Small school track and field athletes continued mid-season competition this past week, participating in a half dozen meet from the Gorge to Eastern Oregon, as well as places in between.
District 3 athletes have two weeks left to prepare for the May 13-14 championship meet at South Wasco County’s new facility in Maupin. Occasional sunny weather late last week and early this week has the $1.5 million project back on track so it will be able to host the district meet.
Partly sunny weather — and at times rainy and windy — kept personal bests to a minimum for most of the competitors at Wednesday’s meet at Hood River Valley, Thursday’s meet in Glenwood and Friday’s Bruin Invite at Columbia High in White Salmon. But there were some exceptions. (Athletes also competed in a regional meet at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande.)
Bailey leads Rangers
Dufur competed in the Hood River meet April 20 and at the regional event in La Grande. The Rangers had numerous personal bests in each meet, including a double win by senior Ashley Bailey in the shot put and discus at Hood River. Bailey’s mark in the discus of 99 feet, 3 inches was a personal best.
Senior Abby Beal had a busy week, as well, with a couple of season bests, including a mark of 15 feet, 3 inches in the long jump, which placed her second at the regional meet. Emily Crawford finished right behind her teammate in the long jump at 15-2 and a huge day on the track in La Grande. She raced to two personal bests, 29.4 in the 200 and 1:06.06 in the 400.
The Ranger boys were led by thrower Jacob Jones and sprinter Marshall McLaughlin, who was fifth in the 100 at La Grande in 11.91 seconds — just shy of his PR. He also had a PR 36-2.5 triple jump at Eastern Oregon. Jones set a personal record at La Grande of 39-7.5 in the shot, which placed him fourth overall among the 33 1A, 2A and 3A schools attending.
Decker paces Hawk runners
Horizon senior Gus Decker capped an outstanding week by setting her third school record in three events over a three-day period. On April 20, Decker lowered her own all-time HCS best to 5:38.20 in the 1500 meters at the meet at Hood River Valley. About an hour later in that meet, she also rewrote the school record in the 3000 (12:19.36). On Friday at White Salmon, Gus won the 800 meters in a school record 2:41.74 to complete her distance sweep.
Frosh Evelyn Tomka reset the girls school javelin record on Wednesday at HRV and broke that mark with a throw of 93 feet, 2 inches on Friday at Columbia. Junior Caleb Yuan won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in a personal best 45.59 and finished second in the 110 high hurdles. Jumper Josh Rogers jumped to a personal best in the long jump at 18-4.
Joining Decker with a first-place finish at White Salmon was senior thrower Alex Whitaker, who came from behind to win the shot put on his final throw. Alex was also third in the discus.
SWC’s Thomas has big javelin throw
South Wasco senior Oscar Thomas’ season debut was a good one, as he threw the javelin for the first time in 2022 and is now ranked No. 1 on the 1A-District 3 rankings in the event. Thomas, who has been nursing an ankle sprain, threw a PR 153 feet, 1 inch at the Bruin Invite on Friday.
Teammate James Best in tied for the District 3 lead in the high jump after clearing 5-8 at the Mt. Adams Invite in Glenwood on Thursday. Best also bounded a 34-7 PR in the triple jump that day.
On the girls side, senior Holly Miles took over the district lead in the 100 high hurdles with her PR of 18.65 seconds at Mt. Adams. She also ran the 300 lows in 56.18 and bounded a PR 30-2 in the triple jump. Teammate Julie Hull jumped 13-9.25 for a personal best in the long jump.
Beeks leads Lyle
Lyle junior Hannah Beeks threw the javelin a personal best 101 feet, 6 inches to place second at the Mt. Adams Invite on Thursday in Glenwood. It was a PR by more than 13 feet. She also matched her PR in the high jump at 4-4 and threw a personal best in the discus.
On the boys side, Kyler Henderson and David Bernier had big days for the Cougars. Henderson cleared a PR 5-8 in the high jump at Mt. Adams, which ties him for the district league. Bernier ran a PR of 57.11 in the 400 that same day. Senior Aaron Smith ran the intermediate hurdles for the first time ever in a meet and clocked 45.56.
Collins runs fast 800
Trout Lake junior Trevor Collins ran a lifetime best 2:14.51 in the 800 meters at the meet in Hood River on April 20. A day later he raced at Mt. Adams in the 1600, running 5:07.16, which converts to a 4:46.09 1500, the second-fasted time (converted) in the district thus far.
Frosh teammate Sawyer Dean vaulted 13-6 in the pole vault at Hood River, a personal record by a foot. Teammate Landon Herberling cleared 11-0 at the same meet. Those two are ranked 1-2 in the district; Dean is ranked No. 2 in Oregon Class 1A.
Trout Lake frosh Violette Anderson had a couple of personal bests last week, throwing the javelin 87-11 at Mt. Adams, and added lifetime efforts in the long jump and shot put. Teammate Gynel Duke was second in the pole vault at the meet at HRV at 8-0.
McFall, Avia lead Glenwood
Allison McFall and Jayla Avia added their names to the top 10 District 3 lists with personal bests last week. McFall ran the 100 in 15.2 seconds and Avia the 100 high hurdles in 20.94. Both marks came at the April 21 meet in Glenwood.
Fink, Thiemann shine for Klickitat
Austin Fink threw personal bests in the discus (87-8) and javelin (114-7) at Friday’s Mt. Adams Invite, where he placed second in the shot put. He was third a day later in that event at the Bruin Invite in White Salmon. Teammate Lena Thiemann ran a lifetime best of 19.16 in the high hurdles, which was good enough for second place in the Glenwood meet. She also added a personal record in the javelin the next day at the Bruin Invite.
Geary paces Huskies
Sherman junior Morgan Geary had a personal best throw of 94-5 in the javelin at EOU. She also competed in the long jump and triple jump at the meet hosted by Cove High. Frosh Codie-Lee Haner added PRs in the 100 meters and long jump. Sophie Hulke had her usual busy day, finishing fourth in the discus and sixth in the javelin for the Huskies.
On the boys side, junior Josiah Carlson recorded two personal bests last week at the regional meet in La Grande, including a lifetime best of 59.71 in the 400. Teammate Henry Poirier added a PR in the shot at 35-11.25.
Also of note: Condon’s Kaylee Wilkens raced to lifetime bests last week in the 1500 (5:08.66) at the Meet of Champions in Sweet Home. She is the 1A state leader in the metric mile, the 800 (2:27.62) and the 3000 (11:42.85) and is ranked No. 2 in the 400. Bickleton sophomore Raymond Holycross is the new state leading in the triple jump, having bounded a PR 42-5 at the Prosser Rotary Invite in Washington.
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