Jordan HammA lot can happen in a track meet. The slightest hesitation or slip-up can create insurmountable consequences towards a runner’s time and results. Sure, there are repeat state championship winners, but North Canyon’s Jasmine Stauffacher-Gray is taking that to the next level.
She won her fourth straight 400-meter state title Saturday night, the first time that has happened in the state.
“It was important to me because no one had ever done it before, and obviously to say I won from freshman to senior year is a really big feat,” Stauffacher-Gray said.
She had little time to celebrate her big win.
She also participated in the 300-meter hurdles, which took place a few minutes after. She nearly repeated as the 300 m hurdle winner, but was narrowly beat out by Mountain Pointe’s Autumn Smith.
“This year I focused more on transitioning in my events, like segregating time between the two (events), which didn’t fair as well at state,” Stauffacher-Gray said. “But it made for a better overall season, which I think is important.”
A better overall season was icing on the cake to a decorated career. The UCLA commit said her growth stems from more than just physical conditioning.
“Freshman year, I was just really emotional. I wasn’t very mature mentally. So being able to overcome that has been a really big deal to me,” she said. “I was really shy my freshman year too. Being able to be on the track and hanging out with everyone, and building that relationship has helped me grow as a person.
“Track is more than just physical, contrary to popular belief.”
The physical and mental cohesion made Stauffacher-Gray run into the record books.
