Wylie East senior Tyree Washington soars through the air during an attempt in the boys triple jump at the Region II-6A track and field meet at Waco Midway High School. Photo by Rod Aydelotte / The Waco Tribune-Herald
By David Wolman
Wylie East has a rich tradition in track and field.
Last weekend, the Raiders added to their lengthy postseason success, qualifying three student-athletes for the Class 6A state meet in Austin.
Wylie East senior Tyree Washington, a state qualifier in the triple jump last year as a junior, will head back to Austin after he won first place in the Region II-6A meet with a distance of 48 feet, 11 inches at Waco Midway High School on Saturday.
Earlier this season, Washington was held out of three meets because of hip and groin injuries. But when healthy, he has been a force. Washington has won every meet he’s compete in. The Wylie East senior added another gold medal to his collection Saturday.
“He’s just been consistent,” Wylie East head coach Jason Olford said. “The experience that he gained last year that helped him qualify for state, he just knows the process that it takes to get there.”
Washington was one of two regional champions for Wylie East.
Porter Cantrell, a junior, won first place in the boys discus with a throw of 167-5, which came on his first attempt. He came within two feet of matching his personal best of 168-10, which he set at the McKinney North Bulldog Relays on March 13.
Cantrell is new to Wylie East, having transferred from Davis, Utah.
“He’s just a real, strong competitor,” Olford said. “What stood out about him is that he doesn’t mind competing.”
Elliana Young, also a junior, will join Cantrell and Washington in Austin after she took second in the girls high jump with a clearance of 5-6. Both Young and Klein senior Kamdyn Spencer had a mark of 5-6, but Young won the tiebreaker.
“It’s a very, very exciting time for her because this is something that she has been chasing since her freshman year,” Olford said. “She had been dealing with the flu all of last week and wasn’t getting to practice. We needed to get her to feeling well. Once she did that, we knew there was a chance of her getting out of regionals. She took care of business and didn’t scratch.”
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