Outlaws finish best season ever

In what coach Bob Johnson called the best track season ever for the Outlaws, all 17 state qualifiers scored at the OSAA 4A Track and Field Championships held May 22 and 23 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.

"I have never had a 100 percent success rate like we had this year," said Johnson. "I am so proud of each of these kids for representing Sisters in the finals of their events."

"Neither the boys nor girls teams racked up enough points to be in the trophy hunt - both teams placed 11th - but I couldn't be prouder of these kids," he said.

In all, the Outlaws brought home 26 medals from the meet.

On Friday, Parker Bennett got the scoring underway for the Outlaws with a seventh-place finish in the 3,000 meters (9:12.5). Later in the afternoon, Nathalie Tresseras came within a second of the school record in the girls' 3,000, finishing fifth in 11:00.63.

Tyler Miller placed eighth in the shot put at 46 feet even, well off of his school record set earlier in the year, but still a fine accomplishment for a first-year thrower.

Jared Nelson cleared 13 feet 6 inches to place fifth in the pole vault.

On Saturday, freshman Sara Small got things started by picking up a point for eighth place in the pole vault with a clearance of nine feet.

In the first running event of the day, the 400-meter relay of team of Cindy Steele, Courteney Satko, Annie Mutchler and Karah Herr placed sixth place in 51.20.

"These girls were on the bubble to make it to finals and made it happen by running a season best in the prelims of 50.88," said Johnson.

Tresseras lowered her own school record enroute to a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters in 4:51.69.

Tresseras, who had never run competitively before coming to Sisters from France, has found her athletic experience very rewarding.

"At first, it was intimidating to race, but as I got into condition it became more and more exciting," she said. "My coaches and teammates have been very good to me."

Parker Bennett caught teammate Benton Urquhart in the final stretch and the two battled to the finish in the boys 1,500, placing fourth and fifth, just three one-hundredths of a second apart in 4:09.15 and 4:09.18.

"I didn't realize it was Benton I was catching until the final 100," said Bennett.

In the 400 meters, Lee Elders captured seventh place in 51.84 and Levi Rowe leapt 20 feet 11.75 inches to place fifth in the long jump.

Courteney Satko took sixth in the 800 in 2:22.34.

The hurdling duo of Chelsea Reifschneider (48.35) and Karah Herr (48.67) placed seventh and eighth respectively. The two joined Satko and Hayley Palmer in the 1,600-meter relay and ended up sixth in 4:07.39.

The boys' relay of Jeff Wilder, Jared Henderson, Urquhart and Elder also placed sixth with a time of 3:29.02.

Johnson, in his 41st year as a track coach, calls the season as a whole the best ever since he came to Sisters in 1994.