Twenty-four personal records and 14 state-meet qualifying spots highlighted The Dalles’ showing at Saturday’s Tri-Valley League district track and field championships.
The weather had a role in the process, as well. The two-day meet was reduced to one after an early evening, lightning storm blanketed the host community of Madras. The storm and accompanying rain that soaked the town forced the meet to be postponed until Saturday, eliminating running preliminaries and making all races on Saturday finals.
The drama on the track in the condensed, with the Riverhawks winning six district championships. The top two finishers at district — and those who meet qualifying standards, including one statewide wild card berth in each event — qualified for the 2023 OSAA Class 4A state meet, Friday and Saturday, at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Two of those district titles came from senior Zoe Dunn, who won her specialties — the long and triple jumps — and ran legs on The Dalles’ two relay teams. Dunn won the long jump with a mark of 17 feet, and the triple jump at 35-4. She continues to lead the 4A ranks in each event.
The Dalles won the 4x400 meter relay, with Lilly Adams, Madelyn Harrison, Amyrah Hill, and Dunn running a season best 4:13.47. That race included Dunn’s extra effort after she was passed in her anchor leg but hung in there to regain the lead prior to the finish. Earlier in the meet, the four ran 50.97 to finish second behind Crook County (50.72) in the 4x100.
As expected, Crook County won both team championships. The Dalles was second in the girls meet with 130.5 points. Crook County won with 223 points. The Cowboys won the boys meet with 214 points, while The Dalles was fourth with 90.
Coach Garth Miller’s Riverhawk athletes continued their climb up the performance lists this spring, and for some it led to state meet berths. Harrison finished second in the 200 in a personal record 26.73 seconds and was third in the 100 (13.35, also a PR). Adams was second in the 400 in 1:01.35 (PR).
“We as a coaching staff were really pleased with how many kids made the podium,” Miller said. “A lot of them are peaking at the right time and had a good day.”
Including sophomore Alana Casady, who qualified for state in two distance races. She was second in the 3000 in a photo finish with fellow sophomore Ruby Snyder of Crook County — 11:46.52 to 11:46.68. Casady earned a wildcard state meet berth with her third-place finish (5:10.44 PR) in the 1500. Junior Ruby Jaimes Mora was third in the 800 with a PR 2:38.02, and senior distance teammate Fiona Dunlop was fifth in the 800 and sixth in the 3000.
Sophomore hurdler/jumper Hannah Adams had one of the busiest days for the Riverhawks, placing at district in four individual events. She was third in the 100 hurdles in a season best 18.19, seventh in the 300 hurdles, third in the pole vault and fourth in the high jump for 19 team points. What’s more, Adams had her already busy schedule arguably affected the most by the weather.
“Hannah had to come back and finish the pole vault the morning of Saturday,” Miller said. “She’s got a great attitude and just went and did her thing.”
The Dalles also received district team points (top eight finishers) from: seniors Amy Hernandez (seventh discus; eighth shot put) and Josefine Nielsen (fourth triple jump, a PR 29-6.75; sixth high jump, PR 4-6); junior Marissa Baldy (14-3.25 PR, long jump; eighth high jump); junior Mayet Winwood (300 hurdles 57.19 PR); and Nayeli Vergara (seventh, 3000).
In the boys meet, The Dalles had four state qualifiers and two district champions, including double champ Juan Diego Contreras in the 1500 and 3000. The senior school record-holder in the longer race also ran a leg on the Riverhawks’ third place 4x400 relay along with Tyson Long, Noah Preston and Vincent Ziegenhagen. Long ran a PR 800 of 2:06.38 to finish third in the two-lap race, while Ziegenhagen had a unique day event-wise. In addition to his 400-meter relay split, he ran a non-placing tenth in the 400 with a PR 55.79; was ninth in the javelin; and PR’d in the 300 hurdles in 45.38.
Hurdle Coach Tim McClure saw his athletes register three lifetime intermediate bests, including that of his son, River, who finished a state-qualifying third in 41.72. Senior Skyler Coburn finished ninth with a PR of 45.74. Freshman Derek Goulart earned his lifetime best of 6 feet in the high jump which earned him a runner-up finish and state meet berth in that event.
Also qualifying for state for the Riverhawks was sophomore pole vaulter Julian Morehouse, who cleared a PR 14-1 to win the event. Morehouse’s mark is the fifth-best in the 4A ranks this season and No. 3 on the school’s all-time list. The sophomore, whose brother, Taylor, won the state pole vault championship in 2022, went back and forth with Crook County’s Joel Rice until the Cowboy vaulter failed to go higher than his 13-foot PR.
Joining Contreras as placers in the boys 3000 were Lemann (third, 9:39.16) and Aiden Erickson (fifth, 10:08.4). Also placing for The Dalles boys were London Leitz (sixth long jump; eighth triple jump); McClure (sixth high jump; sixth javelin); Joseph Codding (eighth shot put); Lemann (fifth 1500); and McClure, Marquies Sagapolutele, Morehouse, and Michael Cole, who were fourth in the 4x100 (45.15).
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