The OSAA 6A, 5A and 4A state track and field championships will wrap up at Hayward Field in Eugene on Saturday.
The large-school state meet began at 9 a.m. Friday and will conclude around 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Check out our coverage of 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A events on Friday and follow along for live updates as athletes from Salem and Eugene compete.
Stayton’s Haley Butenschoen repeats as 800 meter state champ
Stayton junior Haley Butenschoen uncorked a big PR on Saturday, and in the process, accomplished something that hadn’t been done in a decade.
Butenschoen cruised to victory in the 4A girls 800 meters with a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 18.37 seconds. She took control from the get go and used a savvy race to pull away over the final 300 meters.
“I knew some of my competition had already raced (in the 1,500 earlier in the day), so I had a little bit of an advantage going into it,” Butenschoen said. “My strategy was to keep it even the first lap and then get after it on the second lap and see what I can do. … I was happy with that last 400. I gave it all I had.”
With the victory, Butenschoen secured back-to-back 800 state titles after winning last year’s race in 2:19.99. She is the first 4A repeat champion in the event since Molalla’s Emily Bever captured back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
“It just made me take training a lot more seriously,” Butenschoen said of how last year’s 800 title win helped her this season. “Also, what I’m fueling my body with, and what I’m spending my time on. It helped me kind of put that into focus.”
Butenschoen is a strong cross country runner, too: she placed 21st at the 4A state meet last fall, and finished 11th at the state meet as a sophom*ore in 2022. Going forward, she intends to continue running the 800 while also bumping up to the 1,500 meter run next spring.
“I only ran (the 1,500) once this year,” Butenschoen said. “Then, coming off an injury early in the season, my coach didn’t want to put me in both because we weren’t exactly sure how much endurance I would have for both events. So next year I think I’m going to do both, but I really wanted to take care of the 800 this year.”
Jackie Bier caps North Salem career with runner-up hurdles finish
For much of this season, North Salem senior Jackie Bier has been waiting for somebody to push her in the 100 meter hurdles.
Prior to this week, Bier had run the race nine times and emerged with eight victories, with the only exception coming at the April 26 Jesuit Twilight Relays, where she placed third. She won the Central Valley Conference Championship in 14.95 seconds and finished 1.55 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
On Saturday, Bier faced her toughest test of the season — and emerged with the best state finish of her decorated career.
Bier finished second in the 6A girls 100 meter hurdles in 14.85 seconds. Ida B. Wells’ junior Avery co*ker won with a personal-best time of 14.59 that is the third-best mark in the state this season.
“I was so excited to race against girls that were faster than me,” Bier said. “Because of our district, I just haven’t had very many good races to race this. It was just fun, and I’m very happy to get second because I got third last year.”
Bier ends the final season of her North Salem career with the fourth-best time in the state.
Cascade’s Lillian Pickett surges to 400 meter state title
Lillian Pickett only began seriously running the 400 meters this season, and it’s still far from her favorite event — for a perfectly valid reason.
“The 400 hurts way too much for me to ever love it,” she said with a laugh.
Based on how things unfolded this weekend, though, she might be willing to budge on that stance.
The Cascade junior won the 4A girls 400 in a personal-best time of 57.97 seconds to earn her first-ever state title. She surged down the backstretch and pulled away from Crook County’s Natallia Crass, who took second in a season-best 59.15.
“It feels so amazing,” Pickett said. “I wanted to keep my first 200 steady and then really push on the corner; that was my main goal because that’s what I’ve been struggling with the most. I think accomplishing that was the main thing.”
Pickett took fourth place in the 200 at last year’s state meet. She also owns the 11th-fastest 100 meter time among 4A athletes this season. Although she topped out at 1:05.21 in the 400 as a sophom*ore last spring, her success with Cascade’s cross country team last fall led the Cougars’ coaching staff to believe that Pickett might have a bright future in the event.
In her first 400 race this spring on April 10, she clocked a blazing 58.98 to win a meet against Sprague and Stayton.
“I came into (state) with the mentality of not expecting a win, but definitely wanting it,” Pickett said.
Later in the meet, she finished fourth in the 200 with a personal-best of 25.83 seconds. She also anchored Cascade to a second-place finish in the 4x400 meter relay.
Jack Meier closes high school career with strong finish; sets sights on UO future
The final season of Jack Meier’s decorated high school career didn’t necessarily go according to plan.
The West Salem senior captured the 6A cross country title last fall and had hopes of adding at least one track state title this spring. But he suffered an injury during winter training that robbed him of six weeks of valuable training time and left him playing catch-up during the spring outdoor season.
Although his final meet with the Titans didn’t result in a long-awaited individual title, it did end on an encouraging high note — and offered a glimpse of what is to come. Meier gutted his way to a fifth-place finish in a season-best 3 minutes, 56.87 seconds in the 6A 1,500 on Saturday. He ended the race with a strong 400 despite struggling through Friday’s 3,000, where he finished 11th in 8 minutes, 32.72 seconds.
“It feels really great,” Meier said. “I think yesterday was a little upsetting; I was kind of disappointed with it. But I realized that this is gonna be my last one. I wanted to leave it all out here. I don’t think the 1,500 is really my race, but I was like, ‘This is my last time wearing West Salem on my jersey.’ So that’s kind of what today was for. I wanted to rep my school.”
Meier has committed to run at University of Oregon next season, where he will be part of head coach Jerry Schumacher’s loaded 2024 signing class.
So, Saturday will be far from the last time Meier competes at Hayward Field. But the occasion served as a moment for him to reflect on how far he has come during his four years with the Titans.
“It’s just been so crazy,” Meier said. “I look back to my freshman year — that was my first year running, I was playing football but decided that I loved the (track and field) coaching staff, I love the team here at West Salem. It’s crazy to see where I am now after competing where I was at. It’s surreal; I couldn’t have imagined something greater.”
Silverton’s JD Arthur kicks way to runner-up 800 meter finish
Regardless of the situation, JD Arthur always trusts his ability to kick his way out of trouble.
So, when he found himself stuck in a crowded, close-bunched pack of runners jockeying for position with 300 meters to go on Saturday, the Silverton junior didn’t panic. Instead, he waited patiently and clung to the inside rail until an opportunity presented itself.
When the moment arose, Arthur deployed a devastating kick that carried him to the best state finish of his career.
Arthur took second in the 5A boys 800 meter run with a time of 1 minute, 55.41 seconds. Although he wasn’t able to chase down Caldera’s Dane Giessler, who won in 1:54.50, Arthur pulled away from a rapid pack that featured four other runners who finished in 1:55.83 or better.
“Our field was so competitive because we’re all trying to get this exact time; everyone is trying to go 1:54,” Arthur said. “There were kids out in lane three at the 400 mark. I was like, “OK, let’s go.’”
Arthur’s second-place finish was a big improvement over last year’s state meet, where he took eighth place. In order to get to the final, though, he had to navigate his way through a Friday prelim that was nearly as tricky as Saturday’s final.
“I was just patient,” Arthur said. “Because in prelims, it was the same deal; I barely got into the final. I got boxed in. So I was like, ‘I just need to be patient.’ Because I trust my kick. My kick is what’s always gotten me good placements, good times.”
Cascade’s Kalina Saechao captures 4A shot put title
Kalina Saechao didn’t need any extra motivation this week.
For the past 12 months, the Cascade standout junior has used her second-place shot put finish at the state meet as fuel to push her through workouts and training sessions.
“It’s always, ‘OK, remember what happened last year,” Saechao said. “So I’m always thinking in my head — ‘We’ve gotta dial in, lock in, and when we have to, just throw far.’”
On Saturday, Saechao got her long-awaited state title. On her final throw of the day, she produced a lifetime-best throw of 39 feet, 11 ½ inches to win the 4A shot put title. With that throw, she leapfrogged Estacada’s Abby Behrman, who took second with a mark of 39-02 ½.
“I just think of my family,” Saechao said of what sparked her big PR. “I want my family to be proud of me, for sure. But I just wanted to come back, because last year I got second place and I definitely wanted to get this state title.”
Later in the afternoon, Saechao capped off the meet with a second-place finish in the discus (117 feet, 9 inches).
She finished the meet as Cascade’s top points-scorer and helped the Cougars to a second-place team finish in the girl’s 4A standings.
Central’s Ty Cirino ends stellar sophom*ore season with big PR
For the second day in a row, Central sophom*ore Ty Cirino went toe-to-toe with two of the top runners in the nation and more than held his own.
A little over 24 hours after notching a third-place finish in the the 5A 3,000 meter state championship, Cirino came back and finished second in the 1,500 with a personal-best time of 3 minutes, 54.87 seconds. That’s the seventh-fastest time in the state this season and the 25th-fastest by a U.S. high school athlete.
“I knew it was going to be a tough race as soon as we came around at (400 meters), but I just had it in my mind that I was going to push the whole time,” Cirino said. “It ended up working out. That last 400 was just all arms. I really pushed as hard as I could, I wasn’t thinking much.”
Cirino finished as runner-up to Crater junior Josiah Tostenson, who captured his third career state title with a time of 3:50.92.
Tostenson’s personal-best 1,500 time of 3:46.34 is the third-fastest in the U.S. this season by a high school athlete. Crater junior Tayvon Kitchen, who also ranks among the top-25 fastest 1,500 runners in the U.S. this season, placed third on Saturday in 3:56.46.
“I don’t really race them much, since we’re not in the same districts,” Cirino said of Tostenson and Kitchen. “These are my first races with them all year. Obviously Josiah won, and Tayvon took the lead at one point; it’s just fun to have those guys to go after. Like, they’re top in the country. If I can go out with them, then I know I’m running fast."
South Eugene’s Jan Bremer outlasts Sheldon’s Adam Reeder to win 800 meters
South Eugene’s Jan Bremer dominated in the boys 800 meters at districts.
But the senior was challenged one final time when he was up against Sheldon senior Adam Reeder, who has tested him all season.
Bremer held out through the final stretch to win the 6A boys 800 meters with a personal record time of 1:53.86. Reeder charged from behind and placed second at 1:53.95.
“He’s always coming through the last 150 just flying down the back,” Bremer said of Reeder. “I knew I just had to make my move early and just put it all out there. It was just barely enough to get it.”
Roosevelt’s Peter Bradbury placed third with a PR of 1:54.18.
Sheldon, Sherwood tie for first in 6A boys team title
The Sheldon Irish boys track team tied with Sherwood with 46 points to earn the 6A title on Saturday at Hayward Field.
The feat was a first for the Irish since 2016 after finishing as state runner-up last year. Sherwood marked their first team title in program history after finishing state runner-up in 2019.
North Eugene's Artana Nice sees PR wins in 800 and 1,500 meters
North Eugene’s Artana Nice trusted herself to get the job done - twice.
The senior won her first state title in the 5A 1,500 meters with a personal record time of 4 minutes, 36.34 seconds Saturday afternoon at Hayward Field.
But the task was no walk-in-the-park as Nice propelled herself from third to first in the final lap.
“I felt pretty confident going into last lap and I thought well, 'If I were to make a move, you know, I might as well do it now,’” Nice said.
Crescent Valley’s Lillian Weiss placed second with a time of 4:38.67 and West Albany’s Haley Blaine placed third at 4:39.60.
Two hours later, Nice showed that same confidence when she won the 800 meters in a personal record time of 2:15.80.
Nice battled her way to the winning spot just like she did in the 1,500.
Nice, who is in her first season competing in the 800, said she played into her strength - her kick - which led her to victories in both races.
Nice also competed in the Highlanders 4x400 meter relay that placed ninth with a season-best time of 4:06.52.
Addison Kleinke wins second 5A pole vault state title
Churchill’s Addison Kleinke waited for about an hour until she saw any action in the 5A girls pole vault.
The sophom*ore watched as the 13 others competing quickly went down to two by the sixth height attempt.
“I enjoy it because I get some time to watch the girls, interact with them (and) get to know them more,” Kleinke said. “But, I mean, it definitely takes a while and I get kind of cold sometimes when the weather’s like it is in Oregon.”
Kleinke, who had passed on the first nine height attempts, won her second state title on her first attempt at 12 feet, 3 1/2 inches.
“Absolutely, I’m still really happy that I did get to win the event,” Kleinke said. “The goal is to keep it going through all four years. So, here’s one more year to the four.”
Centennial sophom*ore Elizabeth Lancaster jumped two PRs in the lead-up to her second-place finish at 11-2 1/2, while Bend junior Trili Nyquist jumped five PRs and placed third at 10-9.
Earlier, Kleinke scratched on her next three attempts at 12-8.
“I’m not very happy with how today went at all,” Kleinke said. “I had some high hopes, and I feel like in practice I’ve been jumping a lot higher than I showed today and even in competitions I’ve been jumping a lot higher than I showed today. But it happens and it’s part of the process, so I need to move on and be OK with it.”
Still, while Kleinke didn’t touch her 13-4 1/2 state record set as a freshman last year, she said she still enjoyed her time competing at Hayward.
“This is the most beautiful facility I have ever been at,” she said. “The energy is so good. The officials are awesome. The kids are awesome. There’s nothing like Hayward Field and being five minutes away from it. It is magical.”
Marist's Cloe Chase shines in 4A long jump victory
Marist’s Close Chase closed her high school career on a high note.
The senior won her first state title in the 4A girls long jump with a PR mark of 18-2 1/4 Saturday afternoon.
“I told my coach, ‘I just want to PR,’” Chase said. “My first jump was a PR, so it was great and then the second jump felt even better.”
Chase, who is committed to play soccer at Oregon in the fall, hit her winning mark in her second attempt and held onto the first-place lead on her next four attempts.
Mazama’s Sydney Baker placed second with a mark of 17- 3/4, while Molalla’s Peyton Craven placed third at 16-11 1/2.
West Salem's Mihaly Akpamgbo repeats as 6A 200 meter champion
The highly-anticipated 6A boys 200 meter showdown didn’t quite materialize as expected at Hayward Field on Saturday.
None of that mattered to Mihaly Akpamgbo, though. The West Salem senior arrived with a plan, executed it to perfection, and wasn’t concerned with what else happened around him.
Akpamgbo won in a personal-best time of 21.37 seconds to capture his second consecutive 200 state title. He used a strong final 100 meters to cruise away from Oregon City junior Keaton Moore and notch the second-fastest time in the state this season.
Read more about Akpamgbo's race here.
Calvin Stewart uncorks high jump PR to capture second place
For the second year in a row, South Salem standout Calvin Stewart capped off a strong season with a big performance at the state meet.
After bursting onto the scene with an eighth-place finish as a freshman in 2023, Stewart returned to Hayward Field on Saturday and produced a lifetime-best leap of 6 feet, 6 ¾ inches to take second place in the 6A boys high jump.
“Sun was out, my steps were on, and it just felt really good,” Stewart said. “Just a good day. I was hoping for the school record — I was one jump away. But still really happy with 6-6 ¾ and a PR. It always feels good.”
Stewart ends the year with the third-best high jump mark in the state.
North Medford’s Houston Klug won the event with a jump of 6-8 on his second attempt at that height. Stewart took three tries at matching Klug, but was unable to get over the bar.
“When you get down to two people left, it’s fun to see their attempts, see them do well and also do well yourself,” Stewart said of his face off with Klug.
Throughout the meet, Stewart leaned on his past experience on the big stage at Hayward. In addition to last year’s state meet, he also competed at the Oregon Relays in Eugene earlier this spring and placed 19th with a 6-foot jump. Klug won that meet, too, with a mark of 6-8.
But Stewart has managed to close the gap between himself and the state leader over the past month.
“It’s really energetic — there’s just such a good vibe to the place. It feels good here,” Stewart said of Hayward Field. “It’s been such a cool experience.”
Silverton’s Elijah Willis finishes as runner-up in 5A javelin
For the better part of an hour on Saturday, Silverton junior Elijah Willis battled wind and nerves to climb atop the 5A javelin standings.
On the penultimate throw of the day, though, Crater sophom*ore Nathan Lindbloom unleashed a massive personal-best to catapult ahead of Willis and win in dramatic fashion. Lindbloom won with a mark of 171 feet, 4 inches on his last attempt, topping his previous PR by more than five feet.
Willis placed second with a throw of 168-07 that came on his fifth attempt. He owns a personal-best of 177-7 that leads all 5A athletes this season, and hoped to clear 180 this weekend. But he admits that he struggled to settle into a rhythm on Saturday.
“I kind of just knew I wasn't having a very good day,” Willis said. “But coming into it I was just like, ‘OK, I have to get a good throw. I have to get a good throw.’ It just didn’t go my way, though.”
Even still, Willis ends the season with a runner-up finish in his strongest event. He eclipsed last year’s season-best of 158-06 by nearly 20 feet, and is hoping to make a similar leap as a senior next year.
“My steps got a lot better this year,” Willis said. “Last year I would kind of just start at a random spot and go. This year, I really focused on getting my steps the same every time so I could be consistent every time. … I definitely made big progress.”
Other Salem area top finishers
McKay junior Isabel Zamora Mercado placed third in the 5A girls 100 meter hurdles with a time of 15.12 seconds, and also finished third in the 300 meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 45.67 seconds. To begin the day, she placed fifth in the pole vault with a personal-best of 10 feet, 6 ¼ inches. That’s the 16th-best mark in the state this season.
Dallas senior Annika Morrow took fifth place in the 5A girls 200 meters with a time of 12.51 seconds. Later in the day, she finished sixth in the 200 in 26 seconds flat.
Central senior Jordan Vega Ramos finished fourth in the 5A boys 100 meters with a time of 11.01 seconds. He went on to finish fourth in the 200, too, with a personal-best time of 22.09 seconds.
McKay senior Abdoulie Jallow took third in the 5A boys 400 meters with a time of 49.40 seconds.
Stayton sophom*ore Evelyn Welch finished fourth in the 4A girls 300 meter hurdles in a personal-best time of 47.09 seconds.
After his sixth-place finish in the long jump to start the day, Silverton senior Tyler Pooleon closed out the meet with a fifth-place finish in the 5A boys 300 meter hurdles with a time of 41.17 seconds.
Silverton senior David Hari took fifth place in the 5A boys long jump with a mark of 20 feet 10, inches. Pooleon finished narrowly behind him in sixth with a jump of 20-06 ¼.
Other Eugene area top finishers
Sheldon junior Paul Foster placed second with a throw of 189-3 in the 6A boys javelin.
South Eugene senior Jacob Knight jumped a personal record 6-3 1/4 and placed fourth in the 6A boys high jump.
Sheldon sophom*ore Malachi Schoenherr placed third with a time of 3:56.32 in the 6A boys 1,500 meters.
Thurston sophom*ore Brooklyn Anderson placed second with a personal record time of 12.25 in the 5A girls 100 meters.
North Eugene’s relay team comprised of Michelle Bierman, MaeAni Dotts, Lina Pescosolido and Tabi Bierman placed third with a season-best time of 49.85 in the 5A girls 4x100 meter relay.
Springfield freshman Sailor Hall placed third with a personal record throw of 123-10 in the 5A girls discus.
Cottage Grove junior Hayes Valley placed second with a personal record time of 15.16 in the 4A boys 110 meter hurdles.
Sheldon senior Alexis Leao placed fifth with a personal record time of 57.06 in the 6A girls 400 meters.
Junction City senior Elaina Deming placed third in the 4A girls pole vault with a jump of 10 feet.
Marist’s relay team comprised of Piper Van Buskirk, Kate Firth, Close Chase and Bella Gubrud placed second with a season-best time of 49.44 in the 4A girls 4x100 meter relay.
Marist junior Bella Gubrud placed fourth with a time of 12.82 in the 4A girls 100 meters.
Marist freshman Tori Sherman placed fifth with a personal record time of 2:23.09 in the 4A girls 800 meters.
Springfield junior Liz Hirschbach placed fifth with a jump of 16-9 1/4 in the 5A girls long jump.
Cottage Grove junior Carter Bengtson placed fourth in the 4A boys 1,500 meters with a personal record time of 4:06.03.
Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her atENoriega@gannett.comand 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
