Track & Field: Amazing Ashby’s championship leads Cherokee Trail to 5A triple jump dominance

LAKEWOOD | For lack of a better word, Thursday was an amazing day for Cherokee Trail’s Amazing Ashby.

On the opening day of the Class 5A state track meet at Jefferson County Stadium, the ultra-athletic junior with the perfectly descriptive name turned in the type of performance that could help lead her team to a state team title, as she won an individual state championship and easily qualified for the finals of another individual event.

Though she took up the triple jump just a few weeks ago and basically focused on not making a mistake, Ashby popped a jump of 39 feet, 4 inches, to win the event by nearly two feet.

Her winning effort — which came on her second attempt of finals — also bettered her previous best mark, a school-record 39-3 1/4, set a few weeks earlier, and stands as the top triple jump in the state regardless of classification according to Coloradomilesplit.com.

“I really didn’t even jump today, I just looked at the board the entire time and used my legs to my advantage,” Ashby said sheepishly. “All I did today was just make sure I wasn’t over and I was behind the board all day.”

Ashby managed to overcome some shortcomings in her technique and still put plenty of distance between herself and runner-up Tarah Vijayasarathy of Poudre, who posted a best jump of 37-8 1/4.

The victory made Ashby the third 5A girls triple jump state champion from an Aurora school in the past four seasons, as she joined 2013 winner Kelsey Cunningham of Regis Jesuit and 2012 champ Danielle Williams of Eaglecrest. Williams had the best winning jump of the three at 39-6.

Ashby knows there’s plenty of better days in the triple jump ahead if she sticks with it and hones her technique, especially on her approach.

“It’s a work in progress considering this is my first year jumping,” she said. “As time goes on, I’ll get more consistent as far as running down the runway and hitting the board without looking at it. …”It feels good to know that I’m not peaking yet; I’m still so brand new to jumping.

“It’s great to know I can still do more, even though I’m better than most.”

Joining Ashby on the medal podium were freshmen Sydnee Larkin and Aumni Ashby, who took 6th and 7th, respectively, to give the Cougars a big boost toward their goal of a state title. Larkin had been the team leader in the triple jump for much of the season until Ashby passed her in the late stages of the season.

Larkin didn’t get to do run-throughs as she’d like because she ran a leg of the Cougars’ 4×200 meter relay in prelims, so her steps felt off during the finals, leaving her top jump at 36-7 1/2. Aumni Ashby expected to place higher, but said she was overall pleased with her 36-5 1/2.

Amazing Ashby also earned her way into the championship final of the 5A girls 100 meter hurdles, which are scheduled for 9:44 a.m. Saturday.

The prelims of the hurdles happened while she was in the midst of the triple jump competition, but Ashby hustled over and dropped a time of 14.91 seconds — fourth-best in the prelims — without warming up. She had to stay focused after a false start in the lane next to her threw off the rhythm of the heat, but she ran well enough to earn a spot in the finals.

There’s also plenty of work for Ashby to do on her hurdles, and she knows it.

“My coach always tell me to put blinders on because I’m so concerned about what is going on around me,” Ashby said. “I usually slow down when I pass people, but I just like people to catch up so I can race. I like to be in front, but I just like to race at the beginning. It’s a mental block I have work on. If I do that, I know I can get in the top three.”

On Friday, Ashby is slated to compete in the long jump at 2 p.m., another event heavy on Cherokee Trail athletes.

Larkin is the No. 1 seed in the event, followed by senior Shayna Yon, with Ashby sitting sixth going into prelims.

Ashby will also run either the prelims of the 4×100 or 4×200 meter relay.

“I’m really excited about how this meet has been going,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how tomorrow goes.”

CLASS 5A GIRLS TRIPLE JUMP

Triple jump: 1. AMAZING ASHBY (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 39 feet, 4 inches; 2. Tarah Vijayasarathy (Poudre), 37-8 1/4; 3. Amelia Harvey (Pine Creek), 37-3 1/2; 4. Marlee Brown (Palmer), 37-2 3/4; 5. Ashlyn Hare (Rampart), 36-11 3/4; 6. SYDNEE LARKIN (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 36-7 1/2; 7. AUMNI ASHBY (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 36-5 1/2; 8. Ieshia Essien (Montbello), 36-5 1/2; 9. Hali Morgan (Denver East), 35-7 1/4; Other Aurora result: 18. Keisha Lopes (Smoky Hill), 33-6