HRV track and field squads work their way into shape

Turner has been a mainstay in track and field and on other Hood River coaching staffs at the high school and middle school levels for a number of years now — so he’s no stranger to the ebb and flow of a spring season. “It will be interesting; we’ll see,” he said.

The Eagle girls finished fourth at the 2024 Northwest Oregon Conference (NWOC) district meet with 71 points and the boys were sixth with 62 points.

“We had a really good senior class last year, some of them were three-, four-year track kids and we had some kids that came out of the first time as seniors last year — mainly our girls sprinters,” Turner said. “They came out and ended up getting a district championship in the 4x400, placing third in the 4x100 but actually making it to state on time. Our entire 4x100 team were seniors.

“We are rebuilding that [relay], and we have some upperclassmen who didn’t make that team, because it was so good, that will step in this year. And we got a lot of new kids.”

Among the returners are juniors Syl Perrin and Jack Miller, and seniors Francisco Solberg, Logan King and Kai Wagner. Each competed at the 2024 Class 5A state meet.

Perrin finished third at the NWOC district meet in 2024 in the 3000-meter run when she ran a 13-second personal best of 10:31.56. Perrin also qualified for state in the 1500 and ran a lifetime best in that event of 4:57.17 at state.

On the boys side, Solberg was fourth in the pole vault at the NWOC district meet and finished in a tie for eighth at state at 12 feet, 6.75 inches (3.83 meters). His personal best is 13-3.

Also competing at the state meet for the Eagles last year were javelin thrower Jack Miller, and distance runners King and Wagner. The latter two finished 10th and 11th in the 3000-meter final in near-PRs of 8:56.73 and 8:58.11, respectively. Miller was 13th at state in the javelin (third NWOC) and has a personal best of 150-6.

King, who was sixth at the district finals as a sophomore and freshman (Intermountain Conference) in the 3000, is part of a core group of distance runners which also includes Sam Knoll. He set personal bests in the 1500, and 3000 at district in 2024.

Another boys district placer (top eight) from a season ago is Wyeth Droege, who was eighth in the 110-meter high hurdles and ninth in the high jump. Senior Omar Sedano returns in the throws; he reached the 40-foot mark in the shot put last spring.

Turner said: “A lot of our boys varsity guys will be new to the top three spots this year.”

The HRV girls have a number of returning athletes, some who placed at district and others who just missed out on district point scoring positions in 2024. Hailey Harjo is the top returning thrower for HRV; she was fifth in the district discus throw, and eighth in the shot put. Junior Tatum Wyatt was sixth in the pole vault and returns, as does senior Sylvaine Farr, who is on HRV’s deep all-time list of 10-foot vaulters. Alex Bronson has a 33-8 triple jump best and placed seventh at district in 2023 and 2024 in her specialty.

Joining Perrin in the distance races are junior Sadie Baumann (2:29.8 800 PR; fifth NWOC meet), and junior Hazel Haspela. Baumann was a member of the HRV 4x400 relay team which ran 4:02.67 in the state meet in May. Her relay teammates – Sutton LeFevre, Abby Kelly, and Simone Tillman have graduated. Olive Cochran is back after clearing 4-9 in the high jump last spring.