Track team begins competition

An uncommonly mild day greeted the Sisters Outlaws track and field team at Bend High School for the first meet of the season, which normally features at least one snow shower. The athletes responded with strong early season performances against the Lava Bears along with the Hawks of La Pine.

Outlaws placing first in their events included Ella Bartlett in the 1500 (5:25.21), Hollie Lewis in the long jump (15 feet, 6.25 inches) and high jump (4 feet, 8 inches), Ila Reid, Gracie Vohs, and Kiara Martin, who tied for first in the pole vault (7 feet, 6?inches) and Reid, Vohs, Lilly Sundstrom, and Kiara Martin in the 4x400-meter relay (4:33.37).

Other top marks included runner-up finishes by Ila Reid in the 200 (29.24), Delaney McAfee in the 400 (1:10.44), Breanna Bozarth-White in the discus (87 feet, 1 inch), and Lilly Sundstrom in the long jump (14 feet, 1 inch).

Taine Martin won the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches) and Carson Brown the javelin (136 feet, 8 inches) as the two winners for the boys’ team.

Kaleb Briggs took second with a personal best in the 800 meters (2:12.61), Brown nabbed second in the 300 hurdles (51.82) just .03 seconds ahead of freshman John Berg, and Brown also was the runner-up in the long jump (16 feet 5 inches).

First year head coach Cailen McNair said, “Our team competed with spirit and heart at this first meet. For many of our athletes the meet was an introduction to high school track and field and our veterans got a chance to display their abilities and to lead by example.”

Overall, both the boys and girls teams are quite young, with only a handful of seniors, so McNair sees nothing but continued improvement ahead.

“These early meets help the kids build a foundation as part of their training and the coaches are able to identify areas of growth and potential,” he said. “The athletes and the coaches get a lot of good information from meets like this as we move forward in our training.”

The Outlaws return to competition following spring break on Wednesday, March 30, when the team hosts its only home meet of the season, a 10-team affair including Burns, Culver, Grant Union, La Pine, Madras, Pleasant Hill, Santiam, Sherman County, and Summit.

“We hope to have a good crowd and plenty of volunteers to keep the Outlaw tradition of putting on a high-quality meet,” said McNair.