Ruby's Amazing Run Continues

FULL STORY -KITSAP SUN-

In the fall, Ruby Roberts became Kingston's first state champion, winning the state cross country title.

Saturday, she became the school's first state track and field champion, winning the 1,600 at the Class 2A state championships at Mount Tahoma High School.

Roberts won the title in a personal-best 4 minutes, 59.76 seconds, becoming the first girls in the 2A classification to run under five minutes this year.

"That was the main thing I was hoping to do this weekend," Roberts said of the personal record, something also did Friday in the 3,200.

Roberts came close in the 3,200, but a final-lap kick by Hockinson's Shannon Porter relegated her to second place.

She turned the tables on Saturday.

Roberts and Porter watched Bellingham's Becca Friday jump out to a 20-yard lead after the first lap. The two reeled her in during the second lap and ran stride for stride in first place for the third lap.

Roberts took off the in the fourth and final lap, beating Porter (5:02.52) by nearly three seconds. Friday, who went on to win the 800, was third at 5:05.24.

"I knew Becca had a really good kick, and I knew Shannon is an awesome runner," Roberts said of her last-lap surge. "(I thought), 'I guess I'm going to have to go if I'm going to get a good place."

Based on times, Roberts thought she had a better chance to win the 3,200.

"I thought, I'm not going to worry about place,'" she said.

After the race, Roberts and Porter seemed more friends than rivals, smiling and laughing and answering questions from reporters together.

"It was in my mind," Porter said when asked a question about her hopes of winning the distance double, "but I'm glad she won it. She's amazing."

The two talked about happy they were to be able to race against each other as there's not a lot of great competition at the 2A level.

"It helps your times, especially," Roberts said. "It's hard to be motivated when you don't have that great of competition."

Roberts is a sophomore and Porter, who took third at the state cross country meet, is a junior, so the two are likely to run into each other at state next year.

Roberts wasn't the only Kingston underclassman on the awards podium.