EUGENE — Astoria’s Darian Hageman staked her team to a first-day lead, and Crook County’s Neil Chaney became the school’s first pole vault champion on the first day of Class 4A action at the state track and field championships Friday at Hayward Field.
Hageman defended her high jump title with a height of 5 feet, 4 inches in a very entertaining competition with Valley Catholic’s Kate McNaughton and North Valley’s Megan Hoback.
All jumpers cleared the height, but Hageman was awarded the title on the fewest misses. Hageman missed once at 5-2 before missing three times at 5-5. McNaughton had three misses and Hoback four before they went out at 5-5. Hoback tied a school record when she cleared 5-2, and after she passed at 5-3, she set the Knights’ top mark on her second attempt at 5-4. Hoback’s record erases Andrea Lichtenstein’s mark set in 1992.
Hangman continued her day with a runner-up finish in the long jump. Hageman’s mark of 17-4.5 came on her last attempt, but she couldn’t catch Gladstone junior Grace Campbell for gold. Campbell sailed 17-8 on her first jump, and it held up to win the title.
Through four events, Astoria leads the 4A girls division with 18 points. Gladstone, Scappoose, Valley Catholic and Corbett are tied for second with 10.
In the boys pole vault, Chaney’s historic feat came on the heels of almost not making the previous height. Chaney cleared 14-3.25 on his final attempt after North Bend’s Ben Dailey got over the bar on his second try.
Chaney made his mark on his second try at 14-6 to tie the school record, and then Dailey missed on all three attempts. Chaney tried to extend his record to 14-9 but missed on all of his chances.
In the only track final of the day, North Bend’s Michael Brown gave the early-arriving fans quite a show. Brown was in third going into the final lap of the boys 3,000, and a tremendous kick to the finish line proved to be golden. Brown sped by Seaside’s Bradley Rzewnicki and Scappoose’s John Kavulich down the home stretch to clock in at 8 minutes, 49.04 seconds. Kavulich finished second with a time of 8:51.43.
In the girls 3,000, Scappoose’s Linnaea Kavulich won by more than 10 seconds. She claimed gold with a time of 10:26.40, while Tillamook freshman Solace Bergeron took second in 10:36.58.
In other boys field event finals, Newport’s Will Beaudry won the discus throw with a mark of 168-3 on his second throw. Molalla’s Mont Child, who won the shot put with a distance of 55-1, finished second with 152-10.
Marshfield senior Trevor Johnson won the boys long jump with a leap of 22-7.25 in a rousing finish with North Valley’s Elijah Castro. Johnson made his gold-medal jump on the final try in the finals to win by five inches.
In the boys team race through five events, Newport holds a one-point edge over Marshfield, 22-21.
In other girls field event finals, Corbett’s Rhiley Fritz added 20 feet from her first throw to her second for the winning toss of 146-8.
The remaining finals, with the field events beginning first, start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The track events will begin at 12:30 p.m.