Sara Rivas of Bend wins 2 hurdles titles at Hayward Field: ‘It was definitely my goal the whole season’

By René Ferrán 

EUGENE — A year ago, Sara Rivas exited Hayward Field with a couple of fourth-place medals in the Class 6A hurdles races at the OSAA track and field state championships. 

Saturday, the Bend junior returned to compete in the 5A meet, but don’t think for a second the drop in classification would have made a difference.

Rivas blazed to victory in the 100-meter hurdles in a state-leading 14.73 seconds, then added the 300 hurdles title for good measure in 44.38 — a time bettered by only Lake Oswego’s Josie Donelson in the 6A final.

“It was definitely my goal the whole season” to win both titles, Rivas said. “But I don’t know if I really knew it was going to happen. It’s what I’ve been working toward, and I’m really excited about it.”

Rivas ran her 14.73 — which moved her to a tie for 43rd on the all-time state list — despite a rough start during which she almost stumbled over the first hurdle.

“My form got better as I started going, and I was getting faster,” she said. “So, overall, I felt pretty good. The weather was perfect. It’s fun running here.”

The 300 hurdles is a race she acknowledged she has “never quite liked it as much as the 100s,” but this weekend, she shaved almost a full second off her personal-best time to cap a season in which she went undefeated against in-state competition.

“It’s still super fun to run, and I’m getting more used to it,” she said.