State girls track and field: University’s Addy MacArthur wins shot put, Shadle Park’s Josie Anselmo wins pole vault

TACOMA – Sketchy spring weather tends to toughen Washington track and field student-athletes.

In miserable weather conditions Friday morning, University junior Addy MacArthur persevered.

MacArthur won the State 3A girls shot put with a toss of 43 feet, 5¾ inches at Mount Tahoma High School. It came on her first attempt. Her second throw was a quarter inch shorter.

Her impressive consistency resulted in all four of her legal throws over 40 feet. Her winning throw was 3 feet farther than last year when she finished second.

So there was much reason for MacArthur to be wearing an ear-to-ear grin afterward.

“It was my best (throwing) sequence of the year,” MacArthur said. “Coming from second last year to winning, it feels really good.”

Officials suspended the shot after the preliminary throws because the ring was wet from a steady drizzle. The event restarted 40 minutes later.

“We’ve competed in that type of rain before. It was just more inconvenient that we had to stop,” MacArthur said.

MacArthur didn’t reach the school record she chased all season (44-6), but she expects to break it next year.

“Next year I’m going to smash it,” MacArthur said.

Next up for MacArthur is an opportunity to defend her state title in the discus on Saturday.

She had an off day at district last week. She is excited about bouncing back.

“I’m nervous, but I’m excited,” she said. “I hope the weather is better than it was today. I’ll work with whatever I get.”

MacArthur didn’t let the weather bother her Friday.

“I was just focused on hitting my spots,” she said. “The season went very well. There were only two meets where I didn’t throw 40. That’s pretty good. I’m pretty proud to finish the year like this. Next year I’ll get the school record, for sure.

“I’m going to work really hard this summer and lift (weights) more than I have because I want to get to the numbers that are hard to get.”

MacArthur’s throws coach, Bill Berg, has no doubt she will put in the work.

“She wanted a little bit more this year, but you can’t be greedy,” Berg said. “Today wasn’t optimal conditions, so under the circumstances she did pretty darn good. She’s really intense and a hard worker.”

4A

There were no area winners Friday.

Gonzaga Prep freshman Aylah Cornwall took third in the triple jump with a leap of 37-¾, topping her previous best (36-10½).

2A

Shadle Park’s Josie Anselmo had an identical finish and identical mark from a year.

Anselmo, a junior, vaulted 11 feet to defend her state title in the pole vault. She took third as a freshman.

“I was really nervous,” Anselmo said. “There’s a lot more pressure when it’s your second (state title). There’s no excuse to not win again. You can crumble or you can use it and I used it I guess.”

Anselmo made her first attempts at 9-6, 10-0, 10-6 and 11-0 before missing on three tries at 11-6, her career best.

She got that career mark at a Greater Spokane League meet in Pullman – the same day her grandfather died after a short bout with cancer.

“I never got it (11-6) again this season so I like to think it was him,” Anselmo said. “He was diagnosed with cancer 10 days before he passed. It was pretty unexpected. It was a good day to do my best. It was him.”

Anselmo knows there will be more pressure next year because Shadle Park moves back to 3A.

“That’s a whole different thing,” she said. “All I’ll do is my best.”

East Valley’s Lily Sullivan took fourth in the discus (115-6).