Live updates: Eugene, Salem athletes compete at OSAA State Track and Field Championships

The OSAA 6A, 5A, and 4A state track and field championships are underway at Hayward Field in Eugene on Friday.

The large-school state meet began at 9 a.m. Friday and will conclude Saturday around 6:30 p.m.

The smaller schools state meet began at 10 a.m. Thursday and is slated to conclude around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Follow along for live updates as athletes from Salem and Eugene compete.

West Salem’s Avery Meier shatters 3,000 meter personal-best

Avery Meier didn’t necessarily have a goal time in mind when she toed the line for Friday’s 6A 3,000 meter run.

The West Salem sophomore was well aware of how fast the field would be. Her only plan? Stick with the lead pack and see how things unfolded.

Meier executed the strategy to perfection — and clocked one of the fastest times in the nation in the process.

Meier took second in the 3,000 in 9 minutes, 38.33 seconds, shattering her previous personal best of 9:52.26. Her time is the third-fastest in the state this season and the 20th-fastest in the U.S. in 2024 among high school athletes.

“I was just calm and focused on making moves,” Meier said. “Just going out there and having a good time. I wasn’t focused on a specific number, I just wanted to go out there and beat people. … three laps to go, I felt myself, like smiling. I was passing (Lincoln's Keira Saavedra) and was like, ‘Wow, I love this so much.’”

Lakeridge junior Chloe Huyler won in 9:33.15, good for the 15th-fastest time in the U.S. this spring.

North Salem sophomore Nelida Dalgas took fifth in 9:47.36 and now owns the sixth-best time in the state this season. Dalgas also set a big personal-best; her previous top time was 10:00.30.

At last year’s state meet, Meier took sixth in the 1,500 and ninth in the 3,000 as a freshman. That experience running on the big stage at Hayward proved to be significant this week.

“It made me feel like I belong,” Meier said. “Like, I know all of these people. I know the field. It gave me the  confidence to go out there and push myself.”

Sheldon's Malachi Schoenherr stuns in 3,000 meters

Sheldon’s Malachi Schoenherr felt the lead slipping away in the last lap.

But it wasn’t until the last 200 meters that he felt he had something to chase.

The sophomore won the 6A boys 3,000 meters with a person record time of 8 minutes, 14.18 seconds Friday morning at Hayward Field.

“I didn’t think I had it at all in the last 200 (meters),” Schoenherr said. “But then I kept getting closer and closer. I’m like, ‘OK, let’s get this done.’”

Ida B. Wells’ Asher Danielson placed second in 8:14.93 and Brennan McEwen of Franklin placed third in 8:19.18.

Schoenherr was four seconds off from hitting the state record of 8:10.66 set by Eric Logsdon of Canby.

"I’m glad I got really close (to the record) and it gives me two more years in the future to go get it,” Schoenherr said.

Schoenherr will run in the boys 1,500 Saturday at 2:01 p.m.

“My plan was to just throw all the eggs in the basket for the 3K and then whatever I have left tomorrow is what I’m going to get,” he said. “I think I can actually do pretty well because Asher is going to be tired too and Franklin boys is going to be tired too. It’s going to be an exciting race.”

Central’s Ty Cirino navigates loaded 5A 3,000 field to earn third-place

There was no shortage of buzz surrounding the 5A boys 3,000 meter run on Friday, as it featured two of the top distance runners in the nation — Crater juniors Josiah Tostenson and Tayvon Kitchen.

With that in mind, Central sophomore Ty Cirino took a measured approach to the race and produced one of his best performances of the season.

Cirino placed third with a time of 8 minutes, 24.87 seconds. Tostenson won in 8:12.94, and Kitchen took second in 8:19.55.

“I knew those guys would go sub-8:20. They’ve done it all year,” Cirino said. “I knew that I had a shot, but I also didn’t wanna kill myself by going out stupid fast. So I just kind of led the chase pack a little bit, and then (Tostenson and Kitchen) came back to me. It worked well.”

By the time he reached the 1,800 meter mark, Cirino was still running strong and continued to gain confidence as he realized he was within reach of the pair of Crater standouts.

“I was, like, four laps in and I realized that (his race plan) was working and I was right there,” Cirino said. “I kind of kept that mindset for the last mile and kept pushing. … I just ran my own race.”

Cirino will look to build on his strong finish later this weekend in the 1,500. With a personal best of 3 minutes, 55.40 seconds, he owns the fifth-fastest time among 5A athletes and the eighth-fastest in the state this season.

“It’s been so much fun; I PR’d my first three (3,000 meter) races in, like, 20-second chunks each time,” Cirino said of his breakout sophomore season. “I knew that I was gonna keep running fast. I just wanna keep improving, because I don’t want to plateau. It’s been a lot of fun running at the top of these races.”

Sheldon's Eli Forsha wins 6A triple jump

Sheldon junior Eli Forsha won the 6A boys triple jump with a mark of 45 feet, 6 1/4 inches Friday morning.

“Last year I was here I got sixth place,” Forsha said. And I knew after that I was like, ‘I’m going to win it next year. I just knew I put a ton of work in over the summer and came out not 100% healthy but got through it.”

West Salem’s Logan Hilty placed second with a mark of 45-2 1/4 and Grant’s Benati Louvouezo placed third with a mark of 43-5 1/4.

Forsha jumped his winning mark in his third attempt.

West Salem’s Logan Hilty takes second in 6A triple jump

West Salem junior Logan Hilty took second in the 6A triple jump with a mark of 45-02 1/2.

Hilty, who took seventh in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump at last year’s state meet, has spent the majority of the season fine-tuning technique. On Friday, he uncorked a personal-best on his final jump in the biggest meet of the season.

“Coming in here, it’s all about confidence,” Hilty said. “I felt good; my jumps felt good. I scratched a few times, but that last jump felt so good.”

Hilty’s mark is the eighth-best in the state this season. Prior to Friday, he had never cleared 45 feet in practice, let alone during a meet.

“It’s mainly just my form,” Hilty said of what clicked for him. “My coach is amazing, just helped me the whole way. It was all about my form today, really.”

Junction City's Kaleb Moore dominates in 4A shot put

Junction City sophomore Kaleb Moore won the 4A boys shot put in his final throw of 54-1 1/4 Friday.

“Feels really good,” Moore said. “I wanted this for a really long time. It’s been a goal forever.”

Bekham Hibbert of La Grande placed second at 51-1 1/2, while Hidden Valley’s Aiden Fiske placed third at 50-3 ½.

Moore said throwing a personal record (54-2) at districts a week prior gave him the confidence to win at state.

The sophomore placed second in the discus with a throw of 156-6.

Siuslaw boys 4x100 relay defeats Elmira in 1/100th of a second

It came down to exactly 1/100th of a second for Siuslaw to defeat Elmira in the 3A boys 4x100 relay.

Siuslaw’s relay comprised of Will Johnson, Wesley Nicholls, Derrick Vanduch and Raymundo Brito Xilot won the event with a time of 43.84.

Elmira placed second with a time of 43.85, while Vale placed third at 44.17.

The difference maker was when Siuslaw’s anchor Brito Xilot leaned forward as far as possible across the finish line without falling while Elmira’s anchor Kyler Colwell stood right next to him.

“As soon as I looked up on the board see our name, all the adrenaline, all that joy, all everything rushed into my head,” Brito Xilot said. “Just so happy to be able to win this great competition.”

Willamina's Hadley Hughes caps off strong freshman season with state title

Throughout this spring, Willamina freshman Hadley Hughes has consistently been one of the top 2A athletes in the state in the shot put, javelin and discus.

In her first trip to the state meet, she emerged with the first of what she hopes will be many state titles — and earned some familial bragging rights in the process.

Hughes won the 2A shot put title on Friday with a personal-best mark of 34 feet, 11 ¾ inches. Earlier in the meet, she took third in the javelin (123 feet, 3 inches), and sixth in the discus (100 feet, 8 inches).

Ironically, coming into this week, Hughes considered the shot put her weakest event.

“I learned how to finally push (the shot) out there and not just spinning in a circle,” Hughes said of what clicked on Friday. “I finally got to a point where everything was perfect; I went out there and just felt pretty good.”

Hughes’ sister, Hallee Hughes, won five state titles during her decorated prep career. But, because the 2020 season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, she didn’t have the chance to chase a title during her freshman season.

“My sister won everything her sophomore through senior year,” Hughes said. “I thought I could do it — follow in her footsteps. I said, ‘OK, this is realistic. Maybe I can get one state title.’”

Hughes plans to compete at Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field later this summer. Beyond that, she wants to consistently clear 130 feet in the javelin, 110 feet in discus, and 36 feet in shot put next season.

“I love being here,” Hughes said of Hayward. “I love competing here; I love the people here; I love the competition.”

Santiam's Averie Peterson puts versatility on display; captures pair of state titles

Few athletes in Oregon are more versatile than Averie Peterson.

Coming into the week, the Santiam junior owned top-10 marks on the 2A leader boards in seven events — the 100 meters, 200, 400, 800, 1,500, triple jump and long jump.

In her favorite, and arguably her strongest event, she delivered one of the most dominant performances of the meet and added a third state title to her resume.

Peterson won the 800 in a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 17.60 seconds to repeat as champion in the event. She finished nearly six seconds ahead of runner-up Analise Miller of Bandon. Just two hours earlier, Peterson took second in the 1,500 — where she clocked a personal-best of 4 minutes, 47.84 seconds.

“I was going for a little faster (800) time today. I’m happy how it came out, though,” Peterson said. “With the 800, I kind of just zone everything out. I really don’t feel the first lap — it’s like, ‘Whatever.’ But that last 200 really gets me.”

To begin the afternoon, Peterson won the triple jump with a personal-best leap of 34 feet, 7 ¾ inches that bested her previous best by more than a foot.

All told, Peterson racked up two state titles, three PRs, and 28 team points in the span of four and a half hours.

“I mean, my parents both did track, so it’s a little bit genetics,” Peterson said of her ability to excel in a variety of events. “But I’ve always loved to run. When I was in elementary school, we would have races in PE and that was my favorite thing; I would just go out there and beat all the boys and feel so great about myself. So I guess I’ve just always loved to run.”

For the past year or so, Peterson has been working with Kyle Davey, a personal trainer at Salem Speed Academy. Her skill-specific training there has helped her take a step forward in all of her events. Even still, her and Santiam’s coaching staff took a strategic approach during the stretch run of the season in order to determine which combination of events she might have the most success in at the state meet.

Even though she had less than two hours between the 800 and 1,500, that was markedly better than when she ran the 400 and 800 finals with just a one-hour gap at the 2023 state meet.

“We kind of looked at where I was ranked and where (events) are placed, so that I’m not doing back-to-back races,” Peterson said. “We just went from there in choosing them. I may have made a wrong choice with long jump, because I didn’t make it (to state); I scratched five of my jumps at districts.

“But it’s probably better that I did that, because four events at state is really hard. I would have loved to do it. But I know that if I wanted to, I could focus more on sprinting, or more on the (400). So I do need to work on picking what events to do as I get closer to state.”

Despite being the only Santiam athlete to score a point, Peterson led the Wolverines to a 10th-place finish in the team standings.

Salem Academy’s Celia James kicks her way to 400 state title

With less than 100 meters to go in the 2A girls 400 meters on Friday, Celia James had plenty of work left to do.

The Salem Academy junior was neck-and-neck with Heppner’s Hallee Hisler and Enterprise’s Owyhee Harguess during the final moments of the biggest race of her life. But a simplistic approach and a furious kick helped propel her to her second-ever individual state title.

“The last final stretch is all guts,” James said with a smile.

James won in a personal-best time of 58.86 seconds, eclipsing her previous best of 59.31. She edged out Hisler, who clocked a PR of 59.07.

“It’s so hard. All the training, all the hours that you put into this sport, it’s that final stretch; it all just matters right there,” James said. “I think I did really well and I’m really proud of myself. But I also just give all the honor to God. Because he put me in a position to do that. I’m just really proud of my team and myself.”

James came back less than an hour later to finish third in the 1,500 with another personal-best of 2 minutes, 24.24 seconds.

She also anchored Salem Academy’s 4x100 meter relay to a third place finish (51.73 seconds) to kick off Friday’s meet, and anchored the Crusader's 4x400-meter relay to a thrilling victory (4 minutes, 8.18 seconds) to close out the meet.

Amity's Kiyan Vrell dominates 3A javelin

Kiyan Vrell arrived at Hayward Field this week with a state meet record in his crosshairs.

While he didn’t quite accomplish that, the Amity junior captured a state title in dominant fashion. Vrell took first in the 3A boys javelin with a throw of 182 feet. That was well-short of his personal-best mark of 190 feet, but was still 11 feet better than runner-up Ahston Wilson of Nyssa.

“It’s really amazing,” Vrell said. “I’m just really blessed to have a coach like coach (Kyle Hayes) to run me through it and get me to where I need to be. I’ve been going through PT and all this athletic training to keep my body fresh and building. It’s really great to see the success that I’ve had.”

Vrell also placed sixth in the discus with a personal-best mark of 133 feet, 5 inches, placed seventh in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 2 ½ inches, and ran the third leg of Amity’s 4x100 relay team that placed 11th.

“It hasn’t really been bothering me. I’ve been doing it since freshman year — bouncing between events,” Vrell said. “It’s kind of just about taking warmups seriously and staying as loose as I can.”

Vrell’s all-around performance culminated in 15 points and helped push Amity to a 12th-place team finish. But his success in the javelin is ultimately what sets him apart from most athletes in the state.

Only two athletes in the state of Oregon — Lakeridges Ethan Grimm (196-8) and Sherwood’s Drew Smith (194-11) produced a better javelin throw than Vrell this season.

In the history of the state meet, a 3A athlete has never eclipsed the 200-foot mark. Shane Brooks (Pleasant Hill, 2012) holds the meet record for the division at 199-02.

“I’ve got Nike Outdoors here in Eugene next month, and then club track hopefully all the way to nationals in Texas,” Vrell said. “The goal is hopefully to get to 200 by nationals.”

St. Paul two-sport standout Ralph Pohlschneider captures 400 title

All spring, St. Paul senior Ralph Pohlschneider has been splitting time between track and baseball.

A multisport star who also earned first-team all-state honors as a receiver for the Buckaroos’ football team during the fall, Pohlschneider has found plenty of success throughout his high school career. On Friday, he captured an elusive state title.

Pohlschneider won the 1A boys 400 meters in a personal-best time of 50.07 seconds. Earlier in the day, he anchored St. Paul’s 4x100 meter relay to a win there, too.

“It’s just hard work,” Pohlschneider said. “I really think I do a good job of zoning in when I race. I don’t think about anything. I don’t fear anybody or nothing. I just go in and get it done. … It’s how I’ve been with every sport. I get into a serious mode; it’s intense, it’s sports and I’m just really competitive.”

By no means is Pohlschneider’s high school sports career over, though.

By Monday, he will be back at practice for the Buckaroos’ baseball team, which owns a 20-6 record, sits at No. 6 in the 2A/1A state rankings, and is gearing up for a first-round playoff game next week.

Pohlschneider, who plays third base, pulled double-duty on most weekdays this spring. A typical day featured an hour and 15 minutes of baseball practice followed by an hour and 15 minutes of track practice.

“It’s tough. I mean, I think just the competitive nature that I have, I try my best in everything I do and all the practices,” Pohlschneider said. “I just give it my all. I have good coaches who were able to help me balance that out. Like, ‘How can I be great at baseball and also be great at track?’ I trusted that process and just put in a lot of important work after baseball games.”

Siuslaw’s Kale Jensen sets personal record to win 3A high jump

Siuslaw’s Kale Jensen peaked at the right moment.

The sophomore won the 3A boys high jump on his second attempt with a PR jump of 6 feet, 1/4 inches.

Jensen didn’t realize he had immediately won the event due to the height conversions.

“It messes with your brain, but I just kept jumping,” Jensen said.

Rosvin Russell of De La Salle North Catholic and Diesel Johnson of Vale placed second and third, respectively, on their third attempts of 6 1/4.

Jensen failed his three attempts at the next height of 6-2 and watched as Russell and Johnson failed each of their three attempts at the same height.

“You cheer for them because you’re friendly but in your brain you are like, yes,” Jensen said.

Jensen said the win was "so unexpected."

“I was processing it for a second, looked at my coaches and they’re like (you won),” he said. “I was so happy."

Jensen placed second in long jump with a mark of 21 1/4 and sixth in the 300 meter hurdles with a PR time of 41.01.

Grace Mucken caps off prep career with pole vault title

At this time a year ago, Blanchet Catholic senior Grace Mucken had never cleared the 7-foot mark in the pole vault.

On Friday, she shattered her previous personal-best, nearly produced the top 2A mark in the state, and closed out her high school career with a hard-fought state title.

Mucken captured the 2A championship with a vault of 9 feet, 5 ¼ inches. Prior to Friday, she had cleared exactly 9 feet on three separate occasions this season. So, she only had one goal in mind for the state meet.

“All I cared about was that it was over 9 feet,” Mucken said.

Mucken was using a new pole during Friday’s meet and had only been able to practice with it a handful of times before arriving at Hayward this week. Still, she felt confident enough on it to clear 9-5 ¼ on her first attempt — which proved to be significant.

Friday’s runner-up, Nestucca’s Makayla Webber, finished with the same height as Mucken. But Webber did not clear it until her third and final attempt, meaning Mucken was crowned champion after both athletes failed at 9-8.

Mucken ends the year with the second-best pole vault mark in the state this season among 2A athletes.

“I went out trying to be aggressive today,” Mucken said. “Honestly to me, the numbers didn’t really matter at the end of the day. As long as I do my best that’s all that matters.”

Eugene-area athletes earn top finishes

Cottage Grove junior Carter Bengtson placed second in the 4A boys 3,000 meters in a personal record time of 8:37.77.

Thurston senior Bailey Tovey placed third in the 5A girls javelin.

Churchill senior Javin Petry placed second in 5A discus with a mark of 152-2.

Cottage Grove sophomore Makya Alsup placed second in the 5A girls javelin with a personal record throw of 121-8.

Churchill senior Isaiah Meashintubby placed second in the 5A boys shot put with a throw of 50-9 1/4 and fourth in discus with a PR of 141-9.

Pleasant Hill’s girls 4x100 relay comprised of Dakota Hyland, Soleis Jones, Jessica Clough and Ryan Thomas placed second in 3A with a season-best time of 50.41.

Siuslaw sophomore Kale Jensen placed second in the 3A boys long jump with a mark of 21 3/4.

Pleasant Hill sophomore Ryan Thomas won the 3A girls 100 meters with a time 12.49.

Creswell sophomore Kylie Leonard placed second in the 3A girls 300 meter hurdles with a personal record time of 48.52.

Triangle Lake sophomore Samara Baker placed second in the 1A girls 100 meters with a time of 16.30.

Lowell senior Rowan Files placed second in the 2A boys 100 meters with a time of 11.33.

Other top 6A-4A Salem-area finishes

Central senior Amanda McArthur took fifth place in the 5A girls triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, ½ inch.

Silverton junior Greyson Glivinski produced a personal-best throw of 125 feet, 4 inches to place fifth in the 5A girls javelin. That’s the 17th-best mark in the state this season.

West Salem senior Makai DeBerry took third in the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 1 inch. He also placed 14th in the discus with a throw of 121 feet, 6 inches. DeBerry is slated to compete in the javelin later this weekend, too.

Silverton senior Olivia Boyd took third in the 5A girls high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 3 inches. She matched the height of runner-up Claire Davenport (Crater), but Davenport reached the height on fewer attempts.

Sprague senior Wil Charles placed fifth in the 6A discus with a personal-best throw of 142 feet, 3 inches.

Central junior Gabriel Haines finished third in the boys 5A shot put with a throw of 50 feet, 1 ¾ inch. Haines also placed sixth in the discus with a mark of 138 feet, 10 inches. Dallas junior Jordan Braziel finished fifth in the shot put with a personal-best of 48-10 ¾.

Other top 3A-1A Salem-area finishes

Kennedy senior Isaac Berning took second in the 2A boys javelin with a personal-best throw of 164 feet, 11 inches. Blanchet Catholic's Jackson Mucken placed fourth (160-03).

Willamina junior Evelyn Anderson took fifth in the 2A girls pole vault with a mark of 7 feet, 9 ¾ inches.

After taking second place in the 3A girls javelin on Thursday, Amity junior Kylie Wilson placed fourth in the shot put on Friday with a mark of 34 feet, 9 ¾ inches.

Salem Academy senior Caleb McGraw finished third in the 2A boys discus with a throw of 137 feet, 6 inches. Blanchet Catholic sophomore James Barnett took fourth place with a mark of 132-01.

In addition to Peterson’s big win in the 2A girls triple jump, three other local athletes scored points. Salem Academy’s Emma Brewer placed fourth with a jump of 33 feet, 11 ¼ inches. Willamina junior Nichole Goodwin (33-07 ¼) took fifth, and Blanchet Catholic junior Tatum Fleming finished sixth (33-07 ¼).

In the boys 2A high jump, Salem Academy junior Mateo Schutt uncorked a personal-best of 5 feet, 10 ½ inches to finish fourth. Blanchet Catholic junior Carson Smith and Gervais junior Monty Andres tied for fifth. They also jumped 5-10 ½, but Schutt cleared it in fewer attempts than they did.

Willamina senior Jose Cruz delivered a strong finish down the final stretch to take fourth place in the boys 2A 1,500 with a time of 4 minutes, 18.82 seconds. He then made a quick turnaround and returned to the track later in the evening to place fifth in the 800 meter run (2 minutes, 1.70 seconds).

Amity junior Mya Haarsma took third place in the girls 3A 200 meters with a personal-best time of 26.03 seconds. Earlier in the day, she finished fourth in the 100 with a time of 12.67 seconds.

Gervais senior Gotti Ramon finished fourth in the boys 2A 100 meters with a time of 11.35 seconds. He also finished fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 41 feet, 4 1/4 inches.

Salem Academy junior Noah Dettwyler had a strong overall meet that culminated with a second place finish in the boys 2A 300 hurdles in a time of 40.01 seconds. Earlier in the meet, he finished fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 52.27 seconds and fifth in the 110 meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 16.41 seconds.

Blanchet Catholic sophomore Yaretzy Jacobo Hernandez took fifth in the girls 2A 100 meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 17.14 seconds.

Willamette Valley Christian senior Aaden Ackley took second place in the boys 1A 110 meter hurdles. In a race that featured a thrilling photo finish, Ackley clocked a personal-best time of 15.18 seconds that ranks 14th in the state this season. Imbler senior Trevor Treat won the race in 15.13. Ackley came back a little over an hour later and took third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 41.20 seconds.

Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Noriega_Edith.

Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X @jarrid_denney

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: OSAA State Track and Field Championships underway in Eugene