Well Stated: Riverhawk Track & Field Finishes Strong at the State Meet
State 4A Championship at Hayward Field in Eugene on May 26. Photo by Michelle Adams/FaceBook
By Jill Pearson
Compared to any other sport, or any other meet, State Track & Field feels the most scattered. The same 17 events, times six divisions, added to thousands of families, friends, coaches, and fans, and raised to the power of Hayward Field.
The value of that exponent hasn’t been solved for, and the racing last weekend was more art than science anyhow: less about shaving seconds off of carefully split PRs, or adding inches to a perfectly executed jump, and more about gutsy racing and going for broke in the field events.
It’s part of what makes State feel so magical- the weeks and sometimes years of preparation, culminating in two days in the 8 lanes of the unknown.
The Riverhawks sent 10 athletes to Hayward this year: the girls’ repeat relays team of Lilly Adams (400m), Madelyn Harrison (200m), Amyrah Hill, and Zoe Dunn (long & triple jump) plus alternate Josefine Nielsen; Julian Morehouse in the pole vault, Derek Goulart for high jump, River McClure in the 300 hurdles, and Juan Diego Contreras and Alaina Casady in the 1500m and 3000m.
Collectively, they brought home 10 medals, a sense of accomplishment, and no small amount of awe.
The Newcomers
“I felt so small walking onto that field,” commented sophomore Alaina Casady, echoing the sentiment of all of the newcomers to State. Despite their intimidation- or perhaps because of it- the freshman and sophomores performed well in their events. Freshman Derek Goulart jumped 1.78m (5’10”, tying for 10th with Jack Waddington of Marshfield and Tobias Byrd of Madras early on Saturday morning.
Fellow freshman Julian Morehouse vaulted to 13 feet, good for 6th place. Sophomore River McClure, who came to State on that single 4A wild card, narrowly missed finals in the 300m prelims, coming in 9th at 42.54. The other wild card- Alaina Casady in the 1500- saw a hard day’s race at 5:17.25. “I think I let it get to my head that I was a wild card, that I somehow didn’t deserve to be there.” That feeling didn’t impact her 3000 on Friday morning, however, with a blistering 11:22.84- an eight-second PR- to arrive in 9th place.
The Returners
First among the returning athletes was Juan Diego Contreras, for the third time in his high school career (no State in 2020) for the 3000 and 1500. Racing behind Marshfield’s Alexander Garcia-Silver, Contreras led the chase pack for the better part of both races, finishing 7th in the 3k at 9:10.29 and holding tighter and racing smarter to finish 4th at 4:10.97 in the 1500.
“It’s weird to think this is my last race in high school,” he remarked after the podium as he went to cool down with the senior distance runners- including Nathan Stein of Ashland, Logan Law from Milwaukie, and Hood River’s Elliot Hawley. Next year Contreras will be running for the University of Portland.
Also continuing her career in college is Zoe Dunn, at Eastern Washington. Dunn felt stumped in the long jump, finishing third at 17’0.75” with a sore hip, but rallied for the triple jump to place second behind Hidden Valley’s Aja LaPan at 36’5”.
She anchored both relay races- crediting her indoor and summer track seasons with the competitive push she needed to finish strong. Sophomore Lilly Adams made the finals in her 400m- remarking that “it felt surprisingly good,” finishing 8th in 62.55 the next day. Madelyn Harrison made finals in the 200m, ending in 6th with a time of 27.3 seconds.
The girls 4x400 relay team took sixth place and soon after started planning training runs and future indoor seasons. Photo by Michelle Adams/ FaceBook
Just like any track and field meet, “it ain’t over til the anchor leg of the 4x400,” and State isn’t just “any meet.” Earlier in the day, the squad had raced in the fast heat to finish 6th in 50.94. Literally and metaphorically hungry by their final race, Amyrah Hill and Madelyn Harrison battled back to stay close on the heels of Scappoose and Hidden Valley, running a little over a minute splits, with senior Zoe Dunn chasing down the home stretch to finish in 4:09.84.
They were a little dazed at the end of the race- “I can’t believe it’s over,” commented Lilly Dunn, whose first leg was much faster than her open 400. The mountaintop daze didn’t last long though, as the squad started planning training runs and future indoor seasons.
Photo by Michelle Adams/ FaceBook
The Riverhawks
With one team leaving Eugene, it’s only right that one set of Riverhawks leave the door wide open for the next Statebound crew: the girls softball team. May their plays be just as gutsy and innings just as phenomenal as the weekend at Hayward- what a season it has been.
“The real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test the limits of the human heart.” – Bill Bowerman
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Next up is the Riverhawk hosted 4th of July run on- you guessed it- 4th of July. The 1 mile, 3k, and 5k run/walk will start near Bargeway, and proceeds go to benefit The Dalles Cross Country team. Register here: https://forms.gle/aN7e2toQSs9eep6H8
Thanks again for supporting your Riverhawk athletes this season. We are proud of this community- and hope we made you proud of us. The future is very bright- and fast- indeed!
