Loaded fields coming to Hayward Field for Oregon Relays

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The fields shaping up for this weekend’s Oregon Relays at Hayward Field in Eugene could make it one of the best high school track meets ever in the Northwest.

With heavy participation from Oregon and Washington, the meet has been bolstered by more than two dozen schools from British Columbia. More out of state teams are coming in from Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, California, Colorado – and New Jersey (Indian Hills).

The meet begins at 3 p.m. Friday and runs throughout the day Saturday.

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“I looked at the entry list today and got a little scared,” said Summit OR (Bend) coach Dave Turnbull, whose teams have won the team title at Oregon Relays a record four times.

“This is something I’ve never seen before, which is a cool opportunity. This is the biggest meet Summit has ever been to before.”

The headliner might be Valor Christian CO junior Anna Hall, who won New Balance National Indoor championships in the high jump and pentathlon. Last weekend at the Mullen Invitational, she won the 300-meter hurdles in a personal-best 42.03 seconds.

“Anna has got some special gifts and one of her best gifts is her work ethic,” Valor Christian coach Brian Kula said. “Sometimes throttling her back is our biggest challenge. Her approach is very serious and she has big goals.”

Hall is aiming to qualify for the U.S. team that will compete this summer at the IAAF U-20 World Championships in Finland.

Her weekly training consists of work related to all seven of the heptathlon events.

“What’s scary is that in the 300 hurdles, she works on that about once a week,” Kula said.

This weekend, Hall is entered in the high jump, both hurdle events, and the 4x400 relay. She will face competition from Emerald Ridge WA’s Karlee Stueckle, who has a best of 42.33, in the 300 hurdles.

This will be Valor Christian’s third appearance at the Oregon Relays.

“Oregon is just such a great environment for track and field and I feel it’s good for our kids to be around that and the history,” Kula said. “The format is amazing for us. We’re bringing 33 kids and can get everyone into the meet. It’s a full team experience.”

In addition to Hall, Valor Christian sophomore Cole Sprout is one of the standouts in the boys distance events – the boys 3,000 meters is Friday, the 1,500 is Saturday. Sprout was the Colorado Class 4A cross country champion last fall and ran a 4:12.75 1,600 last weekend.

The throws could be exceptional this weekend.

New Balance Nationals Indoor weight throw champion Trey Knight, a sophomore from Ridgefield WA, will get a rare in-season opportunity to compete in the hammer. Knight broke the freshman class national record last year with 218-8. Knight is also entered in the shot put and discus.

Tzuriel Pedigo of Parkview Baptist LA, who threw a meet-record 234-11 in the javelin at the Texas Relays, is also making the trip to Eugene with an eye on increasing his US#1 mark in that event.

The Northwest’s two best girls discus throwers will square off for the second year in a row. Karlee Freeman of Raymond WA and Shelby Moran of Sherwood OR have both thrown more than 160 feet already this season. Last year, Moran threw 162-10 to defeat Freeman, who was second at 155-1.

Moran is also ranked second in the country in the hammer (191-9).

On the track, sophomore Lexy Halladay of Mountain View ID, one of the standouts of the 2017 meet, has an intriguing matchup in the 1,500 against Grace Fetherstonhaugh of New Westminster B.C., an Oregon State recruit.

Fetherstonhaugh also leads six girls with seed times under 10 minutes in the 3,000 meters.

Shane Henderson of Cheyenne South WY, the New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion in the 2,000-meter steeplechase, will go against Mark Miller of Semiahmoo B.C. Both come in with seed times of 6:03.

Henderson will also face Sprout, Ashland OR’s Evan Holland and McMinnville OR’s Zane Fodge in the 1,500.

Tigard OR’s Braden Lenzy, a Notre Dame football recruit, is one to watch in the 200 and 400 meters.

Katarina Vlahovic of Fraser Heights BC is favored to win the 100 hurdles, where she boasts a personal best of 13.63 seconds. She is also entered in the 100 meters and will take on South Eugene’s Elise Unruh-Thomas and Jasneet Nijjar of Queen Elizabeth BC.

Nijjar is the top seed in the 200 with a best time of 23.83 seconds.

The girls 400 features a matchup between 2016 Oregon 6A champion Lauren Paven of Tigard against 2017 Washington 3A champion Hannah Carroll of Gig Harbor.

The meet records in the pole vault are also vulnerable. Simon Park of South Eugene OR has a personal best of 16-2 and Ellie Talius of Eastlake WA, second at the Arcadia Invitational last week, owns a best of 13-6.

Sydnee Larkin of Cherokee Trail CO, an Arizona State recruit, is entered in the long jump and triple jump and will face competition from Grant (Portland) OR’s Judith Baxter Game.

Frankie Nash of Pueblo West CO, the Colorado 4A long jump champion, will contend for titles in the 100, 200 and long jump.

Wilson (Long Beach) CA, fresh off a 4x400 relay victory at Arcadia last weekend, could do some serious damage in that event at the Oregon Relays. The 3:16.81 that Wilson ran last week is faster than the meet record (3:19.03).

Relays and team scoring are at the core of the meet, and coaches will have many opportunities to play with lineups across six different relays – the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, sprint medley and distance medley.

Past Team Champions 

2017 – Mountain View ID 

2016 – Summit OR 

2015 – Camas WA 

2014 – Federal Way WA 

2013 – Federal Way WA 

2012 – Summit OR 

2011 – Kentwood WA 

2010 – Camas WA 

2009 – Summit OR 

2008 – Summit OR 

2007 – Lincoln OR 

2006 – Jesuit OR 

2005 – Benson OR 

2004 – Benson OR