Outlaws turn up the heat at Cottage Grove

The Wally Ciochetti Invitational has become a premier track and field event, attracting some of the very best 4A teams and providing outstanding competition for teams entering the championship part of the season. A total of 17 teams took part in the meet held at Cottage Grove High School under balmy conditions. 

One after another, Outlaws athletes improved season and career bests as the twilight meet moved from afternoon to evening, according to Coach Josh Nordell.

On the girls team, Olivia Chandler matched her lifetime best of 9 feet in the pole vault in her best effort of the season, placing third overall. Zoe Falk fell just short of her season-best in the long jump, leaping 15 feet 8.5 inches to place third as well.

In the running events things really started heating up. Michaela Miller, Macadia Calavan, Molly Boyle and Zoe Falk teamed up for a season-best time in the 400-meter relay to place eighth in 51.89.

In the 1,500 meters, Katelyn Meeter had a huge personal record on her way to sixth place in 5:27.99, a five-second drop in time. Macadia Calavan hoped that running with the top three 400-meter girls in the 4A ranks would pull her closer to the sub-60-second mark, but it was not to be as she finished about a second over her best time to finish ninth in 1:02.42. The winner, Vanessa D'Arpino of North Valley, edged her twin sister by .28 seconds to win in 55.69.

In the 800 meters Zoe Falk and Aria Blumm joined a field of runners that included a number of past state-champion distance runners, including Falk, who won the event as a freshman.

Falk placed second in 2:21.13 and Blumm dipped below 2:30 for the first time this year to finish 12th in 2:29.12. The pair both placed at the state meet in the event last year and appear to be in position to return again this year.

Michaela Miller showed that she is becoming a hurdler to contend with as she lowered her 300-meter hurdle time to 48.72 to place fifth in a quality field. In fact, that time would have placed sixth at state meet last season.

Miller bounced back with Falk, Blumm, and Calavan to blaze to a season-best time of 4:07.94 in the 4x400-meter relay, where they finished fourth in a field that included Cottage Grove's state leading 3:59.66.

Perennial power Henley won the team title with 80 points to nip Cottage Grove (78), while Sisters finished sixth with 46.5 points.

The boys team celebrated the return of distance star Brandon Pollard and shared in a personal record party.

Pollard, out since late March with a stress fracture in his foot, ran as though he hadn't missed a beat to finish fourth in the 1,500 meters among some of the state's best in 4:10.37, which was a fraction of a second faster than the last 1,500 he ran and within three seconds of his lifetime best. He came back with a personal best of 2:01.67.

"Brandon produced an incredible double coming back from injury," said Nordell. "What an example of dedication and patience."

Dyut Fetrow dropped his 1,500 time down to 4:31.03 and Izaak Kanzig ran down everyone in his heat of the 800 to lower his best to 2:05.75, which leaves him only behind Pollard among Sky-Em runners entered in the event heading into the district meet. Trent Marks improved his status among 800 runners also with a nearly four-second personal best of 2:11.14.

Ian Baldessari knocked a bit off both his 110 hurdles time (16.92) and his 300 hurdle mark (45.13). Jake McAllister continued his steady improvement in the 300 hurdles as well, placing fifth in the event at 42.42.

Marks, Jadon Bachtold, Baldessari and Kanzig dropped their 4x400-meter relay time by nearly five full seconds to finish in 3:46.12 to conclude the meet.

North Valley ran away with the team title with 145 points among fifteen scoring schools, while Sisters placed eleventh with 24 points.

"Everyone on the team stepped up to the challenge of a high-quality meet," said Nordell. "I couldn't be prouder of them all."

The Outlaws will compete Thursday, May 16 and Saturday, May 18 at the Sky-Em District Championships at Cottage Grove High School. The top two finishers in each event will qualify for the state meet the following week, along with any athletes who achieve the state qualifying standards.

The girls' team will have its hands full contending with the host Lions to defend the team title earned in 2012.