It’s gonna hurt either way: The Dalles Track team shows strong at JV meet and sets records at Nike/Jesuit
By Jill Pearson
It’s difficult to pin the right level of anxiety before a race.
Not enough, and you jog where you should be pushing. Too much, and you work harder than you have to against your own mind and body.
Much like a routine shot, the worst part by far is the anticipation- not how much it will actually hurt, but how much you think it will hurt.
“Whether you run 70 seconds or a minute flat: it’s going to hurt about the same. So you might as well go faster and get it over with.” You can adjust the times for each race and runner, but the premise holds true: might as well run your own race, not the imagined one ahead of you.
The Dalles made strong showings at last Wednesday’s JV meet in Estacada, April 26, with some significant PR’s across the team. For the distance races, sophomore Angel Garza Ocampa won both the 1500 and 800m, going sub 5 minutes for the first time, a 5-second PR. Fellow sophomore Nayeli Vergara led and won both girls’ races “from the gun” (the whole race), helping teammate Abigail Pope achieve a 7-second PR in the 1500. In the grueling 3k, junior Gabriel Castillo-Quintana won, with teammates Phoenix Nanie and Gabriel Stein completing a 3 for 3 sweep.
In the field events, senior Nathan Ganders achieved an all-time PR of 15’11.5”, a half foot better than his previous jump and good enough for second place. Sophomore Rowena Benjamin won pole vault at 7 feet, as well as javelin with a 63’ throw, and helped the girls win the 4x100 relay along with Marissa Baldy, Jazmine De La Cruz, and Mayet Winwood. The JV girls’ squad scored 51 points to win the meet.
For the sprints, freshmen London Leitz and Noah Preston saw PRs in the 100m, coming in first (12.52) and third (12.88). Preston also won the 400m and 300m hurdles, helping the JV boys squad win the meet with 72 points.
Jesuit/Nike Meet
Compared to the comfortable and compact Estacada meet- or compared to virtually any meet besides State- the Nike Jesuit meet on Friday, Arpil 28, felt crowded and high stakes. Some of the top athletes in the Pacific Northwest were in attendance, with new records set in the girls’ 100m (Mia Brahe-Pederson) and long jump (Sophia Beckmon). Abuzz with potential in the setting sun, both of The Dalles’ relay teams performed well, with the girls’ 4x400 team within two seconds of their state time from last year. For the boys’ Distance medley relay, senior Leo Lemann led with the 1200, followed by smoking personal bests in the 400 for Vincent Ziegenhagen (55) and 800 for Tyson Long (2:05), and anchored by a quick 1600 for Juan Diego Contreras. Collectively, they finished at 11:01 - two seconds faster than the previous TDHS record.
In the field events, senior Zoe Dunn placed 4th in the triple jump at 36’1”, as well as in the long jump at 17’2.5. Freshman Derek Goulart cleared 5’10” in the high jump, and sophomore Julian Morehouse tied for 12th in the pole vault at 12 and a half feet.
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Besides some impressive times for The Dalles athletes personally, one of the highlights of the evening was getting to watch the last two events: the elite mile and two-mile races. All top 10 runners for the boys’ mile were under 4:10, with Tyler Sainsbury from Rocky Mountain running a smart 4:05.41, just ahead of Crater’s Tyrone Gorze. The girls’ race was equally tough, with Skyline teammates Anna Callahan and Rebecca O’Keefe finishing at 4:48. “They’re starting at a 400m pace,” commented TD alum Grant Pearson. “And keeping it,” added Mandi Williams.
Races like these give us something to dream towards, as we head into the last two weeks before Districts. This week, The Dalles heads to Madras on Wednesday, May 3, then to the Rex Putnam Invitational on Saturday, May 6. With only one more Wednesday meet next week, they head back to Madras for Districts on May 15th (JV), 19th & 20th (Varsity). Come cheer them on!
