DIVISION I TRACK: Gorman’s Cunningham fails to clear height, Legacy’s Wuest wins girls high jump title
What happened to Bishop Gorman junior Vashti Cunningham on Saturday is the equivalent of Gordon Ramsay overcooking a steak.
It’s like Beyonce forgetting the words to “Single Ladies.”
“That doesn’t happen,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham failed to clear her opening height in the girls high jump at the Division I state track and field meet, a stunning development that left many fans at Del Sol wondering what went wrong for the Olympic hopeful.
Hey, even Stephen Curry misses a free throw now and again, right?
“My dad said it was bound to happen to me sooner or later because nobody goes through their whole career perfect,” Cunningham said. “So, I’m glad I got it out now.”
Cunningham, the daughter of former NFL and UNLV quarterback Randall Cunningham, set a national high record in the high jump last month at 6 feet, 4¼ inches. She began the competition Saturday once the other jumpers were finished and set the bar at 5-10.
But on her first two attempts, Cunningham felt like she “stepped out of place when I jumped,” and the issue got in her head on her third and final try. That left Legacy’s Victoria Wuest, who cleared 5-3, as the state champion and the answer to a bit of trivia.
“The last one, I don’t even remember that jump. My dad just said I didn’t look like I had any confidence,” Cunningham said. “I sum it up as this will never happen again. I’ll just keep my head on, and I won’t get angry at stuff like this. I’ll learn from it.”
Cunningham went directly from the high jump area to the long jump and, with the disappointment still fresh, soared 19-2½ on her first attempt to win the state title. Cunningham’s winning mark is a personal best, and her series also included a mark of 19-1 and three jumps over 18 feet.
“I was really excited to long jump,” Cunningham said. “Some people only make it to state for one event, but I made it in two and I knew I had to go win this one or go (set a personal record) because I needed the confidence. I really channeled my energy into that, and my dad really helped me get through it.”
Centennial opened Saturday’s meet with a state record in the girls 3,200-meter relay (9 minutes, 18.92 seconds) and finished with 109 points to win its fifth consecutive large-school team title. A year after Sydney Badger and Tiana Bonds did most of the heavy lifting, the Bulldogs ran away with the team title despite winning only three individual events.
Freshman Alexis Gourrier was the lone double-winner for Centennial, taking the girls 1,600 in 5:08.42 to go along with her title in the 3,200 on Friday.
“It was depth, and that was our goal,” Centennial coach Roy Session said. “A lot of coaches thought we were done because those two were gone. I challenged my team because of that. I said, ‘You know what? We don’t have 70 points in our back pocket with Sydney and Tiana.’
“I’m just so proud of this team. We fought through adversity, we fought through injuries and we fought through losing those girls that are at the next level. I’m just so proud of how they fought for each other and worked together.”
Arbor View, which got a victory in the girls 400 from Madison Aldred and also won the 800 relay, finished second with 50 points. Coronado had 49 points and was third.
Coronado’s Charleen Jordan added the girls 100 hurdles title to her victory Friday in the 300 hurdles.
Also, Monet Salazar continued Silverado’s rich tradition in the girls discus as she won the state title with a throw of 132-6.
Centennial’s boys held off Green Valley to win the team title with 107½ points. James Johnson won the boys triple jump (46-3) after entering as the No. 3 seed, and the Bulldogs set a meet record in the boys 1,600 relay (3:16.48).
Centennial’s Dajour Braxton finished second in the boys 800 and 3,200.
“This group want it so much for each other,” Session said. “We had a bad day (Friday), and every kid said, ‘Coach, what do we have to do to win this as a team?’ We knew Green Valley was going to be off of emotion, and they should be off of emotion. They lost a great man in Coach Thompson. But our kids, they want it for our seniors as well.”
Ian Mack won the boys 100 (10.66) and Brady Williams was first in the boys discus for Green Valley, which scored 80 points.
Shadow Ridge set a meet record in the boys 400 relay (41.34), while Canyon Springs’ Bradley Alexander III won the 300 hurdles (38.13) after taking the 110 hurdles Friday.