SIOUX FALLS — Ashton Massey was left with a feeling a deja vu. En route to a Class B girls state triple jump championship in 2023, Massey fouled on each of her first two attempts before recovering to qualify for the finals and win the competition. Back at Howard Wood Field on Thursday afternoon, the Menno senior faced an identical challenge after scratching on her first and second attempts, leaving any hopes for a finals berth, let alone a title defense, to a single jump.
Yet with the pressure on, Massey delivered once again, producing a leap of 35 feet, 1.5 inches, the top jump in the competition to that point. After another scratch on her first jump of the finals, Massey upped the mark to beat to 35 feet, 9.
75 inches. From then on, the only jump that threatened the No. 1 spot was Massey’s own last attempt, which checked in at a modest 35-3, giving her the top three overall marks in the field.
ADVERTISEMENT “It was the same story as last year, I scratched the first two and they both felt like pretty good jumps, so I was a little disappointed,” Massey said. “My coaches really helped me calm down — there were a lot of deep breaths — and kept me focused and grounded. “We moved my starting mark around to try to get another mark in, but 35-9 is not my best,” Massey later added.
“I wanted more so bad, it just didn’t happen today, but I’m still really thankful for how it went.” Gayville-Volin’s Jolie Westrum finished as the event runner-up at 34-8.75, wi.
