This fall, Kent-Meridian High senior Keeley Phommathirath will head to Central Washington University in Ellensburg as a two-sport athlete.
But for now, the soccer player and track and field competitor is focused on becoming a four-time placer at the Class 4A state track and field meet May 26-28 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
Phommathirath made it to state on sprint relay teams her freshman and sophomore years. Last season, she placed fifth with the 4×100-meter relay team, took seventh in the high jump and competed in the 100.
This year, Phommathirath said she hopes to qualify for state again in the three events plus in the 4×200 relay.
Her favorite event is the 4×100 relay, which she anchors.
“I feel like there is less pressure on me because there are three other girls,” she said. “It is really competitive because you are going against the other girls. Being last leg, everyone is cheering for me and it is just really fun. It gives me more energy to run.”
Kent-Meridian is ranked fifth in the state for the 4×100 relay (49.1 seconds) and 10th in the 4×200 relay (1 minute, 45.4 seconds).
Phommathirath holds the school record of 12.55 seconds in the 100, which she set last season.
High jumping is a new endeavor for Phommathirath, who tried the event for the first time toward the end of last season.
“I was at spring break practice and saw everyone doing it and thought it would be fun to just go try it,” she said.
After picking it up quickly, Phommathirath competed in the event in a meet.
“I cleared 5 feet my first time,” she said. “I didn’t know if that was good or not.”
She reached her personal best of 5-2 in the 4A West Central District meet, taking first place, and again at state last year.
This season, Phommathirath has struggled in the high jump, clearing 5 feet just twice.
“I have been thinking too much about what I need to do right and not just doing what I’ve been doing and trying to fix all the little things,” she said. “I am slowly getting back into my old self in the high jump.”
Coach Michael Christiansen has enjoyed watching Phommathirath grow as an athlete.
“She was just this squirrelly kind of out-of-control freshman when she was here,” he said. “Now she is a team leader…. We will miss her when she is gone. I think she will do great at Central.”
Phommathirath earned track and field and soccer scholarships to CWU, where she plans to study elementary education. She knows balancing two sports and college classes will be a challenge.
“It is going to be a lot, I know, but I am ready for it,” she said.
Phommathirath, who played a variety of sports before deciding to focus on soccer and track, said it is hard to pick a favorite.
“There’s days I don’t good in track and I’m like ‘I wish I was playing soccer right now,’ and there’s days when I’m not doing good in soccer and I’m like ‘I wish I was in track right now,'” said the midfielder, who played four years of varsity soccer for the Royals. “It really just depends on how the day is going but lately I can’t decide. I am in love with both sports.”
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
