EUGENE -- Caroline Mauro had plenty to smile about at the end of the day Thursday, even if everything didn't go perfectly for her.
The Catlin Gabel junior won her third 3A girls high jump title and was second in the long jump at the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union track and field championships at Hayward Field.
Mauro's competition started with the high jump, where she stayed undefeated on the season in an event in which she was made a leap into the state record books. Later, in the long jump, she didn't have her best performance but came away with a runner-up finish after missing out on state in the event in 2023.
"The beginning was great," Mauro said of her day. "Something was just off about my jumps. I don't really know. But I was just happy to be here. This was the first time I jumped long jump at Hayward. Just a fun experience, and I hope it's going to be better when I come back for nationals in June.
In the high jump, Mauro entered the competition at 5 feet, 3 1/4 inches, where there was just one other athlete (teammate Abby Greenspan) still going. Mauro cleared on her first attempt at that height while Greenspan went three and out.
Mauro then cleared her first attempt at 5-5, passed on the next two bars, made 5-7 3/4 on her second try and missed on three attempts at what would have been a personal best at 5-9 1/4. In an April 2 home meet, Mauro cleared 5-9 to match the 3A all-time record set by Santiam Christian's Sara Almen in 2012. Only eight others in state history have jumped higher. "It felt great," Mauro said of Thursday's high jump. "It's nice to see how much I've improved and that my hard work has been paying off."
Her best in the long jump was 16-8 3/4, 1 1/4 inches behind winner Melanie Lambson of Coquille. A year ago, Mauro had a personal best of 16-0 and finished third at her district meet to miss state. At last week's district meet, she jumped 18-3 3/4 to move to third on the 3A all-time list. It was the third time this spring she had a mark of 17-3 1/2 or better. Mauro also runs a leg on her school's 4x100 relay, which has the second-fastest 3A time of the season (50.24) and will compete in Friday's timed final.
Valley Catholic junior Jaya Simmons followed up her cross-country state title from November with one in the 3,000 in a personal-best 10:05.29, good for eighth on the 3A all-time list.
"The strategy was kind of going out on my own, seeing if I could hold the time I was going for. It seemed to work out pretty well," said Simmons, who added that she was shooting for a sub-10-minute time but was still proud of her performance.
The result gives Simmons confidence heading into Friday's 1,500 final.
"This one (the 3,000) is my main one, then the 15 will be kind of a fun way to end track this year," she said.
Simmons didn't get a matchup with Oregon Episcopal's Lauren Tittel, who qualified for state in the event but apparently had a conflict and didn't race. Simmons' time Thursday was just off the 10:05.26 Tittel ran earlier in the season. Oregon Episcopal's Morgan Matthews, the 2023 champion, was second in 10:26.28.
Thursday's other 3A girls individual champions were Coquille's Callie Millet in the javelin (125-10) and teammate Holly Vigue in the discus (131-4).
The 3A, 2A and 1A schools complete their portion of the meet Friday.
Girls
1A
Paiten Braseth is new to the 3,000 but that didn't faze her Thursday. The Imbler junior won in 10:51.25, beating her previous best by more than 41 seconds. A cross-country veteran, Braseth was looking for another race on the track this season in addition to the 800 and "got stuck" with the 3,000.
"The first one felt OK, the second one (at the district meet) sucked, so I was kind of discouraged coming into this. But I pulled through," Braseth said. "I ran my own race, and instead of focusing on other people and where they were at I just fought it for myself and it worked out."
Braseth said she followed the plan.
"My coach just told me to run my own race and some basic stuff, like loosen up your arms. I just had a good day today, I felt strong and when the opportunity presented itself I took it," she said. Later in the day Thursday, Braseth won her 800 heat to qualify for Friday's final.
Thursday's other winners were Sherman's Sophie Hulke in the discus (119-4), New Hope Christian's Ava Barnett in the long jump (17-1 1/2), Triangle Lake's Feirin McConnell in the javelin (116-10) and Damascus Christian's Tayanah Balensifer in the high jump (5-1 1/4).
2A
East Linn Christian's Daisy Lalonde repeated as 3,000 champion in 10:26.5. Vernonia's Delaney Draeger was runner-up at 10:57.23. Bandon's Caitlyn Michalek threw 131-0 to win the javelin with a personal best by nearly three feet to move into the state's season top 10 among all classifications.
Thursday's other winners were Bandon's Marley Petrey in the long jump (16-2 1/2), Clatskanie's Lacey Willis in the high jump (5-1) and Blanchet Catholic's Molly Mucken in the discus (121-9).
Boys
1A
Myrtle Point's Mason Detzler chased big shot put marks he recorded earlier in the season but had to "settle" for a second state title. The senior won Thursday's final with a toss of 54-0. In four straight meets in March and April, Detzler surpassed the former 1A all-time record of 54-6 3/4 set by Dufur's Kasey McCullough set in 2008. Detzler's biggest throw, 58-11 1/2, came at the April 12 Coquille Twilight Meet.
"I wanted to keep doing that. But I kind of stopped doing shot and focused on disc and that didn't work well," Detzler said.
In state history, only 12 total athletes in the 4A, 3A and 2A classifications have thrown the shot put farther than Detzler. In 2023, Detzler set the new 1A junior all-time record at 54-4. It was a drastic improvement from his best of 42-3 a year earlier.
"Consistency, and chocolate milk," are the factors Detzler credits with his leap in distance, along with weightlifting.
Detzler will be a heavy favorite in Friday's discus final, where he has the best 1A mark of the season by nearly 20 feet at 169-8. That mark is second on the 1A all-time list. Detzler set the 1A junior all-time record in 2023 at 162-10.
in the pole vault, Trout Lake junior Sawyer Dean made it 3 for 3 at state with a meet-record and personal-best clearance of 14-6 1/4, moving him into fourth on the 1A all-time list. The previous meet record of 14-6 was set by Prairie City's Garrett Hitz in 2016.
Thursday's other winners included Nixyaawii's Landen Picard in the high jump (6-2 3/4), North Clackamas Christian's Jack Nelson in the long jump (21-0 3/4), Joseph's Jett Leavitt in the 3,000 (8:55.76).
3A
Oregon Episcopal had a pair of winners in Ronan Gantzos in the 3,000 (8:58.94) and Matthew Inscore in the pole vault (13-3 1/2). Also winners were De La Salle North Catholic's Max Walker in the shot put (51-5) and Valley Catholic's Andrew Klopcic in the long jump (21-8 1/4).
2A
Thursday's winners in the classification were East Linn Christian's Evan Christenson in the pole vault (13-1), Reedsport's Clayton Wilson in the 3,000 (8:59.58), Monroe's Nathaniel Young in the long jump (21-5 1/4) and Knappa's Parker Stevens in the shot put (45-9).
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