EUGENE — Caroline Mauro has been struggling with an injury all season, but the Catlin Gabel senior put together her best effort Thursday on the opening day of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 3A championships at Hayward Field.
Mauro took home her fourth consecutive high jump title with a leap of 5 feet, 7 1/4 inches. Her winning height was 5 1/2 inches better than second-place Rylee Rice of Elmira.
“Honestly, I feel really happy to be here,” Mauro said. “I have been struggling with an injury all year. It has been a long road getting back. When I realized that I got first place for the fourth time, it was very relieving.”
Mauro said she had a plan for the day, and it went better than she thought it would.
“My goal today was to get above 5-3,” she said. “When I got 5-7 1/4 on my third attempt, it was a rush of pure joy. It was very, very exciting to do.”
Mauro said her injury was caused by overuse.
“I did a lot of jumping last year, but it was taxing on my body,” she said. "I was only able to run again in March. My season started later than it should have.”
Mauro is headed to Princeton University, where she will study International relations and public policy. She also will jump for the Tigers.
“They have an amazing squad and I’m excited to be part of their little jumping powerhouse,” Mauro said.
Holli Vigue of Coquille threw 135-3 to win the discus for the third year in a row. She will attempt to win her second state title in the shot put on Friday.
In the pole vault, Mae Roth of Sisters won her first state title with a height of 12 feet, which ties her own PR and the state meet record set by Mackenzie Walker of St. Mary’s in 2022.
Jaya Simmons of Valley Catholic won her second consecutive 3,000 title with a time of 9:54.73.
2A
Bandon junior Caitlyn Michalek won her second consecutive javelin title with a personal best throw of 141-1. Her throw set a state meet record, surpassing the throw of 139-5 by Kaylee Wright of Grant Union in 2019.
“She is one of the hardest working members on the team,” Bandon coach Brett Hutton said. “She has long-term goals. This was on our calendar at the beginning of the season, and to break that state meet record, that was pretty cool.”
Bandon’s Makenna Vierck took down the state meet record in the 200 with a time of 25.28. The old record was 25.72 set by Mackenzie Wilson of East Linn Christian in 2017.
Vierck holds the top times in the 100 (12.47) and 200 going into Friday’s finals. She will also compete in the long jump.
East Linn Christian’s Daisy Lalonde won her third consecutive state title in the 3,000, crossing the finish line with a time of 10:37.35 — 23 seconds in front of the No. 2 runner.
Illinois Valley's Jessame Pope, in her first full year as a triple jumper, unleashed a personal best leap of 37-1 for the state title. Santiam's Averie Peterson, who won the title in 2024, finished second with a mark of 36-4.3/4.
In other finals, Tia Allen of Kennedy won the discus with a toss of 129-11, and Liv Curry of Delphian won the high jump with a height of 5-0 1/2.
1A
Trout Lake’s Melody Stock led the 3,000 from the start, but Joseph freshman Lilly Weer was on her heels every step the way.
Weer and Stock were side by side on the backstretch of the final 400 meters, then Weer took the lead and out sprinted Stock to the finish line with a personal best of 10:19.80. Stock finished with a PR of 10:22.40.
Weer shattered the meet record, surpassing the time of 10:32.45 set by Hayley Oveson of Wallowa in 2004.
After three years of finishing fourth at state in the high jump, North Lake’s Hannah Roth finally got her gold medal.
She cleared a personal best 5-4.25 on her third attempt for the win. She elected to move the bar to 5-5.25 but was unable to clear.
Harper’s Lindsay Talbot is just a sophomore, but she is no stranger to winning state titles.
Talbot won her second consecutive state triple jump title with a leap of 36-6 1/4.
Talbot also qualified for the finals in the 100 hurdles with a PR of 14.79, which broke the state meet record of 15.21 set by Emily Holding of Damascus Christian in 2006.
Boys
1A
The entire field of pole vaulters was packing up their gear by the time Trout Lake's Sawyer Dean opened at 14-1 3/4.
He easily cleared that height, and went on to clear 15-0 and 15-6 1/4. He elected to move the bar to 16-0 1/4, which he failed to clear, but he had already won his fourth consecutive state title.
Dean, who has signed to compete at Eastern Oregon University, also broke his own state meet record of 14-6 1/4 set in 2024.
“I told them to put it where I can get a PR, then at 16-5,” Dean said. “That was the plan.”
Even though he was the last man vaulting, the rest of the field stuck around.
“They all stayed,” he said. “I have known them for a long time. It’s awesome how many people you get to know.”
Hanging in the air 16 feet above the ground with just a pole to guide you might seem a bit scary, but Dean said it’s not that bad.
“I started when I was really young, jumping 5 feet in grade school,” he said. “I never really got a chance to be scared of it. It does take a lot of self awareness when you are in the air.”
Joseph senior Jett Leavitt was a man on the track by himself in the 3,000.
Leavitt was lapping runners on his last lap, crossing the finish line with a personal best 8:30.37 for his third consecutive state title.
He was 52 seconds in front of the second-place runner — teammate Jonah Lyman.
Leavitt smashed the meet record, moving ahead of Colin Friend from St. Stephen’s Academy, who ran an 8:37.78 in 2022.
“It wasn’t so much of a race with the competitors,” Leavitt said. “I focusing on time. I just wanted to beat that (state) record, by half a second or seven. That was a big goal of mine.”
Leavitt has committed to the University of Nevada Reno for cross country and track.
“They have a good distance program, and it’s a place that’s like Joseph,” he said. “It’s a great place to train.”
In the boys high jump, Jayden Churchwell of Yoncalla won his second state title with a height of 6-5.5. He also won in 2023, and was second last year.
2A
Bandon sophomore Noah Brown won the pole vault title with a PR of 13-8 1/2, and his younger brother Jonah Brown was fifth (12-5 3/4).
“That was super cool” Hutton said. “Noah set a new sophomore school record. “His cousin Hunter won state twice (2017-18) so it’s in the family. Hunter helps us coach pole vault, a paying it forward kind of thing.”
After placing second at state in the 3,000 the past two years, Knappa junior Wyatt Jackson finally crossed the finish line first in a time of 8:59.67. He was three seconds ahead of Delphian’s Boston Brown.
It’s just the second time he’s run under nine minutes.
Also for Knappa, senior Parker Stevens won his second consecutive state title in the shot put with a personal best mark of 48-4 3/4.
In the other final, Illinois Valley’s Servando Vargas won the triple jump with a leap of 41-10 1/2.
3A
Siuslaw senior Clayton Wilson won his second consecutive state title in the 3,000, clocking an 8:37.42, just a couple of steps ahead of Oregon Episcopal’s Ronan Gantzos (8:38.98).
“This is so special,” said Wilson, who won the 2A title last year for Reedsport. “I had confidence in the last 800. I knew that if I was there with him on that last lap, I would win it. I didn’t run close to a PR, but I wanted to get him to sprint a little bit and have him work for it.”
Wilson, who transferred from Reedsport his senior year, has found success with the Vikings.
“It has been great,” Wilson said. “Chris (Johnson) is amazing. He is an amazing coach to have and the teachers have been nice and inviting.”
Wilson, who is headed to Colorado Mesa University to run track and cross country, will run in the 1,500 Friday. He won the 2A title in the event last year.
In his first year of throwing the shot put at the state meet, Vale senior Jake Devos won the gold medal Thursday with a PR of 54-11 1/2, beating Sutherlin’s Rylan Bryant by six inches.
Devos achieved his winning throw on his fifth attempt of the competition.
In the triple jump, Valley Catholic’s Andrew Klopcic soared 45-0 1/4 to win his second consecutive state title. His winning jump came on his last attempt of the day.
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