Riverhawk Track: Seasonal Swings from Cold to Hot mirrored in personal records
By Jill Pearson
Photos by Ashley Quisenberry and Kristi Timmons
What a difference three days can make.
There’s a joke about the weather in Oregon- if you don’t like it, just wait a minute.
From a snow cancellation a few weeks ago to practices in the hail and dumping rain to blisteringly unshaded district meets - track remains impervious to everything except lightning strikes.
Like the weather, young runners’ attitudes can change quickly: a disappointing race that ended in frustration at one meet could lead to the top of the podium the next. It’s part of what makes track and field so exciting- you just never know what tomorrow could hold!
On Wednesday, April 20, both The Dalles teams headed to the league’s first- and only- combined high school and middle school meets at Hood River Valley. While the meet continued late into the cold and drizzly night, good preparation and sheer mental toughness helped the Riverhawk team place strong.
On the middle school side…
8th-grader Noah Preston placed first in the 400m in 64.36 seconds, and also in the javelin with a throw of 110’10.”
Willow Ziegenhagen, 6th grade, placed first in the girls’ - and also her very first - 1500m in 5:53.38.
It was a three-for-three TD sweep in the girls’ high jump, with seventh-grader Riley Elliot leading in 4’4” followed by sisters Ariana and Lilyana Gonzalez, tied at 4’2”.
Harley Scott threw 34’3.5” in the boys’ 12 lb shot put, leading by over a foot and improving his last season PR by nearly 10 feet.
For the Riverhawks:
Morehouse brothers Taylor and Julian dominated the men’s pole vault in first at 14’, and third at 11’ right behind Sawyer Dean of Trout Lake.
Sophomore Merik Peacock won the javelin with a throw of 120’ 2.5”, a PR of over 6 feet from his previous throw at St. Helens.
The sandpit saw some serious gains for triple jump- with over 1 foot PR’s for Adrian Rodriguez and Anthony Santana.
On the women’s side, Zoe Dunn took first for both triple and long jump, with respective marks at 33’ 1.25” and 16’ 2.75” She remains 7th in the state for long jump, and 11th in triple.
Last but not least, and in possibly the largest PR I have ever witnessed as an athlete or a coach, senior Megan Lenardson took over a minute and a half off her previous time in the 3k, coming in at a tough 14:26.
At Willamette Falls:
Leo Lemman stands at the top of the podium for the men's 3k.
Leo finishing strong in the 3k.
Saturday, April 23, Willamette Falls Invitational at Oregon City could not have been more different.
It was all sunglasses and sunburns, free of wind and rain, and populated by some of the metro area’s 6A and elite schools. TD athletes with big improvements carried themselves to the podium; a chance to literally bask in the sun.
Not to be outdone, junior Fiona Dunlop wrested the PR crown on Saturday’s 1500 in Oregon City, coming in at 5:36, a 24-second, all-time personal best. Her teammate Alaina Casady won the second heat at 5:24, a two-second improvement from Canby.
In men’s high jump, junior Michael Cole made the podium, tying for 7th at 5’ 4”.
Taylor Morehouse again won the pole vault at 14’, a foot and a half ahead of Mountain View’s Xavier Vubenna and Battle Ground’s Brody Larson.
Zoe Dunn took second in the long jump at 17’ 2.5”. She was behind first in the state’s Sophia Beckmon from Oregon City. She also made the podium for triple jump at 34’ 4”.
In keeping with saving the best for last, by far one of the most exciting races of the afternoon was Leo Lemman’s 3000m. Consistent splits, with improved leg speed from racing the 400m and 800m at Hood River got him to the front of the pack, with a scorching time of 9:05, a 13-second personal best.
Come see the Riverhawk seniors at their final home meet tomorrow, Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Wahtonka. After all, you just never know what a turn in the weather might bring.
You can find the rest of the Riverhawks’ records and schedules on Athletic.net
Michael Cole, 7th for high jump.
Women's 4x100m relay- 6th overall
