Before the start of every track and field season, Tulare Western High School jumps coach Kamen Booker asks his student-athletes what their goals are.
For Ashlyn Reed, the answer was “State.”
The recent 2024 Mustangs grad accomplished just that and then some.
Reed placed seventh overall in the triple jump with a leap of 38 feet and 9.75 inches, bringing home a medal at the 104th CIF State Track and Field Championships on May 25 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis.
State medals are awarded to the top nine finishers in each finals event.
It marked the second straight year that a Tulare Western track and field athlete medaled at the state meet.
In 2023, Jose Soto claimed a state silver medal in the shot put.
“It was actually really inspiring,” Reed said. “I was actually very emotional. I was not able to make it to state finals as a junior. Making the second day was very all overwhelming for me. I was so emotional.”
It’s been quite a remarkable journey for Reed.
She began her track and field career as a sprinter during her freshman season in 2021. During that campaign, she was runner-up for the East Yosemite League’s 100- and 200-meter championships.
It wasn’t until her junior year that Reed shifted her focus to the triple jump.
Why?
Because of Booker.
The Mustangs coach saw promise in Reed — a former gymnast with previous experience in the vault.
Booker believed Reed could translate her gymnastics abilities, like sprinting full speed down the runway, to the triple jump.
So Reed gave it a shot.
She first competed in the long jump before also adding the triple jump to her workload.
“I just saw the way that she ran and how strong of a stance and presence that she had,” Booker said. “She was very strong all over the track — did the 100, 200, and was actually doing the high jump. That’s when I first noticed her. With her speed, I could translate that into jumping as far as not just the vertical jump but the horizontal jump.”
With Reed’s gym history, the transition was smooth, especially in the triple jump.
“I knew she would be able to do it — as strong of an athlete as she is,” Booker said. “I knew she had the strength to be able to do the triple jump techniques. I taught her the basics and from there, we kind of just used her strength to get her through her three phases.”
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In her first official triple jump competition in 2023, Reed placed first with a launch of 35 feet and 6 inches in a WYL Tri-meet between Tulare Western, Dinuba and Lemoore.
And she improved as the season went on.
As a junior, Reed won the 2023 Central Section Division II title in the triple jump and qualified for last season’s state meet by finishing third at the Central Section Championship Masters meet.
Reed was even better during her senior year this spring.
The 2024 Tulare Western grad won the triple jump titles at this season’s WYL, Central Section Division I and Central Section Masters Championship meets.
“I put in a lot of effort, especially extra time with my coaches, extra time after practice, working on myself,” Reed said. “It takes time and effort, and if you want something, you have to go get it.”
If it wasn’t for Booker, Reed isn’t sure if she would be a state medalist.
“Coach Booker, he really inspired me and he just really was there for me,” Reed said. “He just gave me a lot of his time and he was very patient with me. I’m very grateful. It’s really amazing actually.”
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It was all Reed, though, Booker said.
He just guided her.
“Ashlyn is one of those athletes that once she does something, she wants to perfect it,” Booker said. “I knew just from seeing how she was, her work ethic in her other events, I knew she would be able to go far. She’s very driven.”
Reed has committed to extend her track and field career next season at College of the Sequoias.
“She has a lot more in her tank, and once she goes off to college, I do not see this being the last time we hear of Ashlyn and her jumps,” Booker said.
Reed’s mother, Kristen, agreed.
“She’s worked super hard,” Kristen Reed said. “She’s worked tremendously hard for herself, for her coaches, for her school. Her father and I are amazingly proud of her. She just has so much to look forward to for her future. We’re just excited to see where this will take her.”
