The Philomath High School track and field girls won 13 of 17 events to easily take top team honors Tuesday at the Newport Open. The boys had five first-place finishes and placed third in a meet that saw some PHS athletes competing in events beyond what would be considered the norm.
Warriors senior Ahnika Tryon stole the show with the top javelin throw this season in Class 4A. Tryon’s distance on the throw measured 128 feet, 3 inches — a little more than 38 feet further than the nearest competitor.
“It’s first in 4A, probably in the top six in the whole state and 24th in the country,” Fulton said. “She really exploded, I mean, it was an improvement of about 11 feet, which is very significant in the javelin. Then she came back and had a big PR in the triple jump. So we may have found another triple jumper.”
Tryon placed second in the triple jump at a distance of 31-5.25. Junior teammate Anneka Steen won with a 32-6 and also took first in high jump by clearing 5-2.
For those wondering, Tryon’s throw ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list and was the top performance so far this century. The school record belongs to Melissa Gale, who had a throw of 143-6 during her senior season in 1996.
Senior Janice Hellesto took first place in three events — the 100-meter dash (12.92), the 200 (26.76) and the long jump (16-6). Other individual wins were turned in by senior Ellie Morton in the 400 (1:04.49), junior Aspen Russell in the 800 (2:41.64), sophomore Ana Candanoza in the mile (5:34.48), junior Hanna McDaniel in the pole vault (7-0) and senior Madison Juhl in the discus (108-1.25).
The PHS girls won both relays with senior Morton, junior Natalie Dunn, junior Petra Hernandez and Hellesto running on the 4-by-100 (50.84) and Russell, Candanoza, junior Melea Lattin and Hanna McDaniel on the 4-by-400 (4:30.40).
Philomath’s runner-up finishes included Morton in the 100 (13.15) and long jump (15-11), Dunn in the 200 (27.38), junior Brooke McDaniel in the 400 (1:07.75), Lattin in the mile (5:34.62), junior Kateri Pindell in the 3,000 (12:30.00), Hanna McDaniel in the 300 hurdles (53.27) and Juhl in the pole vault (6-6).
Other top-three finishes were junior Hallie Morrison in the 3,000 (12:41.18), Hanna McDaniel in the high jump (4-10) and sophomore Delany Thomas in both the 100 hurdles (18.41) and 300 hurdles (53.98).
Newport offered the mile run, which is rarely seen in today’s track meets.
“I put a lot of kids in it just so they can make our all-time top 10,” Fulton said. “We get an opportunity to run a mile maybe once every 10 years.”
For the girls, Candanoza (fourth), Lattin (fifth), King (seventh) and Pindell (eighth) are now all among the top 10 all-time with their times. Senior Simon King (fifth), sophomore Lukas Hernandez (sixth) and sophomore Leo Pausch (seventh) are in the top 10 for the boys.
Junior Warwick Bushnell won the 100 in 11.36 and the 800 in 2:03.06, an example of his versatility.
“If you look at the boys, Warwick is in the top 10 in the state in the 100, 200, 400 and 800,” Fulton said. “And he’s in the top two in our league in all of those plus the 1,500. He could go to state in three individual events plus the long relay.”
But with no room for error in the 4-by-100 relay, Bushnell could end up on that relay as well when it comes down to districts and state — just an example of decisions to be made down the line.
Hernandez also had a win in the running events with first in the 3,000 in 9:53.08. Sophomore Josiah Peters won the javelin with a throw of 164-5 and junior Emmitt Gaskey was tops in the pole vault at a height of 9-6. Sophomore Blake Hauck was second in that event at 9-0.
Elsewhere, Pausch placed third in the 3,000 (9:59.62) and Simon King was third in the mile (4:41.50).
The boys’ 4-by-100 relay placed second with sophomore CD Nuno, sophomore Seth O’Harra, Simon King and Bushnell in 46.13.
Philomath will host a relays meet Saturday with field events beginning at 11 a.m. and running events at noon.
