Track athletes advance to state

Cory McCaffrey ran like he was shot out of a cannon on his way to winning the 100-meter finals in a meet record of 10.81.

The race was a highlight among numerous outstanding performances by the Outlaws at the Sky-Em District Championships held Thursday, May 15, and Saturday, May 17, at Marist High School. The top two finishers in each event qualify for the state championships, scheduled for May 22-24 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

McCaffrey didn't give the other competitors a chance on his way to the title, establishing an insurmountable lead right within the first 20 meters.

"I felt like I couldn't keep up with how fast my legs were moving," he said.

He was nearly joined in the event at state by teammate Andy Stahn who finished third, just .06 seconds out of second place. Stahn came back strong in the 200, where he captured second place in 24.05, and a trip to state all his own. The third- and fourth-place finishers were just .04 behind.

"I got second on my lean," he said.

On the first day of competition Thursday, McCaffrey won the long jump at 21-feet-4-inches. Sisters picked up two more individual qualifiers Saturday in the 400 meters as Max Gruettner and Lee Elder powered to a 1-2 finish in 51.88 and 52.64 respectively.

"Those two simply overwhelmed the rest of the finalists," said coach Bob Johnson.

The win for Gruettner may have softened the blow of being disqualified earlier in the meet for tossing down the baton at the finish of the 400-meter relay. Gruettner also played a huge role in Sisters 1,600-meter relay team's win - and district meet record - to conclude the meet.

Gruettner led things off, establishing a lead for the Outlaws. Lee Elder battled neck-and-neck down the stretch with Marist's Michael Bellamy, but Marist shot ahead at the exchange, leaving Jared Henderson to chase Marist's Matt Hollander.

Henderson held his own, getting the baton to Cory McCaffrey about 20 meters behind Marist. McCaffrey left little doubt about the outcome as he put on the afterburners in the final 200 meters to clinch the win in 3:25.48.

Jared Henderson (2:01.91) and Drew Harrison (2:03.02) ran lifetime bests to place fourth and fifth respectively in the 800 meters. Benton Urquhart nearly matched his best in the 1,500, finishing a strong third in 4:17.27.

"The heat was brutal for the distance runners, but they still came up with stellar performances," said Johnson.

On the girls' side, Kelsey Neilson pulled through with two berths to state. She won the triple jump (34-feet-9-inches) and placed second in a tightly-contested high jump (5-feet even).

McKenzie Williams inched closer to her goal of dipping under 60 seconds in the open 400, finishing second in 1:00.23. Williams and her 1,600-meter relay teammates Jessica Head, Brandi Palmer and Cortney Satko also qualified for state; they finished second in 4:09.46.

On Thursday, Lani Ulmer cleared 9-feet-3-inches for the first time and made it back to the state meet with her second-place finish. The same afternoon, Justine Head popped her best throw ever, extending her school record to 116-feet-6 inches, to finish third.

"I can't be more excited about how the kids did at district and all season," said Johnson. "Now we're on a mission to see what we can do at state."

The state qualifiers will be among the first competitors to use Hayward Field - on the University of Oregon campus - since a remodeling project got underway in preparation for the Olympic Trials scheduled for late June and early July. Track experts argue it may be the finest overall track facility in the world. The schedule for the three-day 4A/5A/6A meet can be accessed at http://www.osaa.org/track.