Raymond’s Karlee Freeman wins eighth state championship with shot-put victory

By Ryan Sparks • May 28, 2018 12:00 am
Raymond’s Karlee Freeman wins eighth state championship with shot-put victory

CHENEY — Raymond senior track and field athlete Karlee Freeman capped off her stellar prep career in the most synonymous way possible.

Freeman heaved the shot put 48 feet, six inches on her second throw to win the 2B State championship on Saturday, giving her back-to-back titles in the event and earning her eighth overall track and field state championship.

The mark was a personal record and set a new state record, toppling the old mark of 48-04 set by Montesano’s Jordan Spradlin in 2016.

Freeman beat North Beach’s Natasha Fruh (37-07.50, 2nd) and Willapa Valley’s Emilee Layman (35-11.25, 3rd) by more than ten feet.

“She exploded on her second attempt and popped one,” Raymond head coach Mike Tully said. “This not only set the 2B meet record, but also the all-classification WIAA state meet record.”

According to Tully, Freeman is one of two girls to win a state title in all three throwing meets in the same year, equalling Ilwaco’s Cathy Schmidt who performed the feat in 2000.

Freeman finishes her career with eight state titles in four separate events (discus, shot put, javelin and 100-meter hurdles), two state meet records and four-consecutive discus state championships.

Freeman also earned a state medal in the 2B 100-meter dash, crossing the finish line in third place (13.17) behind North Beach’s Lorin Cox (12.99) and winner Ashley Sande of St. George’s (12.92). South Bend’s Hannah Byington was sixth with a time of 13.22.

Byington and Cox also placed in the top eight in the 2B 200 meters. Byington placed fourth with a time of 27.30 and Cox right behind her in fifth at 27.31.

Byington’s brother, Ben, also made the medal stand by placing third in the 2B 300-meter hurdles with a personal-record time of 41.27.

Other local athletes to place near the top of the field on Saturday were Elma’s Jillian Bieker, who placed fifth in the 1A 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.03; Hoquiam’s Antonio Garcia placed fifth in the 1A 110-meter hurdles (16.31) and Willapa Valley’s Hannah Cook was sixth in the 300-meter hurdles (47.27).

All six of Willapa Valley’s athletes they sent to state ended up finishing in the top eight spots to medal.

“We took six kids to state and all six came home with medals,” said Vikings head coach Dave Ege. “We’re pretty pleased with that.”

For full meet results, athletic.net and search “WIAA 1B, 2B, 1A State Championships.”