One Place Left to Climb for Peninsula’s Emma Young

I just try to stay in my own world and focus on what I’m doing for the next jump.”

Emma Young entered her freshman track season at Peninsula High School with no expectations in the high jump. It’s hard to have expectations for a sport you’ve never tried before.

By the end of the spring, she was standing on the podium at the 2023 WIAA 3A state championships after clearing 5 feet, 2 inches — a runner-up finish in her first year competing in the event.

Now a senior, Young returns for her final track season with a unique state-meet résumé: second place as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore, and third as a junior. The only one missing is first place. Completing the set at the state meet in June would make her final year at Peninsula even more memorable.

Young’s athletic success hasn’t been limited to field events on the track.

The six-footer was also a key contributor for the Seahawks volleyball team, earning second-team All-Puget Sound League (Nisqually Division) honors as a middle hitter in 2025 before signing to continue her career at Pacific University in Oregon. Young recently decided she will also compete in the high jump for the Boxers next year.

Peninsula volleyball coach Katrina Cardinal said the ability to compete at the college level in two sports is rare.

“I can’t remember the last time we had a dual-sport athlete from Peninsula,” Cardinal said. “That says a lot about her drive.”

That same drive shows up every time Young steps onto the runway for the high jump.

Young’s breakthrough in the high jump came quickly. Until the postseason of her freshman year, she had only cleared 4 feet, 10 inches. At the state meet, she cleared 5-2 — just an inch shy of first place.  

“It was absolutely a surprise,” Young said. “At the district meet, I got five feet, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is great. I hope I can do that again at state.’ So getting 5-2 was completely a shock to me.”

Competing at the state meet for the first time only added to the moment.

“I was really nervous,” Young said. “A lot of my jumps I was clearing on the second or third attempt. But when I got to that first attempt at 5-2, I was just like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to go for it.’ And I got it on the first try.”

High jumping may have come late for Young, but athleticism runs in the family. Her 6-foot, 2-inch father, Aaron, was also a high jumper in high school and won a state championship in Oregon.

“I think height definitely helps, but it’s mostly technique,” Young said. “It’s really hard to get over any bar if you’re not able to do the technique correctly.”

After finishing second as a freshman, she cleared the same height — 5-2 — at the state meet as a sophomore, but that year it was only good enough for fourth place.

“After my freshman year, I set expectations really high for myself,” Young said. “It was a little bit of a disappointment.”

She returned to the podium again as a junior, finishing tied for third in the 3A high jump.

Young’s personal best came last season when she cleared 5-3 during the regular season, tying her for second on Peninsula’s all-time list. 

“That meant so much to me,” Young said, who was bouncing back from a broken ankle suffered during volleyball her junior year. “I felt like I had been working really hard to get back from the injury and build my strength and technique. Even if it’s just one inch, it meant a lot because I had worked so hard for it.” 

The 5-3 mark puts her within reach of the height that could decide this year’s state title. Two jumpers cleared 5-4 at the 3A championship last season, and both return this spring, including Seattle’s Bishop Blanchet Brooke Campbell. Young and Campbell cleared the same heights as freshmen and sophomores at state before Campbell pulled ahead last year. 

Young said jumping 5-2 has become more routine for her, and she believes 5-4 is attainable this season. 

Technique and strength are critical to reaching that level. The Peninsula school record of 5-8, set in 1979, has stood for nearly half a century. The Washington state record is 5-10.

Young admits the biggest challenge to clearing a higher bar can be mental.

“I can get in my own head sometimes, especially if the competition is really intense,” she said. “I try to focus on what I’m physically doing and not the ‘what ifs.’ ”

While the high jump is her favorite event, Young has also excelled in the triple jump. Her best mark of 34 feet, 11 1/4 inches, ranks fifth in school history.

“The movement is definitely different,” Young said. “High jump is my number one event, but I really put a lot of energy into the technique for the triple jump.”

Volleyball, however, was the sport Young discovered first.

She didn’t begin playing seriously until eighth grade, starting with club volleyball after experimenting with camps during the pandemic.

“At the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing,” she said. “I was kind of like a baby giraffe.”

That determination was noticed by Cardinal.

“Emma is a competitor through and through,” said Peninsula’s longtime volleyball coach. “She competes hard and expects the same from the people around her. I’m really proud of her.”

Her hard work paid off during the recruiting process after meeting Pacific University coaches at a volleyball showcase.

Young plans to study kinesiology and pursue a career in physical therapy – an interest strengthened after she broke her ankle during volleyball season last year and went through rehab.

“That really encouraged me,” Young said. “I know what it feels like to have a sports injury and feel defeated while trying to make a comeback. I want to help people overcome that.” 

For now, her focus remains on one final high school track season.

“I’m really trying to focus on the details and my technique,” said Young. “I just try to stay in my own world and focus on what I’m doing for the next jump.”

That focus could lead to one final milestone – the state title that has narrowly eluded her by less than two inches the past three seasons.

“It would be amazing if I could achieve that,” she said. “But I just want to be competitive and make the most of my last year competing here.”