irrigon at Riverside, 4 p.m.
Prep slowpitch softball
Hermiston at Chiawana (2), 3 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17
Prep volleyball
McLoughlin at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Prep cross-country
The Dalles at Pendleton, Birch Creek,
2 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 18
Prep football
Grant Union at Heppner, 4 p.m.
Umatilla at Stanfi eld, 7 p.m.
Imbler at Pilot Rock, 5 p.m.
Prep volleyball
The Dalles at Pendleton, 6:30 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at Stanfi eld, 4 p.m.
Nixyaawii at Pilot Rock, 4 p.m.
Ione/Arlington at Sherman, 5 p.m.
Riverside at Umatilla, 5 p.m.
Prep cross-country
Umatilla, Ione at Mustang Invite,
3 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Pendleton at Redmond, 4:30 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Redmond at Pendleton, 4 p.m.
Irrigon at McLoughlin, 5 p.m.
Prep slowpitch softball
Walla Walla at Hermiston (2), 3 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 19
Prep football
Kennewick at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Irrigon at McLoughlin, 7 p.m.
Riverside at Weston-McEwen,
3:30 p.m.
South Wasco County at Echo, 7 p.m.
Dufur at Ione/Arlington, 6 p.m.
Prep volleyball
Grant Union at Heppner, noon
Weston-McEwen JV at Griswold,
5 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Riverside at Umatilla, 2 p.m.
Trout Lake at Stanfi eld/Echo, 1 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Riverside at Umatilla, 4 p.m.
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