Outlaws peak at state track meet

Things started well for the Sisters Outlaws on day one of the OSAA State Championships - and ended just as well on day two.

Anna Bartlett started the meet off for the Outlaws early Friday morning by running a tremendous personal record in the 3,000 meters, clocking 11:04.82, to put two points on the board for Sisters with her seventh-place finish.

Julianne Meeter ended her high school career by adding to her school record in the javelin on her way to a fifth-place finish with a mark of 122 feet 8 inches.

Freshman Ryliereece Morgan brought home her first individual medals as she placed eighth in the long jump (16 feet 1.5 inches).

That completed the scoring for the girls for the day, but following Bartlett's example, Jordan Pollard ran the best race of his life for 3,000 meters, shattering his personal best on his way to fifth place in 9:13.34 to get the scoring started for the boys. Senior Sam Lewis shared eighth place with two other vaulters with a clearance of 12 feet even for .33 points the same day.  

The remainder of Friday's schedule included prelims in running events and nearly all of the Outlaws passed through to the finals.

Keaton Green's career best was not enough to advance, although the sophomore in his first year of track has a bright future. His 2:04.79 second effort in a race that was dominated by upperclassmen bodes well for his final two years. Januik of Seaside became a three-time state champion in the event with a time of 1:55. Another sophomore, Amy Hills, could not recapture her thrilling performance of the district meet, but got valuable state meet experience in the prelims of the 300 hurdles on her way to 14th place in 53.99 seconds.

The girls 4x100-meter relay got things off to a fast start on Saturday as the quartet of Ryliereece Morgan, Sabrina Reifschneider, Erynn Ricker and Mandi Calavan placed fifth with a time of 50.51. Astoria won a very tight race in 49.77 as three teams broke the 50-second barrier.

Anna Bartlett missed the podium by one place in the 1,500 meters with a ninth-place finish in 5:07.87. Danielle Jantzer of Phoenix won the race in 4:48.57. Despite a personal record of 32 feet 11.75 inches, Jade Anaya also narrowly missed a medal in ninth place.

Erynn Ricker got the Outlaws a couple of points by finishing seventh in the 100 meters (12.90) and Sabrina Reifschneider picked up some more in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing in sixth place (16.06) after running a career best in the prelims (15.97). Mandi Calavan ran a personal best in the 200 (26.33) on her way to fifth place in a race won in a blazing time of 24.94. Reifschneider came back in the 300 hurdles with another sixth place (48.34) and then joined Calavan, Tate Ricker, and Brooke Robillard in the 4x400-meter relay for another medal as the squad finished sixth in 4:14.64.

As a team, the Outlaws finished in ninth place overall with 30 points. Trophy teams included the champions Astoria (57), while Phoenix and Molalla tied for second with 48 points and North Valley finished fourth with 47.

Jordan Pollard completed a stellar double by lowering his best time in the 1,500 meters (4:11.29) to place sixth.

Next up for the Outlaws was Keegan Greaney in the 110 hurdles and he came through with a career best in 15.69 seconds, good enough for third place. A couple of hours later he took second place in the 300 hurdles in 39.66, also a personal best, which lowered the school record.

His day and his career were not finished as he capped the meet by anchoring the 4x400-meter relay which ended up in seventh place. Sam Garbrecht, Keaton Green and Corbin Sharp joined him in the 3:31.17 effort.

The boys finished in 12th place with 23.33 points. Marshfield took the top trophy with 62 points, followed by Newport (55), North Bend (47) and Crook County (40.33).

Seniors Reifschneider and Greaney plan to continue their athletic careers in college. Reifschneider will run for Corban University in Salem, Oregon, while Greaney will compete for Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"All five of our seniors qualified for the state meet and each one earned a medal, which is a very fine way to conclude a high school career," said Jeff Larson, coach of the team. "For the younger athletes, being able to be part of a meet like this, which is run at Hayward Field, the center of the track and field universe, is an amazing and memorable experience."

Larson loaded the credit to his assistants: Jim Anderson; Carlos Garcia; Wes Cook; and Eden Miller.

"It's because of them that so many of the kids had career best and two school records broken at state," he said. "They are the reason these kids peaked at just the right time."