Oregon high school track and field state championships get underway at Hayward Field in Eugene: Day 1 recap

Several champions were crowned in 3A, 2A and 1A on the first day of competition.

By René Ferrán 

The Oregon high school track and field state championships got underway Thursday with Class 3A, 2A and 1A competition at Hayward Field in Eugene. 

State previews: BOYS | GIRLS

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Class 3A

EUGENE — Oregon Episcopal runners swept the Class 3A 3,000-meter titles on Day 1 of the OSAA track and field state championships Thursday at Hayward Field.

The Coquille girls, who won the 2A team title last spring, took a big step toward winning the 3A title with a strong first day, led by victories from Holli Vigue in the discus and Callie Millet in the javelin.

The Red Devils scored 41 points on the first day, with plenty of points still on the table Friday in the field events and relays.

The Siuslaw boys grabbed the overnight lead with 20 points, just ahead of Cascade Christian and Oregon Episcopal with 19 apiece.

Girls

A year ago, OES junior Morgan Matthews was an 11:30 runner for 3,000 meters, placing third at state and finishing 27 seconds off the pace.

On Thursday, it was Matthews setting the pace, pulling away over the second half to win the race in 10 minutes, 28.71 seconds, to defeat Elmira’s Alyssa Johnson by five seconds.

“The first three laps, I kind of just wanted to cruise, see what the placing was like,” Matthews said. “Then, the last two laps, I was like, ‘OK, now it’s time to go,’ and my coach was screaming at me that it’s time to go, so, you know, I had to go.”

Cascade Christian senior Autumn Murray defended her title in the long jump, avenging a loss to St. Mary’s (Medford) senior Sidney DeBoer at last week’s district meet — her first career loss to her crosstown rival — by jumping 17 feet, 4 inches, to defeat DeBoer by 1½ inches.

“Long jump was just the reason I fell in love with track,” Murray said. “Being able to come here and win junior year, I was like, ‘Oh, this is awesome.’ And then, senior year, securing it again just made it even more special.”

Another repeat champion was Catlin Gabel sophomore Caroline Mauro, who broke the school record in the high jump by clearing 5-7¼ on her second attempt.

She also set the state 3A sophomore record and moved to a tie for fourth on the all-time 3A list.

“My PR until now was 5-4 outdoors, and it’s been kind of hard getting back up to those heights,” Mauro said. “So, it was really cool jumping that because that’s been my goal all year, and to finally get it was really exhilarating.”

Millet won the javelin with a throw of 125-9, defeating teammate and 2022 2A champion Trinidy Blanton to give Coquille 18 points. Millet finished sixth in the discus, which Vigue won — also with a 125-9 throw.

Boys

Aardvarks senior Olin Glister bided his time when La Pine’s Wyatt Montgomery broke free to start the 3,000, opening a 50-meter gap in the opening lap.

He steadily reeled Montgomery in over the next five laps, then opened a gap himself on Santiam Christian’s Benjamin Bourne that stretched to six seconds in the end, winning the race in 8:56.38.

Glister had a scare a couple of weeks ago when he sustained a calf injury, but he returned in time for district, where his winning time of 9:06.17 told him he still had the stamina to compete for a state title.

“I was pretty confident that as time went on, I could catch (Wyatt) with my speed,” Glister said. “I heard my coach over there telling me I was getting seconds off my time, so I just trusted myself through about five laps to get it going. I was giving it all I had, and I had more leg speed, and I just took it.”

Siuslaw senior Kyle Hughes cleared a personal-best 15-0 to win the pole vault, moving to No. 4 on the all-time 3A list. Cascade Christian freshman Jadon Dykes went 22-0¾ to win the long jump, and St. Mary’s (Medford) senior Kyan Hidde won the shot put in 46-11½.

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Class 2A

EUGENE — Hallee Hughes has swept the district throws titles each of the past two years.

Now, after adding Class 2A state titles in the discus and javelin Thursday at the OSAA state track and field championships at Hayward Field, the Willamina senior hopes to complete the trifecta that eluded her a year ago in 3A.

Hughes broke the meet record in her first event of the day, winning the javelin with a throw of 139 feet, 4 inches.

Later in the afternoon, she came one inch short of her PR and six feet shy of the meet record in the discus, winning her third state title in the event (she also won the 3A culminating-week meet in 2021) in 139-7.

“Today, I was going for meet records,” said Hughes, who recently signed with the University of Nevada. “I got one, and I almost got the other one.”

Friday, she’ll look to win her first shot put title. She finished third last season to miss out on the sweep.

“I may not be the strongest, but I can outcompete anyone,” she said. “Right now, I have eight district championships, so why can I not get six state championships?”

Hughes’ two titles pushed Willamina to second in the overnight team standings with 21 points, five behind Bandon, which had freshman Marley Petrey jump 16-8¾ to win the long jump. Gervais junior Olivia Boyd repeated as high jump champion, clearing 5-4¼.

East Linn Christian sophomore Daisy Lalonde, who took second in the 3,000 meters last spring, added the 3K title to the cross country championship she won in November, pulling away over the final third of the race from Vernonia’s Delaney Draeger to win in 10 minutes, 30.34 seconds.

“At the beginning, the gun misfired, and that was the worst flinch ever,” Lalonde said. “It set me back a little bit, and then Delaney was right behind me for the first few laps.

“My coach had me plan to either start kicking on the third lap and then coast the last two, or try outkicking her on the last lap. And when he said, ‘Make a decision,’ with three laps to go, I was like, ‘Oh, God, I’ve got to lose her.’”

Boys

Heppner’s Trevor Nichols decided to mix things up for his senior year.

Last year, Nichols won a state title in the 800, but this spring, he decided to drop the event and instead add the 3,000 and 400 along with the 1,500 at Hayward Field before heading to Eastern Oregon University.

“The 3,000 is my least-favorite race, to be honest, but I decided I haven’t done one at state, so I wanted to try it,” Nichols said after shaving 11 seconds off his personal best to win in 9:03.58.

“The reason I don’t like it is because I feel like I’m not hitting my potential in it, so before the race, I’m just thinking, I could do better, so I’m going to keep pushing myself until I can get a PR.”

East Linn Christian — propelled by senior Kaleo Wellman’s victory in the long jump in 22-0¼ — grabbed the Day 1 lead with 15 points, with Salem Academy and Knappa scoring 13 each.

Regis senior Tim Crowell won the pole vault with a 12-0 clearance, and Culver senior Peter Miranda won the shot put with a throw of 47-6½.

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Class 1A

EUGENE — Adrian senior Jace Martin took his older brother Conley’s advice to heart Thursday during Day 1 of the OSAA track and field championships at Hayward Field.

Martin, the defending Class 1A state champion in the 100 and 200 meters, didn’t take it easy during the preliminary heats of his three races.

Instead, the Air Force Academy recruit blazed to meet records in each race, running the 100 in 10.60 seconds, the 200 in 21.88 and the 400 in 49.80.

“He called me and was like, ‘You never know, it could be horrible weather tomorrow, so you might as well go for it,’” Jace said. “So, I had a little saved in the tank, so just go for it and see how it worked out.”

Martin’s time in the 100 obliterated the 1A state record and moved him to 14th on the all-time state list. His time in the 200 is No. 2 all-time among 1A sprinters, trailing only Ryan Lewis of Damascus Christian, who went 21.53 in 2005.

The day’s closest finish came in the 3,000, when Joseph sophomore Jett Leavitt broke free of a four-runner pack on the final lap, then held off Condon junior Grady Greenwood by one-hundredth of a second in a personal-best 9:02.40.

“I did not think I had him at the end. I barely pushed through,” Leavitt said. “It’s a dream right now. Last year, I was (eighth) at state, so to come up this close, all the way to first, is like a dream come true.”

Other Day 1 winners were Trout Lake sophomore Sawyer Dean, who repeated in the pole vault by going 14 feet, 2¾ inches; Yoncalla freshman Jayden Churchwell, who cleared 6-0¾ in the high jump; Days Creek senior Keith Gaskell in the long jump (20-10½); and Myrtle Point junior Mason Detzler in the shot put (51-5¾).

Union grabbed the Day 1 lead with 20 points, followed by Yoncalla (16.75) and Trout Lake (15.75).

Girls

Crane junior Kortney Doman did not match her winning high jump of a year ago, but she still found herself standing atop the medals podium, winning a tiebreaker with Damascus Christian freshman Tay Balensifer after both cleared 5-1¾.

“I came in here with high hopes, and it feels great to be able to win again,” Doman said. “I haven’t been getting my PR (5-4) all season, and I really thought I could today, but it’s all right. A championship is a championship.”

Defending champion Damascus Christian held the overnight lead with 22 points, with Crane and Sherman scoring 16 apiece.

The Huskies also had junior Sophie Hulke win the discus title in 113-2. New Hope Christian sophomore Ava Barnett jumped 17-0½ to win the long jump. Powder Valley senior Dallee Bingham (javelin, 117-11) and St. Stephen’s sophomore Macy Marshall (3,000, 11:21.76) also won titles.