Photo: Freshman Clare Turella of Sequim is the Class 2A state high jump champion
By Oly Archibald
TACOMA — There is a new state champion in the Dungeness Valley, and she is only a freshman. Sequim Wolf Clare Turella, without question, was a favorite to win the Class 2A State High Jump title. However, favorites do not always win. Yet, Turella kept her focus and let her God-gifted athletic ability take over.
If you do not know Clare Turella, you should. Clare always has a smile on her face and strives to please everyone, whether in the classroom, on the basketball court, helping out her mom and dad at home, or excelling in track meets. Watching the Dungeness Kangaroo get better and better is going to be fun!
“Winning a state championship my freshman year was so fabulous. I got to hang out with my ‘bestest’ friends the whole season, I qualified for nationals, and now I know I can repeat my success in the coming years when I find my self back at the state championship meet again,” said Turella.
The best overall female high jumper in the state is from Emerald Ridge High School, with a jump of 6’2″. That incredible ability has her heading to the University of Illinois with a chance to compete at the Summer Olympics in Paris as a decathlete. Will Turella be able to jump 6’2″ someday? Who knows! For Clare, her family, and friends, from here on out, it’s all Olympic gold regardless.
In other track and field events at Mount Tahoma High School, Brody Pierce of Port Angeles placed 13th in the triple jump. Parker Nickerson placed 17th in the 110 hurdles. For Sequim, Sean Southard finished 16th in the javelin. Dawn Holstedt placed 12th in the 1600 run. The Sequim girls relay team placed 13th, and the Roughriders’ Faerin Tait ran a 16.64 in the 100 hurdles preliminaries. The state track meet continues today through Saturday. All eyes will be on Roughrider sophomore Teanna Clark as she battles for a state championship in the javelin.
Roughrider sophomore Teanna Clark continues her incredible story of chasing a state javelin championship
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The State Class 2A Girls Fast Pitch Tournament begins today in Selah. The Roughriders play a very underrated Shadle Park team at 11:00. A loss puts the Roughriders in a loser-out game at 1:30. A win puts the Roughriders in a 3:30 semifinal game against the winner of the WF West-Lynden game.