Relay team competes at U.S. junior nationals

Three Sisters High School athletes, along with a friend from Redmond, competed at the Nike U.S. U20 Nationals in the 4x400-meter relay on Saturday, June 15, at Hayward Field in Eugene, as part of a four-day event featuring athletes from throughout America.

The relay crew accepted the invitation following the Outlaws’ second place finish in the event at the OSAA State Championships last month, also at Hayward Field.

Brooke Duey, Audrey Corcoran, and Josie Ryan, who ran on the state team, added Eden Anspach from Redmond High School to join them for the event since team anchor Gracie Vohs was occupied with graduation festivities.

The team competed in the “Emerging Elite” division, which included three heats of the event, and ended up finishing fifth overall with a time of 4:09.85 under the club name ATP Track Club.

As the anchor, Corcoran zoomed from near last place with a split of 57.4 seconds to move into fifth, which appeared to be the fastest split of the day overall.

Earlier in the meet Corcoran made the finals in the 100 meters with a time of 12.56, very close to her all time best. She finished second at the 3A state meet.

Runner’s United Track Club of Michigan won the division in 4:03.55. For comparison, the Outlaws ran 4:06.93 at the state meet.

“The opportunity to compete in the meet, but to also witness national-level competition, provides not only a great experience, but a view of what’s possible,” according to track coach Jonathan Kelly.

Sprint coach Mark Hodge said, “The girls were very competitive with some very good teams from around the country. I’m incredibly proud of their hard work this season and their willingness to extend the season. The Outlaws have a bright future looking ahead to next season.”

Duey will be a junior next year, while Corcoran and Ryan will be sophomores, giving the team a solid foundation on which to build another quality relay squad in 2025.