EUGENE — They say home is where the heart is.
For Yelm senior Madelyn Lawson, home is where the hammer travels the furthest, and that home appears to be Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Four times Lawson has competed in the hammer throw in Track Town USA at the Oregon Relays, and four times she has set a season best at the time of the meet. In total, this was her eighth trip to Hayward Field.
But in her final trip to the Oregon Relays Friday, Lawson topped herself again, and by greater lengths. She broke her own school record in the hammer throw at 159 feet, 10 inches. If it wasn’t for King’s Kimberly Beard, the reigning state champion in hammer, throwing an unbelievable 191-0, Lawson would’ve taken home the title.
Yet she still earned her best finish in hammer at the Oregon Relays, placing second after two straight fourth-place finishes in each of the last two years and a 10th-place mark as a freshman in 2023. To do so, her last two throws surpassed any throw she had made at Yelm High School. Lawson’s first throw of the day traveled 145-11 and her second went 155-2. She uncorked a throw of 158-6 to break her school record before passing herself again moments later with a toss of 159-10.
“This is my eighth time here. Every single time, it’s kind of hit or miss. I told myself that I’ve got to do something here. I’ve only got one other shot at competing here for who knows how long, if not ever,” Lawson said. “I had two great practices this week. Also, my friend offered me $100 if I won it, so I had to do good there.”
While she didn’t secure her cash prize from her friend, she still was satisfied with an all-time best performance in Eugene. Lawson said she had been clearing 150 feet with ease in practice but that she had been stuck in the 147 feet to 148 feet range in meets to start this season.
She credited her recent change in her grip to the success, going from four fingers to three. Lawson took it upon herself to try something different, and it’s more than paid off so far. She believes 170 feet is possible with her newfound technique and confidence, especially after Friday’s performance.
“I’ve gotten a little more confident with it. Something just feels different. It feels weird, but I guess in a good way,” she said. “It’s stopped me from pulling so much because I tend to finish really far and lean into it. This causes me to release a little earlier.”
Three Yelm runners competed in the two-mile open Friday, as senior Patrick Walsh and junior Marcos Andujar made their Oregon Relays debuts for the boys race while senior Kailey Slevin took her first trip to Hayward in the girls race.
Walsh earned a medal in the two-mile, finishing in eighth with a time of 9 minutes and 26.79 seconds. When slimmed down to 3,200 meters, his time of 9:23.83 was his personal best. He noted that Yelm bringing four athletes to Eugene despite athletic cuts amid four levy failures is representative of the quality of athletics in Yelm.
“The atmosphere is unlike anything track and field has to offer,” Walsh said. “I was pretty relaxed entering this race. It means a lot to be here. It shows that what Yelm is doing is working. We hope that athletics in Yelm can keep going even though the levy failed, but we will keep pushing.”
Andujar finished 40th overall at 9:50.20. He admitted that he experienced some nerves on the big stage before the race but enjoyed the experience.
“It’s a really nice stadium. I loved it. I was extremely nervous,” Andujar said. “I’m just glad that I and PJ can represent Yelm as best as possible right now. I learned that I don’t want to sit back at the start of the race. If you sit back too much, you’re gonna end up getting boxed in and set into a rhythm that’s not quite your tempo.”
Slevin earned a 30th-place finish in the girls two-mile open at 11:43.56. She shared a similar sentiment as Walsh and gave credit to the culture Yelm’s coaches have built.
“I couldn’t think of a better team to be a part of. Yelm has the best culture. We do the right training. [Coach Alex] McIntire leads us right,” Slevin said. “I always feel confident going into a race because I know the workouts and all the mileage I’ve done before is here to back me up. I’’m very happy to be representing Yelm here.”
