The Philomath High School girls track and field team won the Oregon West Conference Championships for the ninth straight year while the boys settled for runner-up on Saturday at Stayton.
Beyond those team results, the girls and boys teams (as of Saturday evening) had each qualified in 10 events for next week’s state meet at Hayward Field in Eugene. Additional athletes could make it in based on factors such as injuries to qualifying athletes — a situation that benefited the Warriors last season.
Philomath’s girls won five individual events and a relay to help them to the team title by 20.5 points over runner-up Cascade. The Warriors finished the two-day meet with 161 points to Cascade’s 140.5. Stayton was distant third with 118 points.
Sophomore Cassidy Smart was a double-winner in the 1,500 with a time of 4:48.81 and in the 3,000 with a 10:31.98. Another sophomore, Reagan Nuño, won the 400 with a time of 1:00.79. Freshman Sienna Bushnell won the 800 by more than 5 seconds in 2:25.01. Junior Hailey Eckhold had a personal-best 9 feet, 8 inches to win the pole vault.
The 4-by-400 relay took first place with Smart, junior Jordyn Hood, Bushnell and Nuño covering the distance in 4:08.83.
In addition to Smart, three other girls qualified for state in a second individual event. Nuño finished second in the high jump by clearing 4-9, Eckhold was second in the shot put with a personal-best distance of 36-8.5 and sophomore Kya Bolton placed second in the 100 with a 12.98 and in the triple jump with a 33-2.
Hood missed state in two events by one placing with third in both the 100 hurdles (16.90) and discus (101-3). Eckhold settled for third in the triple jump (32-11.25).
Other top-six finishes for the PHS girls included Nuño in the 200 (fourth, 27.66), sophomore Libby Kramer in the 3,000 (fourth, 11:48.79) and 1,500 (fifth, 5:16.79), Hood in the 300 hurdles (fourth, 50.46), junior Annaleise Brown in the triple jump (fourth, 32-11) and 300 hurdles (fifth, 52.32), Bushnell in the long jump (fifth, 15-4), Bolton in the 200 (sixth, 28.04) and senior Syd Clark in the 3,000 (12:52.00).
In addition, the 4-by-100 relay had a fourth-place finish in 55.00 with an all-freshman lineup of Ruby Oster, Jordyn Allen, Ava Oster and Adilee Stewart.
In the boys’ competition, junior Bryce Hruska, sophomore Sammy Hernandez and senior Blake Hauck each claimed conference titles. Hruska won the 110-meter high hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.81, Hernandez took the high jump by clearing 6-2 and Hauck had a personal-best 12-2 to finish first in the pole vault.
Three Warriors qualified in two events. On the track, senior Leo Pausch was second in both the 1,500 (4:13.10) and 3,000 (9:05.76). In the field events, junior Jamin Peters finished second in both the shot put (51-2.25) and discus (137-8), and junior Kaden Howard was runner-up in both the long jump (21-8.25) and the triple jump (41-1.5).
Senior Josiah Peters also qualified for state with second place in the javelin (180-8).
Just missing out on state with third-place finishes were Howard in the 100 (11.29), sophomore Dreyton Nuño in the 400 (51.73) and sophomore Nathan Seits in the high jump (5-8.5).
Both of the team’s relays also had third-place showings with the 4-by-100 finishing in 44.71 with Hruska, Howard, Dreyton Nuño and CD Nuño, and the 4-by-400 finishing in 3:35.11 with junior Esias Sapp, Hruska, CD Nuño and Dreyton Nuño.
Other top-six performance at the two-day meet included senior Lukas Hernandez in the 3,000 (fourth, 9:22.48) and 1,500 (fifth, 4:17.97), Dreyton Nuño in the 100 (fifth, 11.36), Hruska in the 300 hurdles (fifth, 43.60), junior Jonah Sailor in the discus (fifth, 119-6), Sapp in the javelin (sixth, 133-11) and Seits in the long jump (19-3.25).
Sweet Home took the team title with 165 points with Philomath second at 147 and Cascade a close third at 142.
Philomath’s state qualifiers will compete May 29-30 at the 4A championships at Hayward Field.
Oregon West Conference Championships
Friday-Saturday, May 22-23, at Stayton HS
BOYS
Team scoring: 1, Sweet Home 165; 2, Philomath 147; 3, Cascade 142; 4, Newport 91; 5, Stayton 84; 6, North Marion 21.
PHS results: 100 (Finals) — 3, Kaden Howard, 11.29; 5, Dreyton Nuño, 11.36. 100 (Prelims) — 3, Kaden Howard, 11.28; 5, Dreyton Nuño, 11.36. 200 (Finals) — 7, CD Nuño, 24.48. 200 (Prelims) — 8, CD Nuño, 24.23. 400 (Finals) — 3, Dreyton Nuño, 51.73. 400 (Prelims) — 3, Dreyton Nuño, 52.87. 800 (Prelims) — 10, Galen Murch, 2:14.56; 13, Esias Sapp, 2:23.10; 16, Milo Morrison, 2:27.72. 1500 — 2, Leo Pausch, 4:13.10; 5, Lukas Hernandez, 4:17.97; 13, Oakley Pausch, 4:49.92. 3000 — 2, Leo Pausch, 9:05.76; 4, Lukas Hernandez, 9:22.48; 12, Galen Murch, 10:57.63. 110 hurdles (Finals) — 1, Bryce Hruska, 14.81. 110 hurdles (Prelims) — 1, Bryce Hruska, 15.13; 9. Wyatt Coen, 21.19. 300 hurdles (Finals) — 5, Bryce Hruska, 43.60. 300 hurdles (Prelims) — 3, Bryce Hruska, 43.22. 4×100 relay — 3, Philomath (Bryce Hruska, Kaden Howard, Dreyton Nuño, CD Nuño), 44.71. 4×400 relay — 3, Philomath (Esias Sapp, Bryce Hruska, CD Nuño, Dreyton Nuño), 3:35.11. Shot put — 2, Jamin Peters, 51-2.25; 14, Mason Elliott, 23-9. Discus — 2, Jamin Peters, 137-8; 5, Jonah Sailor, 119-6. Javelin — 2, Josiah Peters, 180-8; 6, Esias Sapp, 133-11; 16, Seamus Harrington, 88-8. High jump — 1, Samuel Hernandez, 6-2; 3, Nathan Seits, 5-8.5. Pole vault — 1, Blake Hauck, 12-2; 7, Everett Ferguson, 10-2.5; 10, John Meacham, 9-2.5. Long jump — 2, Kaden Howard, 21-8.25; 6, Nathan Seits, 19-3.25. Triple jump — 2, Kaden Howard, 41-1.5; 10, Hunter St. Clair, 31-6.5.
GIRLS
Team scoring: 1, Philomath 161; 2, Cascade 140.5; 3, Stayton 118; 4, Newport 117; 5, Sweet Home 106.5; 6, North Marion 4.
PHS results: 100 (Finals) — 2, Kya Bolton, 12.98. 100 (Prelims) — 2, Kya Bolton, 12.90; 12, Adilee Stewart, 13.91; 14, Makayla Nelson, 14.08. 200 (Finals) — 4, Reagan Nuño, 27.66; 6, Kya Bolton, 28.04. 200 (Prelims) — 4, Kya Bolton, 27.63; 5, Reagan Nuño, 27.65. 400 (Finals) — 1, Reagan Nuño, 1:00.79; 7, Ava Oster, 1:07.73; 8, Jordyn Allen, 1:08.99. 400 (Prelims) — 3, Reagan Nuño, 1:03.90; 5, Ava Oster, 1:06.99; 7, Jordyn Allen, 1:07.41. 800 (Finals) — 1, Sienna Bushnell, 2:25.01; 8, Eden Phelps, 2:47.33; 9, Pyper Rutland, 2:50.27. 1500 — 1, Cassidy Smart, 4:48.81; 5, Libby Kramer, 5:16.79; 8, Abby Phelps, 5:39.54. 3000 — 1, Cassidy Smart, 10:31.98; 4, Libby Kramer, 11:48.79; 6, Syd Clark, 12:52.00. 100 hurdles (Finals) — 3, Jordyn Hood, 16.90. 100 hurdles (Prelims) — 6, Jordyn Hood, 17.29; 9, Annaleise Brown, 17.86; 12, Adilee Stewart, 19.18. 300 hurdles (Finals) — 4, Jordyn Hood, 50.46; 5, Annaleise Brown, 52.32. 300 hurdles (Prelims) — 4, Jordyn Hood, 51.31; 6, Annaleise Brown, 54.12. 4×100 relay — 4, Philomath (Ruby Oster, Jordyn Allen, Ava Oster, Adilee Stewart), 55.00. 4×400 relay — 1, Philomath (Cassidy Smart, Jordyn Hood, Sienna Bushnell, Reagan Nuño), 4:08.83. Shot put — 2, Hailey Eckhold, 36-8.5. Discus — 3, Jordyn Hood, 101-3; 13, Caelyn Avery, 56-7; 14, Cassidy Grubbs, 42-2. Javelin — 11, Makaya Nelson, 65-2; 14, Caelyn Avery, 53-0. High jump — 2, Reagan Nuño, 4-9; 11, Makayla Nelson, 4-1.25. Pole vault — 1, Hailey Eckhold, 9-8; 7, Adilee Stewart, 6-0. Long jump — 5, Sienna Bushnell, 15-4; 8, Annaleise Brown, 14-8.5; 10, Ruby Oster, 12-10.75. Triple jump — 2, Kya Bolton, 33-2; 3, Hailey Eckhold, 32-11.25; 4, Annaleise Brown, 32-11.
For complete meet results, click here.