In her high school track career, Newberg's Sophia Castaneda has been a witness to history, running in races in which Lake Oswego's Mia Brahe-Pedersen and Josie Donelson set state records in the 200 and 400 meters, respectively.
Now a senior, Castaneda is making some history of her own.
Saturday at the Summit Invitational, the Michigan-bound Castaneda not only broke Donelson's record in the 400, she shattered it. Castaneda finished in 52.17 seconds to eclipse the mark of 52.83 that Donelson set in the 6A meet in 2024.
“I felt it coming. I knew it was eventually going to happen,” said Castaneda, who crushed her previous PR of 53.02 from April 8. “It was a really nice day and my legs were super fresh. I just felt calm. I was cracking jokes before we got into the blocks, talking to people. It just felt like it was a good day to run.”
Getting the record was one thing, but doing it in emphatic fashion was another. The time ranks No. 6 in the nation for high school girls this season.
“I felt a 52 coming, but I didn't realize it was going to be a low 52,” said Castaneda, the reigning 6A champion in the event. “So that definitely took me by surprise. ... The time popped up, and it was just super loud. It was just excitement.”
In an effort to set the record pace, Newberg coach Brandon Ramey arranged for Castaneda to run in a mixed heat that featured three girls and two boys. One of the boys was Newberg senior Ethan Parmer, Castaneda's training partner for the past year.
“He was totally down with trying to get her the state record,” Ramey said of Parmer, who ran two lanes away from Castaneda and finished first in 51.47. “She was comfortable knowing that he could put her out to a good time.”
In 400 training, Ramey has challenged Castaneda to do 45-second sprints. In Saturday's race, Ramey knew that Castaneda would threaten the record judging by her position on the track after 45 seconds.
“She was farther along than she's ever been,” Ramey said. “Then the time popped up, and I was like, 'That can't be right.' I was a little bit surprised, for sure.”
The big PR was typical of the steady progress Castaneda has made in the 400 since her freshman year, when her best was 55.12. Ramey said the time reflected on her sprint training and commitment to the weight room.
“It all just kind of came to fruition,” he said. “But she knows she can do it now. Hopefully, for the next couple weeks we can put out some more fast times. She just has a self-belief and drive that's not like anybody I've ever had.”
Taking down the record will help alleviate pressure on Castaneda for the rest of the season, according to Ramey.
“We've been training to get to a point where she could take a run at it, at this point,” Ramey said, “and then go into bigger meets in the next two or three weeks in a good spot. So it's kind of off her mind and she can run a little bit more free.”
Also Saturday, Castaneda matched her personal best in the 200 with a winning time of 24.41, which ranks No. 16 all-time in the state. She posted the time despite a headwind on the home stretch.
“I was pretty happy with it,” said Castaneda, the 6A runner-up in the 200 last year. “I hadn't run the 200 in like a month, so to go out and run my PR was a pleasant surprise.”
Castaneda showed her versatility April 22 by running the 800 in 2:12.25, the No. 3 time in the state this year. She had not run the 800 since her sophomore season, when she clocked her previous best of 2:19.41.
“I kind of ran it with no 800 practice,” Castaneda said. “I still had a lot of gas left in the tank, I feel like. I was super happy about that. It was a really nice surprise. I don't know if I'll ever run the 800 again, but if anybody ever needs me to run an 800, I'm so down to do it. It was fun.”
Castaneda entered the high school season off a runner-up performance in the 400 at New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston on March 14. She timed 53.86 to finish second by .04 seconds.
“If there was another five meters, she would have tracked her down and been the national champion,” Ramey said. “I think she realized, 'Hey, I can run with all these girls. I'm truly one of the best sprinters in the country.'”
Castaneda reflected on how she was influenced by Donelson and Brahe-Pedersen early in her high school career.
“I was super, super lucky to have them be in high school at the same time as me,” she said. “Josie, I was so lucky to have her to race with. My plan was always to trail behind her, try to stick with her as much as I could. They were both big inspirations to me.”
Notes: West Linn's boys relay teams continued their outstanding season Saturday in the Rose City Championship Invite at Lincoln High School. The Lions won the 4x100 in 41.30, improving on their state-best time, and took the 4x400 in 3:18.20, moving them up to No. 1 in the state. West Linn's 4x100 relay now ranks No. 3 on the state's all-time list behind Oregon City (41.00 in 2025) and Sheldon (41.19 in 2014). The Lions 4x400 relay is No. 8 all-time. Juniors Ashden Marquis and Cooper Roms and seniors Bellu Dior Vixamar and MJ Kennybrew composed the 4x100 relay and Kennybrew, Roms, senior Aidan Sauer and junior Isaac Compaore made up the 4x400 relay. …
McNary junior Derek Olivo, last year's 6A champion in the javelin, added two feet to his PR with a throw of 208-7 in the Rose City Championship Invite. He is No. 1 in the state this season and No. 19 all-time. … Junction City senior Kaleb Moore, the two-time reigning 4A champion in the shot, added to his state-best mark by throwing 60 feet, 5 inches in the Marist Track Classic on Saturday. He threw a personal-best 62-3 last year. …Newberg senior Caleb Lofdahl cleared 16-0 in the pole vault in the Summit Invitational on Saturday, adding seven inches to his PR. He is has the best mark in the state this year. … Echo junior Jude Royer jumped to the top of the state-best list in the girls discus Saturday by throwing 130-6 in the Columbia River Invite at Riverside High School. Royer has made big gains this season after throwing 97-11 as a sophomore.
jerryu@osaa.org
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