Staff report
Columbia Gorge News
THE DALLES — David McCracken had a noticeable return to The Dalles High School’s track and field team this past weekend, as the junior sprinter quickly reasserted himself among the Class 4A best in the 100 and 200 meters.
McCracken, who had missed most of the season because of an injury, placed seventh in the 100 meters at the 21-school Dean Nice Invitational meet May 8 at Gresham High School. McCracken, a two-time Class 4A state meet qualifier, ran 11.05 in the preliminaries and 11.13 in the final. He went 22.71 in the 200 (prelims) and ran a leg along the Riverhawks’ seventh-place relay. Derek Goulart, Patrick Rankin, and Noah Preston joined McCracken on the relay which ran 43.62 — the No. 5 time in school history.
Rankin and Preston had busy days as well. They finished eighth and 11th in the 400 (50.83 PR for Rankin to Preston’s 51.59). Later, they joined Tyler Irving and Tyson Long on The Dalles’ 10th-place 4x400 relay. The quartet ran 3:32.86.
Long ran the fourth fastest time in school history in the 800 meters of 1:57.97, placing seventh in the two-lap race. Goulart was sixth in the high jump at 6 feet. Also for The Dalles, distance runners Lazarus Taylor and Luke Sorenson each ran personal bests in the 1500 (4:25.05 and 4:30.0). Thrower Conner Hajek tossed the discus a personal best 110-4 and the shot 42-4.
With McCracken back on the active list, The Dalles’ boys have the team depth to challenge Molalla High (and others) for the 2026 district team championship. The Riverhawks and Indians will join the four other Tri-Valley schools for the May 20 and 21 district meet — this year at Molalla’s Burghardt Stadium.
The Dalles girls had two quality times in the relays at the Dean Nice meet. The short relay team of Gabriela Dominguez Bahena, Ebany Mondragon, Riley Stocks, and Laura Black was 13th in 50.90 — which is the 10th fastest time in school history. Alondra Romero, Josie Brace, Black, and Willow Ziegenhagen combined to run 4:19.16 in the girls 4x400 relay.
There were plenty of other highlights for the Riverhawk girls. Black cleared a personal best 9-0 in the pole vault and ran a PR 2:32.07 800. Junior Evelyn Rogers threw a personal best 38 feet in the shot put, which ranks her first in the Tri-Valley League and fourth in Class 4A. It was a near two-foot PR for Rogers, who is now No. 10 on The Dalles’ all-time list in the event.
Flamingo Duyck ran a lifetime best in the 800 of 2:25.94 and ran the 300 hurdles in 50.9. Abigail Pope ran a personal best of 11:46.76 in the 3000; and Brace ran a PR 63.49 in the 400.
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