Mustangs coach Tom Menendez said he was expecting good things from Allen, who he called “an all-around athlete.”
Expecting a win and a fourth-place finish in the MVC championships and Class C state championships, respecitvely, might have been a stretch but Allen did it anyway.
And in the state championship Allen saved her best for last, equaling a personal best with a jump of 4 feet, 10 inches.
“I was really happy with that. I wasn’t really expecting it,” Allen said. “I was working towards it but I wasn’t sure if was going to (get it).”
Allen also had a good first season throwing the javelin, finishing second at MVCs and 15th at states.
“Learning how to throw the jav was pretty tough, going from turbo to regular,” Allen said. “I’m hoping to throw further this year.”
While Allen was able to do the normal high jump in middle school, she had to settle for throwing the turbo javelin before high school. It’s a similar, yet different event, and one that doesn’t always transfer seemlessly to the more well-known javelin that high-schoolers throw.
It took Allen most of last season to qualify for states while getting used to the new javelin, but she did, and was in awe of the distances she saw by the best in the state in Class C.
The second-best, according to last year’s championship results, was Allen’s teammate and classmate Maddie Amero, who Allen got to practice with and compete against every day.
“It makes me better because she’s better than I am,” Allen said. “We always push each other to try to get the best results.”
“Whenever you raise the level of competition in practices it’s going to show itself right out on the field,” Menendez added.
Allen topped out at just over 88 feet at MVCs. Amero, meanwhile, hit 100 feet, then 111 at states. Allen hopes to get to that level with a year of experience under her belt.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she could hit 5 or 5-1 in her high jump. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could throw out 100, 115 in the jav,” Menendez said. “She knows how to do it now so it’s going to be a lot easier for her.”
Allen doesn’t know how much better she can be this year. The Mustangs have yet to measure their throws during practice this preseason, instead working on fundamentals. Triple digits wouldn’t be a surprise.
Neither would clearing the high-jump bar at 5 feet, which is something Allen wants to accomplish.
That competition in practice will only help. Allen and Amero aren’t the only young Mustangs who broke onto the scene last year. A handful of classmates also made waves at MVCs and states, meaning the future could be bright for Monmouth.
“We’ve been competing together for a really long time, and other sports too going way back,” Allen said of Monmouth’s stand-out sophomores. “We’re hoping to do well and just try to do better than last year.”
“That just bodes well. It gives you four years with the same kids,” Menendez added.
Menendez said he could see Allen, and the team as a whole, do “lots” better this season.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
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