A mostly constant drizzle kept personal best times and marks to a minimum May 3 at the annua…
The Columbia High girls track and field team has the most realistic chance of winning a district title this spring among the Gorge’s three largest high schools, and if the Bruins do so, it will be because of their depth.
Columbia will be among the girls team favorites at the May 16 WIAA 1A District 4 championships at Seton Catholic High in Vancouver. To get in position to do so, the Bruins will have to successfully navigate this week’s May 10 sub-district (Trico League) meet at La Center.
District 4 includes the Class 1A Trico and Evergreen leagues. Athletes qualify for sub-district by meeting qualify standards. The top finishers in sub-district advance to the state-qualifying District 4 championship.
“A couple of years ago … we had some depth. But as far as just individual event speed, I can’t remember the last time we’ve had it,” Coach Jim Anderson said.
Because of their overall team speed, the Bruins have two athletes — junior Sequoia Cohen and sophomore Bella Hamilton — that just run relays in most of the team’s larger meets. That’s a luxury that most schools their size do not have.
“I think taking that pressure off of both of them to just focus on relays has helped both those relay teams — a lot,” Anderson said.
Columbia’s 4x100 meter relay’s best this season is 50.96 seconds — the best time in District 4 — and less than a second off the school record. Team members also include junior Saylor Hauge and sophomore Sara Miller. The same team ran 1:50.03 in the 4x200 relay and is ranked No. 4 in that event.
Miller is ranked among the top District 4 sprinters (first in the 100, 12.83 seconds) and Hauge leads the high jump list at 5-2 and is No. 2-ranked in the 300 hurdles (49.4).
“Saylor and Sara, they work hard, they’re strong, they’re competitive,” Anderson said. “They have that fire inside of them to win."
In the distances, freshman Lilah Zimmerman added her name to the top spot on the school record chart in the 1600 at the last week’s Al McKee Invite in Stevenson. “That had been in place since 1979,” Anderson said. “She broke it by three seconds.”
Anderson said Zimmerman, who ran 5:23.63, will face a deep distance field at sub-district and district, making qualifying for state a chore. “Lilah is such a competitor, do not count her out,” the coach said, pointing to the 5:35 1600 she ran three days before her school record jaunt.
Zimmerman’s school record was the second set this season by Bruin girls; senior Jessica Polkinghorn now owns the CHS shot put record. She threw a 1A state leading 43-9 at the April 20 Jeff Agar Memorial meet. She also leads the district in the discus with a throw of 119 feet — the No. 6 mark in state.
The Bruins also have two more athletes among the top four in district rankings: Sophomore Hailey Tolbert, second in the 100 hurdles (17.2); Samantha Evans and Tolbert, who are tied for fourth in the high jump (4-10). Senior Madeline Allen is ranked No. 6 in the discus.
Team-wise, the Bruins will be tested by Seton Catholic, Montesano, and Castle Rock at the district finals. Montesano won the girls crown in 2023 and 2022.
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