Photo Courtesy of Karlee Freeman and USC Athletics - Former Raymond HS track and field standout Karlee Freeman set the standard for USC freshmen when she broke the record for the discus Friday in California.
Former Raymond HS track and field superstar Karlee Freeman appears to be picking up right where she left off at Raymond...setting records!
Freeman, a 5'6" freshman, won the open women's discus throw with a University of Southern California (USC) freshman record to help lead the Trojans at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif., Friday. It was only her fourth college meet this spring.
According to USC Athletics, Freeman had only one clean throw in four attempts, but it was a good one, winning the competition with a personal record (PR) and USC freshman-record mark of 179 feet, 5 inches (54.70 meters) in her third attempt. Her throw also moves her to fourth on the USC women's all-time discus throw list and put her 19th in the country after Friday's competition. Freeman won the first flight and had to wait out the final four flights to confirm she won.
"Coach Dan Lange (USC throws coach) and I have been breaking down and rebuilding my technique for the past couple months, so I haven't been seeing the distances I've wanted, but to go out and throw a career-best and break the freshman record was definitely a confidence booster for the rest of the season and my career here at USC," Freeman told the Herald Monday afternoon.
"We're creeping into the important part of our season, so we've just been focusing on improving my technique, but breaking the record during this process was a very exciting step for us," Freeman added.
"Karlee has been having a good outdoor season so far," Raymond HS Head Track and Field Coach Mike Tully told the Herald Monday night. "She has been changing some things technique-wise, so her distances hadn't been great until this past weekend. She finally put things together and really got one out there. We're all pretty proud of her and what she's achieved already. Hopefully she can continue to improve. The sky is the limit at this point."
Shaun Straka of Aberdeen was Freeman's high school throw coach. "He coached me the summer before my senior year and all throughout my senior year," she said. "He does not still coach me, but we keep in touch."
Freeman's accomplishments are well documented. She is a four-time state champion in the discus and holds the state freshman, sophomore, and junior class records in the discus. During her senior season at Raymond in 2018, Freeman won the Class 2B state title in the discus, shot put and javelin and garnered eight individual state titles during her high school career, including disc (4 times), shot put (twice, 2017 and '18), javelin (2018), and 100-meter high hurdles (2016, when she was a sophomore).
Freeman is the Washington 2B state record-holder in the shot put and discus. Her disc toss of 173-3 ranks second in Washington state high school history and ranked fifth among high school throwers in 2018. She also has a shot put record of 49-5, a hammer throw PR of 141-7 and a javelin throw PR of 130-11. She was a Junior Olympics age group national champion three times (2014, 2017 and 2018). Freeman was also named the 2017-18 Gatorade Washington Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Freeman, who was an RHS Honor Roll student for four years, is majoring in Health and Human Science at USC. Freeman started her track and field career as a seventh grader at Raymond junior high. Karlee recently celebrated her 19th birthday and is the daughter of Briana and Philip Freeman.