HRV's Solberg comes 13th in pole vault nationals

Solberg cleared 12 feet, 3.75 inches, which was close to the personal-best 12-5.5 mark he posted while qualifying for nationals at the July 6-9 Region 16 meet. Solberg finished third for the Eagles at the 2023 Northwest Oregon Conference district meet in May.

He was one of six Gorge athletes who spent two months training and competing in state, regional and national Junior Olympic meets. At the national meet, July 28 at University of Oregon, Solberg cleared opening height of 11-3.75 and 11-9.75 on his first attempts. He cleared 12-3.75 on his third attempt and missed three times at 12-9.5.

Jessica Polkinghorn, a senior-to-be at Columbia High in White Salmon, threw the shot put, discus and javelin at age 17-18 nationals. Her top placing came in the girls shot put. She threw 34 feet, 9.25 inches to finish 36th out of 74 throwers on July 26. Polkinghorn was 45th in the discus on July 29 with a best throw of 101-10 (her best mark this summer), and 26th in the javelin at 103-11 on July 30.

Polkinghorn has personal bests of 37-4 in the shot put, 107-8.5 in the discus, and 112-10.75 in the javelin.

The Dalles High School was represented by three athletes at nationals — Madelynn Harrison, Lilly Adams, and Zoe Dunn (who competed for Resolute Track Club, based in Oregon City).

Dunn competed in two events at nationals. She was 25th out of 65 competitors in the girls 17-18 triple jump on July 28. Dunn, the triple jump school recordholder at The Dalles High, had a three-jump series of 35-9.5, 35-4.75, and then her best mark of 35-11.5.

Dunn, who will attend Eastern Washington University this fall and compete in track and field for the Eagles, finished 41st in the long jump July 27 at nationals, with a best mark of 16-2. Dunn, who competed the past two summers season for Resolute Track Club, finished her high school career with bests of 17-10 in the long jump — the No. 4 mark on The Dalles High’s all-time list — and 37-8.25 in the triple (No. 1 all-time at TDHS).

Madelynn Harrison qualified for three events at nationals. Her best finish was July 28 in the 400-meter first round where she just missed dipping under 60 seconds — running a personal record 1:00.40. Harrison finished 47th out of 79 age 17-18 athletes.

Harrison and TDHS teammate Lilly Adams also competed at nationals in the 200; Harrison ran 27.09 in the July 26 preliminary round and Adams clocked 27.45. Harrison competed in the 100-meter preliminary round a day later, clocking 13.49. Adams ran the 400 prelims on July 28, running 1:03.0.

Dunn, Harrison, and Adams were teammates (along with Amyrah Hill) The Dalles’ sixth place 4x100 relay and third place 4x400 relay at the 2023 Class 4A state meet in May.

Judah Garrett from The Dalles finished 36th out of 63 competitors in the age boys 13-14 javelin on July 28. Garrett, who will be an eighth-grader at Horizon Christian School in the fall, threw the 600-gram javelin 98 feet, 11.5 inches. Garrett finished second in the July 9 regional meet in Gresham and was second in the Oregon state meet in Springfield, as well. His personal best this summer is 108-4.75, which he threw at regionals.