Outlaws' Cretsinger takes triple jump title

Amy Cretsinger won the triple jump and finished second in both the long jump and 300-meter hurdles to lead the Outlaw girls track team to fourth place at the OSAA 3A Track and Field Championships.

Sisters scored 34 points behind The Dalles (65), Philomath (53), and Cascade (49). Cretsinger accounted for 27 of the Outlaws' points.

It was the third consecutive year the girls have brought home a trophy. The team finished second last year and third in 2001.

"It shows the high caliber of our program when people are disappointed about getting fourth place in the state," said assistant coach Dennis Dempsey.

Cretsinger scored on the first day in the long jump, finishing second with a jump of 17-feet-8-inches. The winner, Kara Weaver of South Umpqua leapt 18-feet-5.5- inches. Resa Hodson broke the school record in the 3,000 meters en route to her fifth place finish in 10:59:8. Mollie Van Acker (100, 200), Jenny Boswell (100 hurdles) and Minique Yost (800) each narrowly missed making the finals.

Van Acker was just .05 seconds behind the last qualifier in the 100, as she finished in 13:46. Boswell was the ninth fastest hurdler and Yost fell victim to a blistering pace and poor position throughout the 800 meter race and ended up with the ninth fastest time in the prelims. She did establish a new school record of 2:21:16 in the process.

On Saturday, Hodson raced in an historic 1,500 meters that resulted in a state meet record of 4:31 by Philomath's Brianna Anderson-Gregg. Hodson didn't crack into the scoring, however, finishing ninth for the second consecutive year in a time of 5:01:4.

Cretsinger didn't approach her best in the triple jump, but held on to win by inches with an effort of 36-feet-2.5-inches.

In the 300 hurdles, Cretsinger chopped her first two hurdles, but fought back valiantly and nearly caught champion and Capital Conference rival Sara Majors of Cascade. Majors won in 45:87 and Cretsinger was next in 46:02.

"Amy is the heart and soul of this team," said Bob Johnson.

She has been part of seven different school records during her four years at Sisters.

The 1,600 relay pitted the four teams that won trophies, along with Seaside, together in a very exciting match-up as all five squads had run under 4:04 previously.

Sisters couldn't overcome a 63-second split by Molly Van Acker and ended up in fifth place in 4:04:32. The Dalles won in 4:00:56, followed by Seaside (4:01:6), Philomath (4:03:3), and Cascade (4:03:32).

"We didn't have the horses to compete for first place, but we achieved our goal of coming home with a trophy, so in that way, and the fact that the girls were so tough every week, certainly makes this season a success," Johnson said.