Hermiston herald., May 29, 2019, Page A8, Image 8

A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAy, MAy 29, 2019
HeraldSports
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TRACK
Romero,
Palzinski earn
all-conference
honors
Staff photo by Annie Fowler
Hermiston’s Paige Palzinski (left) and Jazlyn
Romero were named to the Mid-Columbia
Conference all-conference track and field team.
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
Photo courtesy of Michael Nejara
Hermiston’s Jazlyn Romero throws the javelin Saturday at the 3A State Track and Field Championships in Tacoma. Romero won the
state title with a throw of 144 feet, 11 inches.
Hermiston’s Palzinski takes
9th in the shot put
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
Jazlyn Romero knew from her first
throw that Saturday would be a good
day at the 3A State Track and Field
Championships.
The Hermiston junior opened the jav-
elin competition with a throw of 135 feet,
3 inches, and finished the event with a
toss of 144-11 to win the state title by
more than 15 feet at Mt. Tahoma High
School in Tacoma.
“My body felt really good, and once I
got warmed up, I was fine,” Romero said.
“I was really excited. Madi (Wilson) was
like, ‘It’s go time. Are you ready?’”
Romero is the first Hermiston athlete
to win an individual state title since the
Bulldogs moved into the WIAA at the
start of the school year.
The Hermiston dance team won a
state title in Show in March.
“It’s a big day for her,” Hermiston
coach Emilee Strot said. “When she
got her award, they announced she was
from Hermiston, Oregon. People were
excited, and others had no idea why we
were there.”
Romero scratched her second throw
in the finals, but any one of her other five
throws would have won her the title.
“She had a great series,” Strot said.
“Her best of the year.”
Kennewick’s Madeline Gebers fin-
ished second with a toss of 128-8.
“I actually didn’t pay too much atten-
tion to the other throwers,” Romero said.
“I just made sure my mark was at the
top. The medal is pretty cool. At Hay-
ward (Field), they let us bring our jav-
elins on the podium, so I brought mine
up.”
Romero, who finished third at the
Oregon 5A state championships last year
as a sophomore with a throw of 134-3,
has put in the work to be competitive in
Washington.
She threw her PR of 151-9 at the
Mid-Columbia Conference district meet
in Hermiston, then threw 143 feet at the
District 8 meet in Richland to earn the
top seed to state.
Also competing Saturday was Kaylee
Young in the long jump.
Young, who has jumped more than
17 feet this season, finished 13th with a
mark of 16-0½ in the prelims. She did
not make the finals.
Hermiston’s Jazlyn Romero and Paige
Palzinski earned Mid-Columbia Conference
all-conference honors for track.
Romero, a junior, was named to the first
team for javelin, while Palzinksi, a sopho-
more, was an honorable mention pick in the
shot put.
The selections were based on regular-sea-
son times and distances.
Katherine Petsch of Kamiakin was named
the Track Athlete of the Year, while Noelani
Helm was voted the Field Athlete of the Year.
Both Romero and Palzinski qualified for
the 3A state track meet in their respective
events.
Hermiston did not have any boys selected
to the team.
Walla Walla’s Jared McAlvey (sprints/hur-
dles) and Patrick Utschinski (shot put/discus)
were named the Athletes of the Year.
Photo courtesy of Michael Najera
Hermiston sophomore Paige
prepares to throw the shot put.
Palzinski
By ANNIE FOWLER
STAFF WRITER
Photo courtesy of Michael Nejara
Hermiston’s Kaylee Young competes in the long jump Saturday at the 3A State Track
and Field Championships in Tacoma. Young jumped 16-0½, but did not place.
Camille Duckett of Roosevelt won
the event with a leap of 18-0½.
The competitors jumped in the pour-
ing rain, but Young said she didn’t mind.
“It was very cold and rainy, but I
enjoyed every second of it,” Young said.
“The environment was very positive.
I got so many questions about where
Hermiston was. The officials wondered
if they were going to take my marks and
report them to Oregon.”
Just a sophomore, Young hopes to
make a return visit next year.
“I hope next year to get a spot on the
podium,” she said. “I’m ready to step
back on the track now.”
Hermiston sophomore Paige Palzinski fin-
ished ninth in the shot put Friday at the 3A
State Track and Field Championships at Mt.
Tahoma High School in Tacoma, missing the
podium by a half-inch.
Palzinski’s top mark of 40 feet, 7½ inches
came on her final throw in the finals. Her first
throw of 39-8¼ in the prelims put her into the
finals.
Kiana Lino of Shorecrest won the event
with a throw of 44-10.
“I am so proud of her,” Hermiston coach
Emilee Strot said of Palzinski. “It was her
best series ever; she has to be happy with that.
It’s unfortunate that she missed the podium,
but there was good competition. There were
really good marks and a lot of the girls were
excited, which sparks the competition.”
The Hermiston boys 4x100 relay team of
Broc Remmer, Thomas Reagan, DJ Wilson
and Garrett Walchli finished 11th in Friday’s
prelims and did not make the finals.
The Bulldogs turned in a time of 44.65
seconds and finished seventh in the first heat.
Gig Harbor had the top time in the prelims at
42.52.
Walchli finished 14th in the 200 prelims
with a time of 23.14 seconds. Dorien Simon
of Lakes had the fastest qualifying time of
21.54.
“It’s exciting,” Strot said. “Every kid we
have with us here has the possibility of com-
ing back next year. I think they are thankful
for the experience.”