Oregon Elite Championships

Summit High, Bend, Oregon

Youthrunner will be on hand today for the initial installment of the Oregon Elite Championships. With the watering down of the state meet into six divisions this is an idea whose time has come, for it offers the opportunity of Oregon’s best athletes to face each other. The highlight in some ways will be the head-to-head competition between Kellie Schueler & Kayla Smith in both the 100 & 200 meter races but the meet offers most of track’s additional events for fans.

One only has to check out the results of yesterday’s brief activities to see the potential of this meet. The state-of-the-art Summit track, which offers a mondo surface, offered both a boys’ & girls four by 800 meter relay. It is an event not run at state but really should be to give middle-distance more of a chance to strut their stuff and, although there were only two teams contesting both races, the event produced something very special. The Summit girls won their event against Franklin 9:29.43 to 10:22 but more importantly Kellie Scheuler led off for Summit allowing fans to obtain a real gauge as to her ability in that event. What did she run? Her time of 2:08 is not only the best in our state for 2009 but is a second faster than Jordan Hasay of Mission Prep in San Luis Obispo, California, who set a junior 1500 meter record last summer when she ran in the US Olympic Trials. Jordan ran her PR in the 800 only the weekend prior to this & ran 2:09. In the boys’ relay the West Linn boys, led by sophomores Cullen Wanarka & Taylor West, defeated Franklin & Lakeridge 8:2141, 8:29 & 8:31.

The steeplechase, yet another event not contested at State in Oregon, was also run yesterday & Summit freshman Megan Fristoe won easily with a 7:38.17 for the 2K distance. Hilary Sharpe, also from Summit, placed 2nd with 7:57 & Sarah Hanchett of Mckenzie finished third (7:58). Pat Madden of Summit won the boys’ version of the race with 11:01.15 defeeating Sisters’ Taylor Steele (11:20) & Bryce Clark of Summit, who ran 11:25.

Hopefully this will be just a prelude of things to come this afternoon as well as in years to come. YR will be on hand to check out the action.