EUGENE – For all the state records that seemed to be in jeopardy heading into the state track meet, the girls 4x100-meter relay wasn't exactly flashing on the radar screen.
But apparently someone forgot to tell that to the Grant girls Saturday in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A championships at Hayward Field.
With precision execution, the Generals not only took nearly a full second off their best time this season, but they broke a state record that Benson had held since 2003. The team of senior Laela Divine, sophomore Osa Olsgaard, junior Rosemary Sheerin and senior Willa Stockton clocked 46.54 to overtake the record of 46.57.
“Going into this, we just felt so confident,” Stockton said. “We definitely knew we were going to come out with a win, just from our practices and being so confident in each other. But honestly, we knew it was going to go good, but we didn't expect it to be this good. To get that state record, that's something we;ve wanted this whole season.”
Grant's previous best in the relay was 47.47, recorded at its district meet.
“We practiced every single day for the last two weeks, and we were really dialed in,” Olsgaard said.
The same quartet took fourth at state last year in 48.06.
“Last year we left the state meet feeling happy but a little bit disppointed in our performance,” Divine said. “Coming into this season, we knew we wanted to come out for it all. We wanted some records in the books.”
Jesuit repeated as 6A champion with 74 points, outscoring West Linn (63), Nelson (48) and Lincoln (45). It was the Crusaders' eighth title, all since 2008.
Tigard senior Marissa Johnson became the first four-time champion in the shot and completed a three-peat in the discus. Johnson maintained her supremacy despite injuring her left (non-throwing) shoulder in November and having surgery in February,
“I thought I wasn't going to throw this season,” Johnson said. “I was told back in November it probably wouldn't happen. Making three months recovery from surgery was something that I didn't expect, but I don't like to lose, so I was going to do everything in my power to make it happen.”
Roosevelt senior Aster Jones won her third consecutive title in the 100 and repeated in the 200. Lincoln senior Ellery Lincoln, the state record-holder in the 1,500 and 3,000, followed Friday's win in the 3,000 with a victory in the 1,500.
Newberg senior Sophia Castaneda, who set the 400 state record this season, repeated as champion in the event. Her time of 52.75 was her second-best ever, behind the record of 52.17.
Jesuit senior Iman Foster, who won the triple jump for the second year in a row Friday, claimed her first long-jump title Saturday with a personal-best leap of 19-8.
“I'm pretty ecstatic,” said Foster, also a volleyball standout. “I'm really proud of how far I've come from freshman year. … especially when track wasn't even my main sport then. Fourteen- or 15-year-old me would be like, 'Whoa.'”
West Linn senior Tayanah Balensifer captured the 300 hurdles on the heels of her Friday title in the pole vault.
5A
South Albany senior Pharalynn Dickson won the 100, 200 and 400 for the fourth consecutive year, giving her 12 individual titles, the most in 6A or 5A since Summit's Kellie Schueler won 12 from 2007 to 2010. Dickson also claimed her second title in the 4x100, ending her career with 14 gold medals.
“It's just surreal,” said Dickson, a San Diego State commit. “Not many people have accomplished this. For me to do this, it's just consistency in my work. It feels amazing. ... Looking back on my freshman self, I would have never felt I could do this four times."
Churchill senior Addison Kleinke became the first to win four titles in the pole vault. Kleinke, who holds the state record of 14-0 ¾, won with a height of 13-0 ¼.
“I'm a little bit upset that I still haven't improved on my freshman record,” the Texas A&M-bound Kleinke said. “State never really seems to be the meet where I'm super on. But I completed the four-peat. I had a lot of fun.”
Caldera freshman Rikaiya Griffin, who set a national record in the long jump for the 13-14 age group this year by soaring 20-9 ½, captured the event with a mark of 18-7 ¼. She was able to withstand a challenge from Kleinke (18-6 ½), the reigning champion.
Griffin said she didn't have her usual explosion.
“It was a little worrisome at first because those girls those girls there were jumping higher and higher earch time, and it's nerve-racking,” Griffin said. “I'm hoping next year that I can prove that, in a meet setting like this, with all these people watching, that I can do the marks I do at the dual meets.”
Others with repeat titles were North Eugene senior Cricket Phipps (1,500) and Thurston senior Brooklyn Anderson (100 hurdles).
Summit, which had its string of 14 consecutive 5A team titles snapped last year, returned to the top by outscoring reigning champion Caldera 70-63 for first place. Thurston and South Albany tied for third at 56.
4A
Philomath's Cassidy Smart, who won the cross country state title in the fall, continued her outstanding sophomore year by following Friday's 3,000 title with a win in the 1,500.
One day after using a late kick to claim the 3,000, Smart did the same to come back and take the 1,500 by five seconds over La Grande sophomore Lindsey Brown.
“I remembered my kick there and I wanted to win again,” Smart said. “I know I have the kick from the 3K, so I just wanted to do it here. I didn't want to give up too big of a lead to where I couldn't catch her. I think the lead was the perfect distance to where I could.”
Baker senior Sammy Gressley stole the show in 4A by winning the 100, 200, 400 and long jump. Gressley, who transferred to Baker as a junior from 1A Powder Valley, had six top-six finishes in her career entering the meet but no titles.
Mazama senior Sydney Baker, who as a freshman won both hurdles races but had three runner-up finishes in the last two years, returned to the top of the podium with personal bests in both races Saturday.
Klamath Union won its first team title, scoring 74 points to outpace Junction City (63.5), Baker (63) and Henley (54).
Boys
6A
West Linn's 4x100 relay team, one week removed from setting the state record of 40.99 at its district meet, won the state title. Juniors Will Hawkins and Cooper Roms and seniors Bellu Dior Vixamar and MJ Kennybrew combined to finish in 41.10 and beat district rival Tualatin (41.25).
“Once we already got the state record, we just wanted to win,” Kennybrew said. “And we did that. It's not far off our state record, so it's a pretty good time, I feel like.”
Said Roms: “That was the goal the whole season, to get the state record.”
After the 4x100, attention turned to the 100 and 200, races loaded with sprinters ranked among the best in state history. Tualatin senior Auralleus Hicks won the 100 in 10.25 and Tigard senior Marcus Burton claimed the 200 in 21.24.
Hicks' time in the 100 is No. 2 in state history behind Benson's Micah Williams (10.21 in 2019). It also represented a marked improvement from his previous best of 10.42.
“It was definitely the start,” Hicks said of what made the difference Saturday. “I struggled with the start during the season. I had to work on it a little bit more.”
Hicks, a native of Dallas, Texas, lived in New York before moving to Oregon last year. He landed at Mountainside for one semester last spring and transferred to Tualatin, where he excelled this season, overcoming a calf injury.
“I was injured all season, so I had to lock in,” Hicks said. “It's definitely a dream of mine. I'm glad it happened today.”
Hicks also was runner-up to Burton in the 200 and ran the anchor on the winning 4x400 relay and second-place 4x100 relay.. He was the catalyst for Tualatin winning is second team title, the other coming in 2019. The Timberwolves scored 57 points to beat reigning champion Jesuit (50), West Linn (45) and Sandy (38.5).
McNary junior Derek Olivo, who won the discus Friday, repeated as champion in the javelin Saturday. Olivo threw 209-4, just off his best of 210-5, which is No. 15 in state history.
Other repeat champions were Tigard junior Paul Hretcanu in the 800 and North Salem senior Braxton Singleton in the 110 hurdles. South Eugene junior Yosuke Shibata, the state cross country champion, took the 1,500.
5A
It was a triumphant day for Crater's Nathan Lindbloom, who finished a javelin three-peat. The senior was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January and had surgery to remove a rapid onset germ cell tumor.
“I got surgery super fast,” Lindbloom said. “If I waited a week, I don't know if I'd be here today.”
The surgery was successful. The cancer had not spread and he did not undergo chemotherapy.
“Everything on the labs looks good. I'm just happy to be here,” said Lindbloom, who did not resume training until April.
Lindbloom not only returned to state, he dominated the meet. His winning throw of 203-8 smashed his PR of 195-8 and gave him the victory by more than 21 feet. The distance surprised Lindbloom.
“I didn't feel like I threw it. I thought it was going to be so bad,” he said. “It honestly did not feel good.”
Lindbloom was one of three Comets to win titles Saturday, along with junior Maxwell Miracle in the 800 and senior Preston Schmidt in the 1,500. Schmidt followed in the footsteps of his father, Paul, who won a 3,000 state title for Central in 1986.
“His goal was to come back and do the same thing,” Crater coach Justin Loftus said.
Summit won its third title in four seasons and eighth overall, scoring 103 points to top Crater (81), Silverton (66.5) and conference rival Caldera (55), last year's champion.
4A
Henley's Joseph Janney made a name for himself in 2023 when he quarterbacked the Hornets to their first football state title in 41 years.
Saturday, the senior was the driving force behind Henley's 4A team title. He repeated as champion in the 100 and 200 and was the anchor for relays that won the 4x100 and took second in the 4x400.
Janney rose to the occasion of defending his titles.
“It definitely puts the pressure on,” said Janney, who is committed to Montana State for football. “I've got to come in here and compete. That's what I expect of myself and that's whay my coaches expect out of me.”
The team title is Henley's first since going back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. The Hornets amassed 97.5 points to top Scappoose (94), Marist Catholic (64) and Philomath (42).
Newport senior Aaidyn Bokuro, who on Friday won the triple jump for the second year in a row, took the long jump Saturday. Bokuro went 22-9 ¼, adding nearly a foot to his PR (21-11 ½).
Bokuro took 12th in the long jump last year and 13th the previous two seasons.
“The years I've made it, I've always been bad,” said Bokuro, the 4A basketball player of the year last season. “So this year, to finally break that curse felt amazing. It felt good to finally get my revenge and finally do good in the long jump.”
Marist Catholic junior Corbin Sage won his second consecutive title in the 1,500. Scappoose junior Bennett Fink won both hurdles races and ran a leg on the winning 4x400 relay.
jerryu@osaa.org
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