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Kyeese Hollands of Central Catholic does something not seen since 1992 — state titles in the javelin and discus

“It means a lot. I came back from last year with calmness. … I got out here and I won, so I’m proud of that.”

By René Ferrán 

EUGENE — It’s the rare thrower who excels in the javelin and discus. 

Consider the differences in the throwing motions — one a straight-line approach with an overhand toss; the other, spinning to gain momentum before flinging the disc sidearm.

It explains why until this weekend, no big-school girl in more than three decades had won gold medals in both disciplines at the OSAA track and field state championships — and only two big-school boys have done so in the 95-year history of the meet, both members of the Crouser family (Brian in 1980 and Sam in 2010).

Central Catholic senior Kyeese Hollands arrived at Hayward Field looking to achieve what she missed a year ago, when she was the top seed in both throws, only to finish fifth in the discus.

Friday, Hollands secured her second consecutive javelin title with one of her most consistent series ever — six throws in the 140s, capped by her championship toss of 149 feet, 6 inches.

The next day, after warming up with a fourth-place finish in the shot put, she moved outside the stadium to the discus ring, where she might not have put up the mark she wanted, but she filled in a missing line on her resumé — a state title with a throw of 140-5 on her only legal attempt.

The previous highest-classification girl to win both in the same year was Tonia Roth of Roseburg, who won all three throws in 1992.

“It means a lot,” the Texas Tech signee said. “I came back from last year with calmness. Not what I wanted in the numbers, but I got out here and I won, so I’m proud of that.”

Kyeese Hollands photo Rene Ferran

That calmness showed in Friday’s javelin competition, where she faced the most pressure as the defending champion. A year earlier, she was in second place and throwing in the 120s until the finals. 

This time, she took the lead with her first throw and stayed steady throughout.

“I think it’s harder to defend, because you have the expectations, and that’s where the stress comes from,” she said. “I was hoping for the 150s, but I was pretty calm this year. I was just four or five feet from my PR, which is pretty good consistency for the end of the season.

“I’m getting everything down, so it’s just putting two and two together at the same time. My speed was slow before but it’s gotten faster, but then my technique is a little wonky. So, it’s just going out and putting it all together.”

Technique wasn’t the issue in the discus, but instead her release let her down.

“Even my fouls felt really good,” she said. “I’m not mad about that. There were good throws out there. They just couldn’t get marked.”