Locals rack up high marks at Mullen-Leavitt

Friday, at the 11-team Mullen-Leavitt Invitational, the sophomore set a personal-record 3,000-meter time of nine minutes and 54.71 seconds for first place, and he added a third in the 1,500 and helped the 4x400-meter relay squad to fourth place.

“It really motivates me a lot to try to get better every season and get better personal records, and honestly, I wouldn’t be able to do this without my team and my coaches pushing me every day and supporting me, helping me get faster. I just want to get faster times in every race, this way, hopefully, I can make it to state and have a good season.”

Overall, the Riverhawks posted 11 first-place finishes and added eight runner-up times, with Justin Conklin taking two victories, and Glenn Breckterfield, Phillip Dunagan, and the 4x400-meter relay group of Jack Bonham, Bill Burns, Denver Neill and Jonathan Knotts adding wins of their own.

Conklin, a 2017 state qualifier, set a season-best height of 6-feet to score top honors in the high jump and the junior blasted the 110-meter hurdle field with his mark of 16.38 seconds.

Breckterfield came out ahead in 44.07 to snag first in the 300-meter hurdles, Dunagan tallied a top toss of 129-02 for first place in the discus, and Bonham, Burns, Neill and Knotts combined for a 3:45.78 to secure a winning performance.

Taking second place in their events were Burns in the 400 (56.78), Gabe Lira in the 3,000 (9:54.86), Breckterfield in the 110-meter hurdles (17.28) Dunagan in the shotput (42-0) and Knotts in the high jump (5-8).

Knotts grabbed third place in the 800 (2:10.75), Alvarez ended up third in the 1,500 (4:27.14), Michael Lantz checked in for third place in his try at 3,000-meters (10:21.67) and Ian Fitzgerald wrapped the javelin event with a personal-record throw of 146-7 to lock down third place.

“I thought the boys that we have on our team did very good for their first meet,” Alvarez said. “We will definitely see better things from them this season.”

For the Riverhawk girls, Mercy I’aulualo strutted her stuff in the shotput (33-3.75) and discus (92-1) with season records and a pair of first-place titles. The 4x100-meter relay squad of Emily Adams, Jenna Miller, Jordyn Hattenhauer and Addie Klindt put up a 53.14 for a victory, Hattenhauer dominated her 200-meter field with her personal-record time of 27.93 to secure first place, and Adams tallied a high jump of 4-10 for first place.

Miller added a 30-1 to grab second in the triple jump, Tijen Kara secured second in the long jump after her personal record of 14-2, and Keisha Oregon earned runner-up in the shotput (27-8).

Emma Mullins placed third in the 800 (2:35.22), Emily Johnson was third-best in the 1,500 (12:21.69), Kara claimed third in the triple jump (30-0), and the 4x400-meter relay team of Liz Tapia, Mullins, Bailey Nearing and Miller joined forces for a 4:41.78 to pick up third place.

“I am really excited. I am doing a lot better than I did last year. It is only the first meet and I got a good time in the 400 (1:10.07), I PR’d in the 800 (2:56.13) and the 4x400 girls are looking good and I am excited for that, because I know that we are working hard to get back to state.”

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, The Dalles heads to Sherwood High School for the Sherwood Opener.

With a mix of newcomers, veterans and former state qualifiers, the Dufur Rangers have an expanded roster for multiple events under the watch of head coach Mackenzie Henderson.

The boys notched a third, two seconds and a first, while the girls added five top-5 outputs in Friday’s Mullen-Leavitt, as the revamped 4x100-meter relay team of Tanner Masterson, Abraham Kilby, Anthony Thomas and Asa Farrell crossed the line in 45.94 seconds to score the team’s lone win.

Cole Kortge, a two-time state qualifier, battled some good competition in the hurdle events, where he claimed second in the 300-meters (47.11) and wound up third in the 110-meters with a mark of 17.65.

Masterson, a first-year sprinter, placed second in the 100-meters with his 11.81 and he added runner-up status in the 200, where he hustled home in 23.93.

“Coach always has us going hard in practice, pushing us to reach our full potential,” Masterson said. “I feel like it was a good decision to come out for track. I have some good teammates here and they have helped me out a lot. It was a good meet today, but we just have to keep practicing and keep working hard, so we can keep winning.”

Farrell picked up third in the 100 (11.87), Friedrick Stelzer tacked on a personal-record mark of 10:27.38 for fourth place in the 3,000-meters, and Kilby check in with a toss of 132-feet-5-inches to claim fourth place in the javelin.

As one of eight male participants at the Mullen-Leavitt, Kortge sees a lot of potential.

“Our mentality and everything kind of relates back to football at our school and the dedication we have in that sport, so knowing that we can carry it over into track means a lot and puts us in a pretty good spot for districts,” Kortge said. “I think we all can challenge ourselves to get much better and see where it takes us. So, that is pretty exciting to see.”

Freshman Kierstin White came through in a major way for the Dufur girls’ team, ending up with the best finish of second place in the high jump, where she had a personal-record height of 4-8.

Aleksei Uhalde placed third in the long jump after a 14-0, Trinity Blake reeled off a 58.82 for fifth place in the 300-meter hurdles, the 4x100-mter relay team of Blake, Jessica Elam, Jessica Brown and Uhalde came out with a 58.28 for fifth place; and Brown, another freshman, tallied a 13-10 to secure fifth place in the long jump.

“I think it is going to be a good year, especially because we have a lot of several sophomores and a couple of freshmen on the girls’ team,” Blake said. “We are a younger team, but I think if we can stay together, we will be able to accomplish a lot.”

Dufur hits the track at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4 for the Hood River Valley Dual.

Owen Christiansen, Makoa Whitaker and Savanna Orendorff were in mid-season form, and the quartet of Jed Harrison, Desiree Winslow, Jaelyn Justesen and Lexi Grenvik are not far behind, as the Sherman Huskies opened their season with 12 top-5 outputs in Friday’s Mullen-Leavitt Invitational.

Christiansen, a sophomore, burst onto the scene with a personal-record distance of 39-feet-3-inches to capture a first-place finish in the triple jump, and he added another PR in the long jump, where he scored second place after a leap of 19-10.

Whitaker went for a 152-8 to earn runner-up status in the javelin toss, Harrison added fifth place in the 400 (59.65) and the 4x100-meter relay group of Whitaker, Harrison, Tyler Bledsoe and Christiansen posted a 49.56 to take fifth place.

“I think we have a lot of potential,” Bledsoe said of the boys’ team. “Since this is my first time doing track here at this school, it is more of challenge for me to kind of keep up what other kids did in the past. I am challenging myself pretty hard and I am going to work for it. It is really hard to live up to, I know, but if I keep on doing what I’m doing, I think I will get better and maybe work my way up.”

In her first high school meet, Orendorff turned on the jets to post a mark of 18.79 for second place and the Lady Huskies’ best finish, and she tacked on fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (54.75), and she was a key contributor on the 4x100-meter relay squad along with Winslow, Justesen and Nancy Ambriz that had a time of 56.68.

Justesen was fifth-best in the triple jump after a 26-10, and she added a javelin distance of 87-05 to place sixth.

Winslow had her best outcome in the 200-meter race, second place, with a 28.40; Grenvik captured fourth place in the 3,000 (13:44.42) and Ambriz, a freshman, hit for a personal-record of 1:12.78 to grab sixth in the 400-meter event.

“It is a big change going from middle school to high school, but I am pretty proud of myself right now, because I am doing a lot better than I did last year,” Ambriz said. “Our relay team did amazing, our sprinters and jumpers are doing good, so I think we can go higher. I believe in my team. We are giving it our best, so I think we can do some really good things in the future.”

At 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sherman and South Wasco County head out to Condon for the Condon-Wheeler Relays.

Kaitlin Wenz had top-3 efforts in two individual events, and the male trio of Andrew Wells, Andrew Hung and Ian Gray each placed fourth in their respective events to lead the Horizon Christian Hawks at Friday’s Mullen-Leavitt Invitational in The Dalles.

Wenz, a junior, wound up with a time of 28.33 seconds to secure second place in the 200-meter race, and she was third in the long jump with her distance of 14-feet.

Wells scored the boys’ best finish in the discus, where he tallied third place after a toss of 121-feet-1 inch, a personal record. Hung timed out in 12.07 to grab fourth place in the 100-meter race and Gray hit for a personal-record mark of 54.22 to claim fourth in the 300-meter hurdles.

The 4x100-meter relay team of JJ Holste, Hung, Kai Robertson and Caleb Lingel dropped a mark of 49.32 for fourth place, and the 4x400 group of Hung, Connor Wells, Deacon Lundby and Gray timed out in 4:14.34 to score fifth.

For the Horizon girls’ squad, Valerie Bruggeman had a personal-record height of 5-6 to get fourth place in the pole vault, Marena Decker was fourth-best in the shotput with her throw of 27-0, a personal record, and Fionna Marsalis set her personal of 11-10 to get 14th place in the long jump.

Up next, Horizon Christian makes a trip to Canby High School at noon on Wednesday, March 28 for the Canby All-Comers Track and Field Meet.