BELLINGHAM — Joyce’s Raine Westfall added to her college accolades by winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field championship in the weight throw.
Westfall, a 2018 graduate of Crescent High School, competes in track and field for Western Washington University. She won the event Tuesday in Spokane with a throw of 16.62 meters (54 feet, 6½ inches). She got her conference-winning throw on her first attempt. The Vikings went one-two in the event as her teammate Katie Potts finished second at 52-8¾ .
Westfall’s throw helped the Western Washington women finish second in the GNAC championships.
Westfall already held the WWU school record in the weight throw at a winter meet earlier this year at 16.75 meters (54 feet, 11 inches).
Interviewed after the meet, Westfall referred to her small-school roots.
“I never thought coming from a small school that I’d be in the place I am today,” Westfall said after the met. “It’s really amazing to be on this journey.”
It was her second conference championship this year. In the spring, she won the hammer throw in the GNAC outdoor championships with a throw of 51.84 meters (170 feet, inch). She won that event by more than 11 feet and dominated all spring in the hammer, winning the event at four outdoor meets. She begins the spring outdoor season next month.
“The hammer is my event. I’ve never been the best weight thrower,” she said.
Western Washington competes in the NCAA Division II level against schools such as Simon Fraser, Alaska-Anchorage, Central Washington, Western Oregon, Saint Martin’s, Northwest Nazarene and MSU-Billings.
The weight throw is the indoor equivalent of the hammer throw, with a much shorter chain and heavier weight. Women throw a 20-pound weight in the weight throw and an 8.8-pound weight in the hammer throw. The hammer and weight throws are rarely featured in high school track meets.
Competing for Crescent in 2018, Westfall won North Olympic League championships in the shot put and discus. She ended up finishing 10th in the state in the shot put and 13th in the discus her senior year. She also played football for the Loggers.
Westfall is one of two Olympic Peninsula athletes starring for Western Washington. Claire Henninger, who played soccer for Sequim High School, helped WWU soccer team win the NCAA Div. II national championship several weeks ago as the team’s starting goalkeeper. Seren Dances, who won a state championship in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles for Port Townsend High School, also had a solid year for WWU track last spring in the long jump and triple jump.
Western Washington University Crescent graduate Raine Westfall is interviewed Tuesday by Blake Timm from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s after winning the GNAC championship in the weight throw.
