Tracksters hang tough at mid-season

Erynn Ricker and Michaela Miller each won three events as the Outlaws came within a whisker of winning the three-way Sky-Em meet at Junction City on Thursday, April 16.

The host Tigers won the meet with 92 points, followed by Sisters (86) and Sweet Home (68).

Ricker swept the 100-meter (13.37), 200 (27.69), and pole vault (8 feet 6 inches), while Miller nabbed firsts in the 100 hurdles (16.68), the 300 hurdles (48.55), and the long jump (15 feet 3 inches). Miller and Ricker also took part in the winning 400-meter relay along with Mandi Calavan and Sabrina Reifschneider that was timed in 52.44.

Mandi Calavan picked up plenty of points of her own in finishing second just behind Ricker in the 100 (13.42) and 200 (27.98) and helping the foursome of Aria Blumm, Dallas Knoop, and Reifschneider to victory in the 4x400-meter relay (4:22.64).

Aria Blumm ran largely alone in the 1,500 to win in 5:16.94 as the other individual winner for the Sisters squad.

On the boys' side, Andreas Pedersen experimented with the 800 with great success, winning in 2:11.43, while fellow senior Billy Biggers showed continued improvement in the middle distances in finishing third in 2:13.35.

Sam Garbrecht notched a victory in the 200 (24.15) to edge teammates Pederson (24.59) and Keegan Greaney (24.60). Earlier in the meet Greaney improved his 400-meter best to 53.89, where he finished second.

"We're excited to see Keegan come back from missing a chunk of time due to other commitments," said Coach Jeff Larson. "He has had a sore Achilles tendon, so as he can handle further conditioning we are expecting some remarkable results."

Freshman Jordan Pollard focused on the 3,000 for the meet and came away with a two-second win with a time of 10:27.

Tristan Kaczmarch, a junior, put some points on the board for the Outlaws with his third-place finish in the long jump (18 feet 2 inches), while Seth Larson placed third in the javelin with a toss of 127 feet 9 inches.

Greaney, Pedersen, Biggers and Cody Martin clocked 3:43. 61 in the 1,600-meter relay to conclude the meet in thrilling fashion, edging Junction City for the win by a fraction of a second.

Junction City scored 98 points to outpace Sweet Home (92) and Sisters (61).

A selection of athletes traveled south to La Pine for the Hawks' annual Invitational on Saturday, April 18, which featured Central Oregon teams: Summit, Gilchrist, Madras, Burns, Culver and Sisters. Most of the juniors were absent for the meet due to ACT testing, according to Larson, while others sat out due to injury and illness.

Ricker picked up another win with her best 100-time of the year (13.19) on the La Pine track, notorious for fast 100 times, and also came through with a PR in the 200 (27.07).

Mandi Calavan made it a Sisters sweep of the sprints with a win in the 400 meters (1:02.93). Julieanne Meeter uncorked her career best in the javelin with a throw of 103 feet 2 inches, which launched her into third place overall.

Ricker placed second in the pole vault with a clearance of 8 feet 6 inches, and Sabrina Reifschneider placed second in the 100 hurdles with her best time of the season of 18.25.

"This is such a busy time of the year, we made the meet optional, and those that chose to go really shined," said Larson.

The Outlaws get a bit of a break this week with no meets during the school week before Saturday's local meet at Summit High School in Bend.

"This week will give a great five days of training without having to jump on the bus and go over the mountains," said Larson. "Our kids really have become road warriors!"

The team has been unable to host any meets this year due to repairs needed to the track in Sisters, which has been deemed unsafe by Sisters School District officials.

Larson looks forward to the second half of the season with great anticipation.

"It's typical for track and field athletes to struggle a bit with tiredness and injuries around mid-season, but our kids are hanging tough and working through it," said Larson. "We are very excited as we enter into the final month of the season because we know these athletes are going to just continue to improve."