Oregon Relays Recap
Updated: Jun 14, 2022
After a three year hiatus, high school athletes joined the collegiate and professional athletes in the newly refurbished Hayward Field. As soon as the sun set and the lights turned on, the distance events in the High Performance Meet did not disappoint.
Friday
The girl's 3000 was a one person show as senior Charlotte Richman of Portland's Ida B Wells won in 9:42.64. There was more drama in the boy's invitational 3000 as it was anyone's race between Oregonians Caleb Lakeman of Tualatin, Tyrone Gorze of Crater and James Crabtree of Sherwood. Lakeman closed with a 59 second last lap to win the event in his first 3000 since his freshman season in a time of 8:10.91 to beat the meet record.
Dalia Frias of Mira Costa was projected to be the favorite in the girl's mile and she came through on that prediction with a dominant 4:43.32. Fellow Californian Chris Caudillo of Clovis was also the projected winner in the boy's mile and he won easily in 4:09.97.
The women's 1500 meter invite winner came down to the finish line with Angel Piccirillo of nearby Nike OTC Elite edging Oregon's Izzy Thornton-Bott in a time of 4:13.45. Christian Noble of Lee University broke two records in the men's 1500 meter invite. He broke the meet record with his 3:36.00 finish and he also broke the NCAA D2 record in the 1500 as well.
In a very close 3000 meter steeplechase race between two local rivals, Oregon's Aneta Konieszek of Oregon won in 9:44.72 to Grace Fetherstonhaugh's 9:44.76. The men's steeplechase featured several steeple Olympians from Tokyo. Olympian Mason Ferlic from Adidas-Very Nice TC came away with the victory in a time of 8:23.92 for the third fastest time in the world this year.
Oregon's Alissia Zarbo won the 5000 in 15:58 with Wisconsin's Shea Ruhly finishing second at 16:01.12. Olin Hacker of Wisconsin won the Bill McChesney 5000 in a meet record time of 13:19.34
Saturday
Chloe Foerster of Jesuit and Maggie Williams of Summit battled with 200 meters to go in the invitational girls 800 with Foerster ultimately pulling away for the victory in a meet record time of 2:05.80. Her time is the third fastest high school 800 of the year and would have finished second in the women's 800 contested moments later. All eyes were on the 800 pre race favorites of Carter Cutting and Marcel Mitchell-Francis, but it was Marcel's teammate Nico Colchico of Long Beach Wilson who came away with a personal record of 1:54.26.
When Buchanan started the the girl's 1600 portion of the distance medley, they had a comfortable lead, but no lead is comfortable as long as Mira Costa's Dalia Frias has the baton last. Frias ran a 4:38 1600 split, which included a 1:05 last lap, to propel Mira Costa for the win. The time of 11:43.80 was not only a meet record, but the #1 high school time in the US this season. The final lap of the boy's distance medley matched the two individual champions of the mile and 3000 from the previous evening, Chis Caudillo of Clovis and Caleb Lakeman of Tualatin. Caudillo closed the 1600 in a time of 4:05 to edge Lakeman for the win and meet record of 10:03.43 and the second fastest high school time of the season.
The women's invite 800 had a contingent of collegiate runners, but it was pro Marta Freitas who won in the end at 2:05.17. Derek Holdsworth of Bell Lap Elite leaned for the win over Abdullahi Hassan of Wisconsin for win in at 1:47.59. The meet concluded with a world record attempt at the 4 X 1 Mile. Fans were encouraged to fill lane seven to cheer for the athletes. The team of Matt Wisner, James West, Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare came up short, but still ran the second fastest time in history at 15:52.05.
Pictures from Friday night's distance events are found HERE
Pictures from Saturday night's distance events are found HERE