Sprinter/jumper Jaxon Pullen served notice last week he’s ready for the 2022 track and field season with two individual event wins and a leg on The Dalles’ first-place relay.
The senior won the 100 meters and long jump and was part of the Riverhawks’ 4x100 relay at a three-team meet March 30 at St. Helens High.
Pullen, last season’s Intermountain Conference sprint champion, won the 100 in 11.39 seconds — just shy of his personal best of 11.31. He also had the best mark of the day in the long jump at 19-feet, 1.25 inches, and teamed with Tristan Bass, Anthony Jara and Andre Niko to win the short relay in 45.73.
The Riverhawks had four other winners at the non-scored meet: Jara edged Bass in the 200, 24.61 to 24.83 (both personal bests); Taylor Morehouse cleared 13-feet to win the pole vault (Bass was second with a PR 10-0 vault); Connor Blair won the 400 in 56.01; and sophomore Merik Peacock threw 114 feet to win the javelin.
Jara, who had a busy day, also PR’d in the 100 at 11.98 seconds — as did teammate Michael Cole at 12.04. Sophomore Orlando Mora was third in the discus with a PR throw of 94-11.
The Dalles won five events in the girls competition, led by junior Zoe Dunn, who won the triple jump at 32-feet and the long jump at 16-10. Teammate Amyrah Hill won the 400 in 1:11.26; and frosh Alaina Casady doubled with wins in the 1500 at 5:57.1 and the 800 in 2:54.97.
The Dalles returns to the track Thursday at the Hood River Valley six-team meet. Field events begin at 3:30 p.m. at Henderson Stadium and running events start at 4 p.m. The meet will give the Riverhawks another chance to go head-to-head against Intermountain Conference foes Hood River and Crook County. (HRV and The Dalles competed against each other March 18 at the Mullen Leavitt Invite.) Also competing at the six-team meet in Hood River are Class 1A schools Horizon Christian, Dufur and Trout Lake.
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