Oregon’s top high school boys track and field athletes: Meet the state’s best distance runners

Who are the top distance runners in Oregon high school boys track and field this season?

By René Ferrán

We’re highlighting many of the state's top returning high school track and field athletes. 

Our sixth list focuses on the boys distance runners. Here are some of Oregon’s best in the 800, 1500 and 3000.

There are hundreds of great athletes in the state, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive. Let us know about any athletes you think should be added! 

Jeffery Rogers (Sherwood) photo by Taylor Balkom

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Aaron Lakeman, Jr., Tualatin

Personal bests: 800 meters, 1 minute, 58.28 seconds; 1,500, 4:03.55; 3,000, 8:31.09

The younger brother of Eastbay XC national championship qualifier Caleb Lakeman is making a name for himself. He won the Three Rivers district title in the 3,000 as a sophomore and lowered his personal best by 12 seconds in winning the Laker Classic on April 1.

Aiden Smith, Sr., Lincoln

Personal bests: 800, 1:57.88; 1,500, 3:54.99; 3,000, 8:27.77

Smith came on strong toward the end of his junior season, finishing with a seventh-place showing at the Class 6A state meet. The Oregon commit followed in the fall by winning the PIL district cross country title and finishing seventh at the 6A state meet and the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase. “Aiden is a fearless competitor who really brings the juice on meet day,” Cardinals coach Eric Dettman said. “I love his tenacity and how that rubs off on his teammates. They walk taller when Aiden is around because of that confidence.”

Anthony Giesch, Jr., Newberg

Personal bests: 1,500, 4:14.00; 3,000, 8:49.39

Giesch broke 9 minutes in the 3,000 for the first time last spring, finishing the season with a third-place finish at the Pacific district meet. He built on that finish during cross country season, qualifying for state and placing 35th. His classmates might know him best as the voice of the school’s daily announcements every morning. “Anthony was a huge leader for our whole distance crew this winter,” Tigers coach Brandon Ramey said. “He is a smart, cerebral runner who knows how to train hard and smart. He is very fit and motivated to have a big year.”

Ben Collins, Sr., Sheldon

Personal bests: 800, 2:00.25 1500, 4:05.60; 3000, 8:50.02

Collins didn’t get a chance to compete against the state’s best during the COVID-shortened 2021 spring season, “settling” for a Eugene City championship in the 3,000 and a runner-up finish in the 1,500. The Portland State commit had a strong cross country season, winning the Northwest Classic and placing 14th at the 6A state meet, and he’s set a personal best in the 1,500 this spring. “Ben’s light-hearted personality provides him great balance in life, because when he steps on the track to compete, he definitely puts all his heart and soul into each race,” Irish coach Erin Regalli said.

Benjamin Bourne, Jr., Santiam Christian

Personal bests: 1500, 4:18.32; 3000, 9:15.38

Bourne dominated the small-school ranks during his first season of high school track, going undefeated in the 1,500 and 3,000 and capping it with victories at the 3A state meet, running personal bests in both. In the fall, he won a district cross country title, placed sixth at the 3A state championships and took second in the NW Small/Large High School Club division at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase.

Braydon Lee, Jr., Barlow

Personal bests: 800, 1:57.40; 1500, 4:17.25

Lee is easily identifiable at every track meet for the tie-dye outfits he wears. “Shirt, socks, shorts, sweatshirt — he always has something tie-dyed on,” said Bruins coach Scott Jones. “It is pretty awesome to see.” He’s starting to get noticed for his work on the track as well, battling to a third-place finish at the Mt. Hood district meet in the 800 in May and running a two-second PR in finishing second at the Laker Classic on April 1. He qualified for the state cross country meet in November, finishing 61st. “Braydon is a competitor,” Jones said. “I’ve seen it for many years, and one of the reasons I’m excited to have him on the 4x4 relay is he will fight and compete every step around the track.”

Brody Bushnell, Jr., Philomath

Personal bests: 800, 1:58.97; 1500, 4:03.04; 3000, 9:25.08

Bushnell capped his first season with a couple of Class 4A state titles, winning the 800 and 1,500 championships at Siuslaw High in Florence. He came back in the fall to take second at the Oregon West district meet but did not run at state because of an illness.

Caden Hildenbrand, Sr., Jesuit

Personal bests: 1500, 4:04.83; 3000, 8:34.07

Hildenbrand started his career at Westside Christian, winning the Class 3A state title in the 3,000 and taking fourth in the 1,500 as a freshman. After transferring to Jesuit before his sophomore year, he finished second in the 1,500 at the Metro district meet in May and placed 12th at the 6A state cross country meet in November, adding a ninth at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase and a 43rd-place finish (out of 309 runners) at the Garmin RunningLane XC Championships in Alabama.

Caleb Lakeman, Sr., Tualatin

Personal bests: 800, 1:56.56; 1500, 3:55.44

The Georgetown signee won Three Rivers district titles in the 800 and 1,500 in May, then finished fifth at the 6A state meet in the 800. He surprised himself with how much success he had during the cross country season, when he won six races (including a TRL district title), placed fifth at state and qualified for the Eastbay National Championships.

Charlie North, Sr., Franklin

Personal bests: 800, 1:55.90; 1500, 3:55.62; 3000, 9:10.7

North, who will join Lakeman at Georgetown, earned All-America honors at the Eastbay National XC Championships and finished second at the 6A state cross country meet. He wants to improve upon a solid junior season on the track — a second-place finish at the 6A state meet in the 800 and a runner-up PIL district finish in the 1,500.

Colin Friend, Sr., St. Stephen’s Academy

Personal bests: 1500, 4:04.8; 3000, 8:45.52

Friend went undefeated during the COVID spring season, capping his run with 1A state titles in the 1,500 and 3,000 at Eastern Oregon University. He followed with a 3A/2A/1A state cross country title in November and a 39th-place finish at the NXR Northwest Regional Championships.

Connor Singer, Sr., South Medford

Personal bests: 800, 1:59.84; 1500, 4:04.77; 3000, 8:53.90

Singer posted runner-up finishes to Crater’s Tyrone Gorze in the 1,500 and 3,000 at the Southern Oregon regional championships last spring, but his future might lie in the middle distances. Panthers coach David Kirkpatrick moved him to the 800 this spring, and he broke 2 minutes in his first race at the Crater Twilight.

Dominic Ricci, Sr., Jesuit

Personal bests: 800, 1:58.88; 1500, 4:10.20

Ricci is quickly becoming the anchor of the Crusaders’ middle-distance corps. He finished second at the Metro district meet in the 800 last May and ran a leg on the second-place 4x400 relay. In the fall, he posted a top-10 finish at the Metro district cross country meet and was 27th at the 6A state championships.

Elliot Hawley, Jr., Hood River Valley

Personal bests: 1500, 4:03.57; 3000, 4:03.57

Hawley qualified for the 5A state meet in the 1,500 and 3,000 last spring, coming up one place short of the podium in the 1,500. In the fall, he again finished one spot short of the podium, placing 11th at the state cross country championships.

Ethan Sturdivant, Sr., Sherwood

Personal bests: 800, 1:56.41; 1500, 4:08.13

Bowmen coach Terrel Smith remembers watching Sturdivant coming up through the ranks in middle school and the excitement he felt knowing Sturdivant would soon join his program. “He did not disappoint,” Smith said. “He has met and exceeded all my expectations.” The University of Idaho commit has qualified for the 6A state meet in the 800 each of his two seasons, finishing sixth as both a freshman and a junior. He also anchored the 4x400 relay to a second-place finish at state last May.

Finn Anspach, Sr., Ridgeview

Personal bests: 800, 1:58.18; 1500, 4:01.37; 3000, 8:56.50

Anspach nearly qualified for state in the 800 as a freshman at Redmond, then came up big last spring after transferring to Ridgeview the summer before his junior year by placing third at the 5A meet while running a personal-best time. He took eighth in the 1,500, then came back under the tutelage of his fourth distance coach in four years to post a career-best eighth-place finish at the 5A cross country meet in November. He plans to run at Portland State.

Henry Coughlan, Sr., Crescent Valley

Personal bests: 1500, 4:05.31; 3000, 8:53.75

Coughlan spent his first three years in Northeast Oregon, running cross country for Enterprise (winning the 2019 Class 3A/2A/1A state title) and track for Joseph (placing twice at the 1A state meet as a freshman). He moved to the Willamette Valley for his senior season, and after placing fourth at the 5A state cross country meet in November, he’s poised for a big senior season on the track.

Jackson Vande Zandschulp, Jr., Sunset

Personal bests: 800, 1:56.80; 1500, 4:04.44

Vande Zandschulp won the Metro district title in the 1,500 and placed eighth at the 6A state meet in the 800 as a sophomore. He entered this season off a top-10 finish at the Metro district cross country championships.

Jacob Nenow, Jr., Jesuit

Personal bests: 800, 2:00.51; 1500, 3:55.57; 3000, 8:30.83

The Crusaders have consistently had a strong distance program, and Nenow is the latest product to come out of it. He ran a personal best in the 3K last May in placing eighth at the 6A state meet, and he finished second at the Metro district cross country meet, fourth at state and sixth at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase. He ended the fall season with a 19th-place finish at the Garmin RunningLane XC Championships.

James Crabtree, Sr., Sherwood

Personal bests: 1500, 4:02.16; 3000, 8:32.14

Crabtree showed flashes of his potential as a junior, winning the Pacific district 1,500 title and qualifying for the 6A state meet in the 3,000. It wasn’t until the fall that he fully realized it, winning the 6A state cross country title and placing fourth at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase before finishing as the top Oregonian at the Garmin RunningLane XC Championships, placing 17th in a personal-best 14:34.66. He has signed with the University of Washington and hopes shearing his long locks won’t have a Samson-like effect for his senior season. “James is a coach’s dream,” Bowmen coach Terrel Smith said. “He is hard-working, coachable, talented and a quality human being.”

Jeffery Rogers, Sr., Sherwood

Personal bests: 800, 1:58.82; 1500, 3:54.34; 3000, 8:26.59

Rogers and Crabtree spent the fall dueling at the front of the pack during cross country season, with Rogers finishing 10th to make the medals podium. Now, the University of Oregon signee hopes to improve upon his junior-year finishes at the 6A state track meet — seventh in the 1,500 and fourth in the 3,000, when he set school records in both events. “Jeffery has led the cross country and track distance athletes by example,” coach Terrel Smith said. “He trains consistently year-round and sets a high standard for all the underclassmen.”

Juan Diego Contreras, Jr., The Dalles

Personal bests: 1500, 3:57.51; 3000, 8:47.76

Contreras made up for lost time after missing out on his freshman track season, taking home fourth-place medals in the 1,500 and 3,000 from the Class 5A state meet. He built upon that success during the cross country season, winning five races (including the Intermountain district title) before placing third at the 5A state meet and 20th at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase.

Mason Kissell, Sr., Summit

Personal bests: 1500, 4:01.83; 3000, 8:50.76

Kissell has not experienced success on the track yet to rival what he’s done on the cross country trails, where he won Mountain Valley district titles as a freshman and a senior and posted two top-25 finishes at the 6A state meet. He signed with Gonzaga last month. “Mason is talented, strong and smart, a great team captain,” said Storm coach Dave Turnbull.

Max Girardet, Sr., Central Catholic

Personal bests: 1500, 4:00.90; 3000, 8:31.72

Girardet transferred from Clackamas the summer before his junior year, then had to wait until the spring to compete for the Rams because of the COVID-delayed start to the sport season. He made the top 10 at the Rose City Invite season-ending cross country meet, then won a Mt. Hood district title in the 3,000 before placing ninth at the 6A state meet. Last fall, he was second at the MHC district cross country meet, sixth at state and 12th at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase, and he finished the season with a 30th-place showing at the Garmin RunningLane Championships. He also competes on the school’s Constitution team that qualified for the first time for the national championships in late April.

Michael Maiorano, Sr., South Medford

Personal bests: 1500, 3:53.85; 3000, 8:19.95

Maiorano placed third in the 3,000 and sixth in the 1,500 at the 6A state meet last spring, then came back in the fall to place eighth at the 6A state cross country championships and earn All-America honors with a 12th-place finish at the Eastbay National Championships. The Gonzaga signee, whom Panthers coach David Kirkpatrick has nicknamed “Kanye” for his love of the Grammy winner’s music, also runs many races unattached and picks a retro NBA jersey for the occasion. At the Spokane Indoor Invitational this winter, he raced in a Jason Kidd jersey, prompting the crowd to chant “KIDD!” as he completed a lap in the 3,000 (he finished second).

Parker Waugh, Sr., Barlow

Personal bests: 800, 1:56.38; 1500, 4:07.30

Waugh transformed himself from a middling middle-distance runner as a freshman to one of the state’s best last spring, finishing third at the Mt. Hood district meet in the 1,500 and qualifying for the 6A state meet in the 800. He lowered his 800 personal best in winning an AAU regional qualifier in Boise in June, followed by a fifth-place finish in the Tri-State race at The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field. “The past couple of years have been pretty amazing for Parker,” Bruins coach Scott Jones said. “He has become very dedicated to all aspects of his training, and it shows. I think with some of the meets we are attending, he will have multiple chances to drop some seriously fast times.”

Raphael Blandini, Jr., McDaniel

Personal bests: 800, 1:56.78; 1500, 4:19.17

Blandini missed out on his freshman season for the Mountain Lions, but he had a standout sophomore year, finishing second at the PIL district meet in the 800 and seventh at the 6A state championships.

Tommy O’Neil, Sr., Canby

Personal bests: 800, 1:58.11; 1500, 4:03.30

O’Neil posted a runner-up finish in the 1,500 at the Three Rivers district meet, then lowered his personal best in the 800 by four seconds in finishing fourth in the Tri-State race at The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field. In the fall, he won the Northwest Small/Large Club division at the Pacific Northwest Regional XC Showcase.

Tucker Bowerfind, Sr., Lincoln

Personal bests: 1500, 4:04.13; 3000, 8:47.36

Bowerfind made the podium at the PIL district meet in the 1,500 and 3,000 but really broke through during the cross country season, when he finished third at district, 11th at the 6A state meet and 11th at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase. That caught the eye of Boston University coaches, and he’ll be running for the Terriers next fall. “It’s been a joy watching Tucker’s confidence grow over the last four years,” Cardinals coach Eric Dettman said. “A confident Tucker is a dangerous Tucker, and we’ve really put a lot of emphasis on helping him to believe in himself.”

Tyrone Gorze, Jr., Crater

Personal bests: 800, 1:58.25; 1500, 3:50.88; 3000, 8:23.53

Gorze first made himself known to Southern Oregon track fans last spring, when he won the regional titles in the 1,500 and 3,000. He then headed up I-5 to Wilsonville, where he won the 5A state title in the 1,500. In the fall, he became a 5A state champion and an All-American in cross country, going undefeated during the high school season and winning the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase and Eastbay West Region titles before placing sixth at the Eastbay National Championships. “Tyrone is goal-oriented and intentional,” Comets coach Kierra Huggins said. “For him, he views every practice and race as an opportunity to advance himself to his personal goals.”

Wesley Shipsey, Jr., Central Catholic

Personal bests: 800, 1:55.10; 1500, 3:51.07; 3000, 8:26.98

Shipsey has had a meteoric rise over the past 12 months, transforming from a good JV runner to a national champion miler. It started last spring, when he won four cross country meets and finished sixth at the Rose City Invite. A month later, he won a Mt. Hood district title in the 1,500 and placed sixth at the 6A state meet in the 3,000. In the fall, he won the Mt. Hood district cross country title, placed third at state and took fifth at the Pacific Northwest Regional Showcase. That all led up to last month, when he traveled to Staten Island and won the Nike Indoor Nationals mile. “Wes is the most competitive distance runner we’ve had at Central Catholic over the last decade,” Rams coach Robyn McGillis said. “He is a driven young man, both athletically and academically.”

Zachary Giesch, Jr., Newberg

Personal bests: 1500, 4:04.69; 3000, 8:42.85

Giesch posted runner-up finishes at the Pacific district meet in the 1,500 and 3,000 last spring, qualifying for the 6A state meet in the 3K and posting a personal best while finishing 13th. He finished fourth at the district cross country meet in the fall and 29th at state. Giesch is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, and Tigers coach Brandon Ramey knows if he’s not on the track, he’ll find Giesch on the river somewhere. He spent the winter rehabbing an IT band injury but should be 100% by the time the big meets arrive. “Zach’s commitment to his PT and rehab this winter was impressive,” Ramey said. “He has very good natural speed, and he has regained fitness quickly. We expect him to have a big season.”