THE DALLES — The Dalles High School will open its 2025 track and field schedule March 21 with more than 20 district meet placers back for another season.
The Riverhawks host their annual Mullen Leavitt Invitational at the Wahtonka track facility. Coach Garth Miller has some 80 athletes out for the team, split fairly evenly between girls and boys. The Dalles returns 11 boys district placers (top eight) from the 2024 season, and eight girls placers.
“Our numbers are up a bit from last year and that is encouraging,” Miller said. “On the girls’ side is where we bumped our numbers up — with about 13 freshmen.
“And then we have some new kids that are coming out for track for the first time — that will help us out.”
Senior Alaina Casady leads the returning girls athletes — on her team and in the Tri-Valley Conference. Casady was fourth in the 3,000 meters and eighth in the 1,500 at the 2024 Class 4A state meet, after winning the TVC district races at both distances. Casady is No. 4 all-time in TDHS history in the 3,000 (10 minutes, 41.25 seconds) and No. 5 in the 1,500 (4:57.56).
Casady finished second in the state cross country meet this past fall.
“Alaina swam this winter and then came right into track season ready to have a great senior year. I think it was just a nice change of pace, rather than running all winter. I think she really enjoyed something different but [also] getting the cardio and low impact. We had a number of girls … they all swam this winter,” Miller said.
The group included junior Laura Black, who finished fifth at district in 2024 in the 400. Sophomore Marley Perry was sixth in the 3,000 and eighth in the 800; junior Abigail Pope was eighth in the 1,500; and Kestley Hodges was seventh in the 3,000. Hodges also placed fourth in the javelin.
Senior Rowena Benjamin returns as the Riverhawks’ second top district point scorer in 2024 with her runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles, fifth place in the low hurdles, and fourth place in the pole vault. Senior teammate Gabrielle Kahler was eighth at district in the low hurdles and fifth in the high jump. Sophomore Ebany Mondragon was seventh in the 200.
The Dalles girls were second in the district meet behind Crook County, which returns athletes who won five district champions.
The Dalles’ boys were fourth in district in 2024, two points out of second. The Riverhawks return all of their point scorers in individual events (76 points) and seven of eight district relay legs. Crook County won the TVC title with 247 points and also won the 4A state title.
The Dalles sophomore David McCracken finished second in both the 100 meters and 200 at district (11.22 and 22.98 personal bests) and is the leading district point scorer returning for the Riverhawks.
Juniors Tyson Long and Noah Preston lead the boys distance ranks. Each has run 2 minutes in the 800. They were part of The Dalles’ third-place state cross country team in 2024. Junior Aiden Erickson also was a member of that team and was third at the TVC district track meet a season ago in the 3,000 (9:36.06 PR). Phoenix Nanie was eighth in the 3000 at the district meet.
Long, Preston, and seniors Egan and Vincent Ziegenhagen qualified for state as members of The Dalles’ 4x400 relay in 2024. All return this spring, as do junior Derek Goulart, senior Julian Morehouse, and senior River McClure. Those three, along with McCracken, finished second at district in the 4x100 relay and fourth at state.
All three of the Riverhawks’ top hurdlers also return. Senior McClure and senior Vincent Ziegenhagen finished second and third in the intermediates at district; sophomore teammate Tyler Irving placed seventh in the high hurdles and eighth in the intermediates. Ziegenhagen also was seventh in the javelin (146-5 PR).
Goulart is back in the high jump and sprints. He finished fifth at state in the high jump and has a personal best of 6 feet, 4 inches. Goulart won the TVC high jump title and was sixth in the 100 at district (11.35 PR). He also is a 40-foot triple jumper.
The Dalles field event athletes are led by Morehouse. He won the Tri-Valley League pole vault title as a sophomore and was second last season. His personal best is 14-2 and he finished fourth in the 4A state meet. Junior London Leitz heads the list of returning horizontal jumpers. He was eighth at district in the triple jump as a sophomore.
Miller said: “We did have some young kids that stepped up and made the podium last year at district. It’s a nice group of returners for us.”
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