‘Best Jesuit Relays ever!’ Numerous records fall at 20th edition of prestigious Oregon high school track and field meet
By René Ferrán | Photo by Taylor Balkom
There stood Summit coach Dave Turnbull in the Cronin Field infield, looking into the athletes tent filled with rain-soaked 1,600-meter runners at the end of Friday’s Jesuit Twilight Relays.
Turnbull marveled at how the chill in the late evening air and the drenching they’d endured hadn’t dampened their enthusiasm.
“Best Jesuit Relays ever,” Turnbull concluded.
Longtime fans who’ve attended all 20 editions of this event might quibble, but after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the return of one of the Northwest’s most prestigious meets was welcomed by all.
“It’s just unbelievable,” said Jesuit senior Chloe Foerster, who broke the meet record in the Elite Mile and anchored the victorious 4x400 relay. “I was getting emotional out there with my teammates. We were on the podium, and it was just so surreal being back for my second Twilight ever. I was just so excited to have this opportunity one last time here.”
Foerster’s victory in the mile was one of five meet records set Friday, including a state record from Oregon City junior Sophia Beckmon in the girls long jump and Cascade senior Emma Gates becoming the fourth girl in state history to clear 6 feet in the high jump.
Beckmon broke the record she set last summer at The Outdoor Nationals, surprising herself by jumping 19 feet, 11 inches, on her first attempt.
“It hasn’t been the best season so far. I really shouldn’t be jumping at the moment. I have two bad knees right now, and my legs have been hurting, so I was really surprised when I heard 19-11,” Beckmon said. “It just came out of nowhere.”
At the opposite end of the stadium, Gates lined up her third attempt at clearing 6-0¼ in the high jump, which would improve upon her personal best (jumped indoors) and move her to No. 3 on the all-time state list.
“It had been raining and a little windy, but the wind died down a little bit right then,” Gates said. “It was just kind of the right time to get that jump.”
Astoria senior Colton McMaster closed the afternoon session by becoming the first boy to throw more than 60 feet in the shot put at the Twilight Relays, going 60-4¼ on his final throw in the preliminary round to become the 40th 60-foot shot putter in state history.
The night session then kicked off with the meet’s final record performance as Lake Oswego sophomore Mia Brahe-Pedersen came from behind to nip good friend Lily Jones of Roosevelt at the finish line of the Elite 100, winning in 11.45 seconds.
Most observers hoped for more than a meet record from their season-long duel after Brahe-Pedersen came within an eyelash of the 54-year-old state record in the event at last weekend’s Oregon Relays.
“I would say the weather played a little bit of a role, but also coming off a high like the Oregon Relays, you can only have so many good races in a row,” Brahe-Pedersen said. “I think that was a pretty good race for me, like my third-best time this season, so I can’t really be too mad about it.”
Tualatin senior Caleb Lakeman’s victory in the boys Elite Mile didn’t set a meet record, but his winning time of 4:04.46 held even more significance to him as it broke the family record of 4:04.9 that his father, Dirk, set in 1977 at South Eugene.
“Oh, man, this feels amazing,” Lakeman said. “Going into this race, having that record in the back of my mind, it’s a goal that I’ve been chasing after ever since I started racing. So, it means a tremendous amount to win in this amazing place and beat my dad’s record.”
