Sisters crowns three state champions

Three Sisters runners were crowned state champions at last weekend's OSAA Track and Field State Championships.

Taylor Steele, the top returning distance runner from last year's meet, entered the competition believing his best shot would come in Saturday's 1,500-meter race, in which he was second in 2010. As things turned out, he ran the best 3,000 meters of his career Friday morning, outkicking the 2010 cross-country champion Zorg Louselet of Henley in the final 300 meters to win in school-record time of 8:49.03.

It was the first state title by a Sisters athlete in a distance race in modern history.

"I really didn't expect to win the 3,000, but the pace was sort of slow at the beginning and I didn't really need to race until the second half," said Steele. "It didn't really hit me until dinner that night that I was the state champion."

For distance coach Dennis Dempsey, the outcome couldn't have been more satisfying.

"Taylor put in the work and did everything right in order to win," he said. "We are all proud of him."

Steele was not finished, however, and came back with a third-place finish in the 1,500 (4:09.37) and ran on the 4x400-meter relay at the conclusion of the meet.

On Saturday, it was Sara Small's turn to pursue the top spot in her specialty, the pole vault. She, too, placed at the state meet last year and had remained at or near the top of the pole vault list all season. But she understood all too well that things don't always go as planned once you arrive at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.

Brita Kintz of Gladstone entered the meet with the top qualifying mark of 11-feet-one-inch, meaning that Small would jump just before her at each height. Small put the pressure on by clearing height after height and when the bar was raised to 11 feet three inches, Kintz could not match Small.

"I am just so pleased for Sara," said longtime coach Jim Anderson. "She is so dedicated and so positive."

Head coach Nik Goertzen added, "No one works harder than Sara, and she peaked at the right time."

The final championship came a little later on Saturday in the girls' 800 meters that included a field of four freshmen among the eight finalists, including Zoe Falk. The pace started quite controlled and Falk laid back. In fact, she was eighth at the 400-meter mark. Coming around the turn onto the backstretch she began to move up from the inside of lane one, and when a gap opened up with 260 meters to go, she shot through in pursuit of the leaders. Coming off the final turn she put the down the hammer and ran away with the victory in a personal best of 2:21.02, catching many by surprise -but not her coach.

"I can't say it was a total surprise because Zoe has shown us all year that she is exceptionally fast and competitive, but anytime a freshman pulls off winning a state title, it is special," Goertzen said.

A day earlier, the versatile Falk placed sixth in the long jump at 16 feet 6.5 inches. She also ran on the Outlaws' third place 4x400-meter relay team at the conclusion of the meet, which set a school record of 4:02.99. The team was comprised of Hayley Palmer, Chelsea Reifschneider, and Natalie Ambrose.

That record was especially sweet for Palmer, whose older sister, Brandi, now a member of the Pacific University track team, helped establish it three years ago.

Ambrose, another freshman, brought home medals in the 400, where she placed fourth in 519.51 and sixth in the 200 (26.85) while Reifschneider placed fourth in the 300 hurdles in a lifetime best of 47.57.

"The girls performed like the champions they are, setting records and meeting the goals they set," said Goertzen. "I couldn't be more pleased with their efforts and performances; we got all the points we could have expected."

As it turned out, the Outlaws were just two points away from a fourth-place trophy, but Goertzen is convinced the team will be in the trophy hunt again next year.

In addition to Steele, junior Easton Curtis scored points for the Outlaws by breaking the two-minute barrier in the 800 twice over the weekend. He finished fifth in the final at 159.57 after running 1:59.1 in the prelims on Friday.

Freshman Brandon Pollard got good experience and ran his best time in the 1,500, where he placed 10th in 4:17.45.

David Cowan, Devon Prescott, Curtis and Steele put together the best time of the year for the Outlaws' 4x400 relay team in the prelims on Friday (3:29.92), but were disqualified after the final due to a technical violation after finishing in 3:32.

"As a first-year head coach, I have learned a lot and feel very satisfied with how the athletes performed this season," said Goertzen. "I absolutely can't wait until next year!"