Nearly six months after winning the 6A boys cross country title, South Eugene junior Yosuke Shibata showed off his improvement on the track Friday in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays at Jesuit High School.
Shibata finished the Elite Mile in 4:05.61, placing third behind two out-of-state runners. His en-route 1,500-meter time of 3:47.93 shaved more than five seconds off his previous best and moved him up to No. 11 on the state's all-time list.
The next Oregon finishers in the Elite Mile were Jesuit senior Kellen Williams (sixth-4:09.24), Lincoln junior Peter James (seventh-4:09.30) and Summit junior Bjorn Blankenship (eighth-4:09.65). The race produced the top nine 1,500 times in the state this season.
“It was great to see him have that big breakthrough,” South Eugene distance coach Jeff Hess said. “He's pretty confident, but it's definitely a boost to get some reinforcement.”
Senior Jackson Spencer of Herriman (Utah) won in 3:58.17 and senior Caden Leonard of Southlake Carroll (Texas) was second in 4:01.55.
“What I was most pleased with is Yosuke went with the break after 800 and stayed with the leaders through the next lap,” Hess said. “He didn't have another gear left in the last 400, but that commitment was really impressive.”
Shibata broke Hess' 1,500 school record of 3:50.80. Hess clocked that time in winning the 1979 state title and it stood as the state-meet record for more than two decades.
“It was great to be able to coach the guy who broke my school record,” Hess said. “He's just behind me in other events, and he'll be way ahead of me before he's done.”
Shibata prepared to run the mile at Nike Indoor Nationals last month but had to pull out due to illness, setting back his training as he entered the season. In the Oregon Relays on April 4, he took fourth in the mile in 4:08.56, his 1,500 en-route time of 3:53.14 setting a personal best.
Last year, Shibata placed third in the 800 and sixth in the 1,500 in the 6A meet. He was plagued by a calf strain that he suffered in the middle of the season.
“Some of his improvement this year has been dramatic in part because he didn't quite reach the level that he might have been able to last spring,” Hess said.
The calf strain was a contributing factor to Shibata focusing on the 800 rather than the 3,000 last season. The 3,000 is in play for him this season.
“He'll run two events at state. We're not sure which two yet, but the 1,500 will be one of them,” Hess said. “He'll run a competitive 3,000 and a competitive 800 right before district and we'll make a decision. He definitely will be in the state meet to win races.”
Lincoln claims another record
Lincoln junior Ellery Lincoln continued her record-breaking season Friday in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays.
Lincoln took down a 35-year-old state record in the 1,500, coming on the heels of shattering the 3,000 state record on April 8.
In winning the Elite Mile in 4:30.00, Lincoln covered the first 1,500 in 4:12.16. That was good enough to clip the previous state record of 4:12.72, held by Springfield's Maria Mutola since 1991.
Derailed by illness as a sophomore, the Oregon-bound Lincoln is making up for it as a junior. She won the 6A cross country title last fall and has pocketed two state records in track. She also ran the 800 in 2:05.21 on April 17, moving her to No. 3 in state history.
Add Jesuit Twilight
Two of the best girls triple-jumpers in state history went head-to-head in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays. Westview senior Saskia Dorf soared 40 feet, 10 ½ inches to beat Jesuit senior Iman Foster by one inch.
Dorf's mark beat her previous best by a half-inch and ranks third all-time in the state behind McDaniel's Maleigha Canaday-Elliott (41-2 ¼, 2024) and Foster (40-11, 2025).
Summit senior Anna Millikan threw the javelin 165-4 to win, adding nearly five feet to her PR. She now stands at No. 7 all-time in the state.
Silverton freshman Scout Haugen set a freshman state record by clearing 5-9 ¼ in the high jump. She leads the state and is tied for No. 12 on the state's all-time list.
Tigard senior Marcus Burton won a hotly contested race in the boys Elite 100, finishing in 10.48 to beat Oregon City junior Colin Smith (10.51) and West Linn junior Cooper Roms (10.52). They are the top three times in the state this season and rank seventh, 11th and 12 in state history.
Roms also helped West Linn's 4x100 boys relay team to a win in 41.61, the No. 8 time in state history. The team was composed of junior Ashden Marquis, Roms and seniors Bellu Dior Vixamar and MJ Kennebrew.
Hedgepeth flexes
La Grande junior Brogan Hedgepeth set school records in the discus and shot in the Legends Twilight Invitational on Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash.
Hedgepeth threw the discus 193-5 – breaking his old record by 10 feet – and threw the shot 56-10 ¼. He finished second in both events to senior Simon Rosselli of Mead (Wash.).
Hedgepeth leads the state this season in the discus and is ranked No. 10 in state history. He has the state's No. 3 mark in the shot this season.
jerryu@osaa.org
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