A number of Gorge-area athletes are among the favorites at season-ending track and field state meets this weekend in Wilsonville and La Grande.
The Oregon School Activities Association decided not to host state competition — in any sports — this school year, so groups of coaches have organized independent state meets in all five of six enrollment classifications. A Class 5A state meet, the 5A Invitational, will be held Friday and Saturday at Wilsonville High School and include athletes from The Dalles and Hood River Valley. A 1A state meet is scheduled Saturday at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande and will include Big Sky athletes.
“The state meet is a privilege,” Hood River Coach Brandon Bertram said. “You’re not going to sneak in; you have to be a good athlete to get there — no matter who is running the meet.”
The Dalles Coach Garth Miller said his team’s performance at district — in fact, its performance throughout the shortened COVID season — was beyond expectations. “I’m super proud of the way our kids performed this weekend — just PRs all over the place,” Miller said. “We have a number of kids set up to compete in the 5A state meet. I’m really proud of the way they performed; we’re starting to see a lot of positive results.”
Athletes qualified for the 5A and 1A meets by recording top times and marks in each event throughout the season, including district meets. The Intermountain Conference held its district meet Saturday in Pendleton; the Big Sky athletic directors voted not to hold a district meet. The two-day 5A meet will feature running events Friday and field events on Saturday. There will be no live 5A relay races; state placings will be determined by regular-season times. The 1A meet will hold live relays.
Hood River and The Dalles will be represented by a number of athletes this weekend. Entry lists won’t be finalized until May 18. The top 16 athletes in each event will be invited to the state finals. If athletes in those spots opt out, then lower-ranked athletes could be invited.
Tentatively, the HRV girls, who finished second in the IMC meet Saturday, have Chloe Bullock in the 800 meters and 1500; Poppy Miller in the pole vault; Simone Tillman in the 200 and pole vault; Kate Siekkinen in the high jump; and the 4x400 relay of Bullock, Siekkinen, Tillman, and Ximena Santillan. The Eagle boys entrants as of Sunday include: Josh Haynes in the 800 and 1500 (and 3000); Elliot Hawley in the 1500 and 3000; Michael Goodman in the javelin and high jump; and Steven Stanley in the pole vault.
Stanley is the top-ranked HRV boys entrant in second at 14-3 in the pole vault. Goodman’s high jump best of 6-1 is currently third and his 181-3 javelin throw is fourth best in 5A. Miller, the 2019 state champion in the pole vault, heads the qualifiers in her specialty. Bullock is ranked third in the 800.
The Dalles has qualified distance runners Juan Diego Contreras in the 1500 and 3000, Hannah Ziegenhagen in the 800, and Emily Johnson in the 3000. Sprinters Emily Adams and Jaxon Pullen are among the top 16 in the 100 and 200 and in the long jump. Jesse Larson is tied for No. 11 in the 400 and Taylor Morehouse is in a group of pole vaulters tied with the fourth-best height of 13-0. Adams will be joined in the girls long jump by Zoe Dunn, who enters with the fourth-best mark.
“We can’t wait to compete at state next week,” Mandi Williams, The Dalles distance coach, said. “Diego will have some good competition with the Ashland and Crater kids who are among the top runners in the nation.
“Hanna has qualified in the 800 and is right in the mix. All 16 girls in the 800 are only about seven seconds apart. Em J (Emily Johnson) will have her hands full with some good runners from Crescent Valley and North Salem. She will have to race tough and smart to make the podium, but she is very capable. We can’t wait to watch it all unfold next Friday.”
Leading the Gorge entrants in the 1A meet in La Grande is Horizon Christian’s top-ranked girls 4x400 relay of Valerie Bruggeman, Olivia Nickson, Ellie Rinella and Grace Schreiber. All four Horizon athletes will compete in individual events and are members of the Hawks’ sixth-ranked 4x100 relay. Horizon qualified its boys 4x100 relay, as well.
Horizon Coach Emma Petshow said both the girls and boys relays are the best she has coached in her 10 years at the school, as far as camaraderie.
“The athletes trust each other, support each other,” she said. “That’s so important with the relays. They won’t always run a perfect race each time out, but they know they can rely on each other.”
Two individual Gorge athletes also are ranked No. 1 in their events: Horizon junior Alex Whitaker is top ranked in the discus after a big PR last week at a meet in Bickleton; in that same meet, Horizon’s Bruggeman cleared 9-6 in the pole vault to set the 1A standard in that event.
Sherman’s top state qualifier is senior Mercedez Cardona, ranked fourth in the high jump, and frosh Sophie Hulke, ranked fourth in the shot put.
South Wasco’s Oscar Thomas is ranked No. 4 in the javelin to lead the Redside qualifiers. Trout Lake’s Landon Heberling is ranked No. 3 in the boys pole vault. Dufur has the fifth-fastest qualifying girls 4x100 relay. Lyle’s Aaron Smith has qualified in the javelin, long jump, triple jump and 100 meters.
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