Your guide to the Oregon 6A girls track and field championships: Favorite, contenders, darkhorse for every event
By René Ferrán
The OSAA track and field state championships take place this weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene. Here’s an event-by-event look at the 6A girls meet.
Natalie Cunningham (West Salem) photo by Diana Dettwyler
Earlier: Boys track preview | Girls track preview
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100
Favorite: Mia Brahe-Pedersen, So., Lake Oswego
Contenders: Lily Jones, Sr., Roosevelt; Sophia Beckmon, Jr., Oregon City; Trinity Montgomery, Jr., Jefferson; Emelia Puerta, Jr., Adrienne Nelson
Darkhorse: Victoria Forst, Jr., Tigard
Will this be the weekend when Brahe-Pedersen or Jones erases Margaret Johnson-Bailes’ name from the top of the record list? Johnson-Bailes set her mark in 1968, the year she qualified for the Mexico City Olympics, but Brahe-Pedersen and Jones have taken dead aim at her record all spring.
200
Favorite: Mia Brahe-Pedersen, So., Lake Oswego
Contenders: Lily Jones, Sr., Roosevelt; Sophia Beckmon, Jr., Oregon City; Josie Donelson, So, Lake Oswego; Lakely Doht-Barron, Jr., Central Catholic
Darkhorse: Anna Miller, Sr., Mountainside
Brahe-Pedersen has always targeted next year for when she might break Johnson-Bailes’ record in the 200, but after going 23.23 at the Oregon Relays on this track, could a return to Hayward Field bring the record mojo in more than one event?
400
Favorite: Josie Donelson, So., Lake Oswego
Contenders: Lakely Doht-Barron, Jr., Central Catholic; Ava Gross, Sr., Westview; Olivia Iverson, Sr., West Linn; Chloe Shedrick, Sr., Sheldon
Darkhorse: Ruby Bishop, Sr., Summit
Between injuries and decisions to focus on other events, many of the state’s top quarter-milers dropped the event for the postseason. Not Donelson, who has quietly put together a solid season that has moved her to the cusp of the top 30 on the all-time state list.
800
Favorite: Chloe Foerster, Sr., Jesuit
Contenders: Kaia Schmidt, Jr., West Linn; Magdalene Williams, Sr., Summit; Emma Bennett, Fr., Jesuit; Lillian Herman, Jr., Tigard
Darkhorse: Lauren Ayers, So., Tualatin
Foerster won the last official OSAA state title as a freshman and the unofficial culminating-week title last spring. She ranks No. 2 on the all-time state list from last year’s Portland Track Festival, while Williams stands No. 4 following their duel at last month’s Oregon Relays. Could they push each other to challenge Leann Warren’s state-record 2:03.02 from 1979?
1,500
Favorite: Chloe Foerster, Sr., Jesuit
Contenders: Kaiya Robertson, Sr., Franklin; Kate Peters, Jr., Lake Oswego; Magdalene Williams, Sr., Summit; Charlotte Richman, Sr., Ida B. Wells
Darkhorse: Ella Thorsett, Jr., Summit
Five of the state’s all-time best distance runners all in the same race? Count me intrigued to see who emerges the victor when Foerster, Robertson, Peters, Williams and Richman come around the final turn with Hayward Field howling. Foerster (No. 2) and Robertson (No. 10) are in the top 10 all-time for this event, while Peters, Williams and Richman are in the top 25.
3,000
Favorite: Kate Peters, Jr., Lake Oswego
Contenders: Kaiya Robertson, Sr., Franklin; Charlotte Richman, Sr., Ida B. Wells; Maura O’Scannlain, Fr., Jesuit; Ella McGillis, So., Central Catholic
Darkhorse: Ana Peters, Fr., Lake Oswego
Kate Peters has run only three 3,000 races in her high school career, missing her first two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet the reigning OSAA state cross country champion and Eastbay All-American ranks No. 3 on the state’s all-time list. With fresh legs thanks to the 3K being the first event of the meet, she could challenge Ella Donaghu’s state-record 9:24.86 for Grant from 2014.
100 Hurdles
Favorite: Harley Daniel, Sr., Oregon City
Contenders: Sara Rivas, So., Bend; Catherine Touchette, Sr., South Eugene; Olivia Allen, Jr., South Eugene; Quinn Greene, Sr., Lake Oswego
Darkhorse: Alina Bosyuk, Jr., David Douglas
Daniel was the only hurdler in the state to have run in the 14s this spring until Rivas did so in the prelims of the Mountain Valley district meet last week. That makes her the favorite to win the race within the race while Daniel chases Skyler Blair’s 14.18 for Southridge in 2018 for second on the all-time list (Bianca Mathabone’s 13.57 state record is probably safe).
300 Hurdles
Favorite: Harley Daniel, Sr., Oregon City
Contenders: Olivia Allen, Jr., South Eugene; Catherine Touchette, Sr., South Eugene; Kylee Nelson, Sr., Lincoln; Xian Hartenstein, Jr., Westview
Darkhorse: Adela Dembowski, Sr., Grant
The University of Utah-bound Daniel broke the state record two weeks ago at a Three Rivers League home meet. Next up is what for her was a stretch goal entering the season — breaking the 42-second barrier, something only one girl in the Pacific Northwest (Karlee Stueckle for Emerald Ridge of Puyallup in 2018) has done.
4x100
Favorite: Lake Oswego
Contenders: Oregon City, Mountainside, Jesuit, Summit
Darkhorse: Tualatin
The Lakers came within five-hundredths of a second of breaking the state record at last month’s Oregon Relays. With just one shot this weekend — the relays are timed finals — they can go all-out in their bid to find those hundredths to knock Benson from the top of the list.
4x400
Favorite: Lake Oswego
Contenders: Oregon City, Jesuit, West Linn, Sheldon
Darkhorse: Westview
The Lakers haven’t approached the 3:51.82 they ran at the Arcadia Invitational last month since, but with three of the best 4x400 anchors in the state set to duel in the meet’s final race — Donelson (LO), Daniel (OC) and Foerster (Jesuit) — Benson’s 3:49.97 could be in jeopardy.
Shot Put
Favorite: Jewyl Newton, Sr., St. Mary’s Academy
Contenders: Sydney Brewster, Jr., Sandy; Natalie Cunningham, Sr., West Salem; Lindsey Wilson, Sr., Mountainside; Daramfon Udoh, Sr., West Linn
Darkhorse: Marilyn Ramirez Carmona, Jr., Southridge
This competition figures to come down to the big three. Newton and Brewster are the only two to have thrown more than 44 feet this spring. Cunningham avenged her loss to Newton at the Oregon Relays by popping a personal-best throw on her final attempt to win the Jesuit Twilight Relays.
Discus
Favorite: Kyeese Hollands, Jr., Central Catholic
Contenders: Sydney Brewster, Jr., Sandy; Cassidy Faulkner, Sr., Bend; Natalie Cunningham, Sr., West Salem; Yazmeen Williges, Fr., Adrienne Nelson
Darkhorse: Phoebe Beckett, Sr., West Salem
Hollands and Brewster have gone head-to-head three times this spring, with Hollands winning all three — a Mt. Hood Conference meet, the Oregon Relays and the district championships. Faulkner also threw at the Oregon Relays, placing third behind Hollands and Brewster.
Javelin
Favorite: Kyeese Hollands, Jr., Central Catholic
Contenders: Elliott Bush, Sr., Central Catholic; Hayden Williams-Downing, Fr., West Linn; Hannah Willard, Sr., Glencoe; Ava Arias, Sr., McDaniel
Darkhorse: Grace Lam Tiang, Sr., Barlow
Hollands is bidding to become the third 6A girl to win the state discus and javelin titles in the same season. Her biggest rival is Bush, her teammate who finished fifth at the culminating-week meet last spring and will throw at Penn next year.
High Jump
Favorite: Kyra Bakke, So., Tualatin
Contenders: Deshanae Norman, Sr., Clackamas; Lucille Leasure, Fr., Oregon City; Catherine Phillips, Fr., Mountainside; Alison Calvin-Stupfel, Sr., West Salem
Darkhorse: Callie Brandes, Fr., Grants Pass
Norman took third at the 4A culminating-week event for Gladstone last spring and, like Bakke, has jumped 5-8 this season. Bakke has come on of late, finishing second at the Jesuit Twilight Relays before clearing 5-8 the following week at a Three Rivers meet. It could take a jumpoff to decide the champion between these two.
Pole Vault
Favorite: Nicole Prall, Jr., Lincoln
Contenders: Lydia Stuart, Sr., South Salem; Addy Braun, Sr., Sunset; Raynah Cheng, Jr., West Linn; Mia Fowler, Sr., Ida B. Wells
Darkhorse: Alexa Anderson, Fr., Tigard
Prall earned indoor All-American status last winter and has not lost to an in-state rival this spring, winning the Jesuit Twilight Relays last month. She cleared 13 feet indoors in February; if she can do the same this weekend, she’ll match the state record set by Sarah Sasaki in 1999.
Long Jump
Favorite: Sophia Beckmon, Jr., Oregon City
Contenders: Anika Sukumar, Jr., West Linn; Harley Daniel, Sr., Oregon City; Ava Carry McDonald, Sr., Summit; Catherine Touchette, Sr., South Eugene
Darkhorse: Deshanae Norman, Sr., Clackamas
Beckmon has managed sore knees and a grueling schedule all spring, breaking her own state record at the Jesuit Twilight Relays. The meet schedule sets up well for her to take a shot at becoming the first Oregon girl to jump 20 feet with a legal wind — she’ll run her 100 prelim long before she has to take the runway.
Triple Jump
Favorite: Anika Sukumar, Jr., West Linn
Contenders: Maleigha Canaday-Elliott, So., McDaniel; Dakota Webb-Hawkins, Sr., Lake Oswego; Grace Leasure, Sr., Oregon City; Izzi Rusch, Sr., Lincoln
Darkhorse: Elizabeth Graham, So., Tualatin
Sukumar jumped a wind-aided 40 feet a month ago at the Oregon Relays. Her legal best of 39-2¼ ranks No. 8 on the state’s all-time list. With a strong field pushing her — Canaday-Elliott went 39-1 to move to ninth on the list — could we see the fourth legal 40-footer in state history Saturday afternoon?
Team
Favorite: Lake Oswego
Contenders: Summit, Oregon City, West Linn, Jesuit
Darkhorse: Lincoln
The Lakers have six top seeds and 13 entries seeded in the top six, giving them more than enough firepower to win their first state title. Oregon City, which won the culminating-week event last spring and the Jesuit Twilight Relays last month, doesn’t have as much depth, but Daniel and Beckmon alone could account for close to 60 points for the Pioneers.
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