SEQUIM — Jasmine McMullin is so quiet that she can probably jump farther than her voice carries.
That might not be saying much, though, considering the lengths the Sequim track and field standout can jump.
“Jasmine is one of the quietest people you will ever meet; she’s so polite,” her coach, Brad Moore, said.
“But there’s a fierce competitor inside waiting to get out.
“She’s so competitive.”
That competitiveness led McMullin to a successful senior season, which has earned her the 2013 All-Peninsula Girls Track and Field MVP.
At the 2A state track and field championship meet in May, McMullin placed third in the triple jump and ninth in the long jump.
“It felt so overwhelming and amazing,” McMullin said.
McMullin set personal records this season in the triple jump — 36 feet and 8.5 inches, a new school record — and long jump with a 16-07.25.
Both marks were the best on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Her personal-best long jump actually came at the state meet.
“That’s tough to do at state,” Moore said.
“It’s difficult to relax. Kids get tight, and don’t compete as well, because they feel the pressure to perform.”
Anchor on relay team
Along with her jumping feats, McMullin also was the anchor for Sequim’s 4×400-meter relay team that reached state and recorded the best time on the Peninsula, 4:16.40.
Moore said McMullin’s work ethic played a major role in her success.
“She worked hard every day. She never complained,” Moore said.
The hard work paid off her senior season, when she added 3 feet and 6 inches to her triple jump distance from her junior year, and 1 foot and 1.5 inches in the long jump.
The triple jump improvement was particularly significant, as she had only added 7.5 inches to her personal best from her freshman to junior seasons.
“I did some weightlifting with coach B.J. [Schade], and then we had a new jumping coach that was really helpful, coach [Doug} Meyer, he helped me so much.
“I think [weightlifting] just made me stronger, and it didn’t let me get so out of shape in the offseason.
“Coach Meyer changed my technique quite a bit, and made me focus on certain things, which helped me a lot.
“Lengthening my middle step was a big deal. And once I got that, and then the timing — just practicing the timing with my hands and my head.”
In fact, McMullin worked so hard that her coaches had to tell her to back down a little bit because she had developed shin splints.
“Once she rested and healed, her marks were excellent from there on out,” Moore said.
McMullin peaked at the perfect time, recording what were her overwhelmingly best marks in both horizontal jumps during the postseason.
Before the Olympic League championships in early May, she had yet to surpass 35 feet in the triple jump. She jumped 36-04.5 to win the league meet.
She also took first at the sub-district meet and second at the district meet, where she recorded her personal record and broke the school record.
“That’s why I coach,” Moore said.
“Seeing them compete, seeing them improve — that’s exciting for us coaches.”
McMullin wanted to surpass 37 feet at state, and Moore said she initially was a little disappointed that she fell short.
“That was just kind of for fun,” McMullin said about her 37-foot hopes.
“My goal was just to break the record and go to state. So, [37 feet] was like an extra. But I already accomplished everything I wanted, so I was happy, anyway.”
In the fall, McMullin will attend Western Washington University, and has decided to compete on the Vikings’ track and field team as a walk-on.
Moore expects she will find success at Western Washington, and beyond.
“Whatever she chooses to pursue, vocational or sports, she’ll do really well,” Moore said.
“She’ll get to wherever she wants to go, because she’ll work so hard to get there.”
________
Sports reporter/outdoors columnist Lee Horton can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.