Among the boys who have broken out in the first month of the track season is McNary sophomore javelin thrower Derek Olivo.
Olivo, who finished 11th in the 6A meet as a freshman, has added more than 20 feet to his personal best. After throwing 171 feet, 2 inches last year, he has bumped up to 193-3, the best mark in the state this season.
“I'm pretty excited considering it's four meets into the season and I have a lot more to go,” Olivo said. “I'm just hoping to break 200. I feel like I can get more beyond that. My primary goal is just to break 200 and see where it goes from there. I'd like to be middle, high 210s.”
McNary throws coach Emily DeYoung said that Olivo's marks “line up more with what he knows he's capable of. He's been putting in a lot of time outside the season, and outside of practice, hitting the gym and working on technique. And I think it's really showing.”
Olivo opened the season by throwing a school-record 189-0 in the Kingsmen Icebreaker at Putnam, finishing second to Barlow junior Caleb Perry (191-1). He followed that by throwing 193-3 to win the Oregon Relays last weekend at Hayward Field.
“It really meant a lot,” Olivo said. “Last year I placed almost last at Oregon Relays. This year, to come back and win it, it's really special to me.”
Olivo threw 177-2, 175-6 and 181-0 on his first three throws at the Oregon Relays before uncorking the winner on his fourth and final attempt, overtaking junior Jett Winger of Lakeside (Wash.), who led at 185-4. Perry threw 179-11 to tie for third place with senior Braxton Feldmann of Chiawana (Wash.).
“He really put the pieces together for that last one,” DeYoung said. “He didn't open up as much at the end of the throw. It went more center in the sector than off to the side, and that allowed him to transition a lot more power from his crossovers and run-up into the throws. It all just kind of aligned.”
Said Olivo: “I just remember watching it fly and knowing it was going to be a PR and it was going to be a big one. It felt a lot more smooth and connected.”
With each throw, Olivo is gaining confidence.
“He knows he can do well, and he wants to be able to perform,” DeYoung said. “He puts some pressure on himself. Sometimes that can be a detriment, but this season he's been super level-headed and he's been able to compete.”
Since October, Olivo has trained with Super Throwers Track Club under the tutelage of Mike Hieb and Scott Skipper.
“It's made a big impact because my technique has gotten a lot better,” he said. “And I'm a lot more consistent than I was last year. I'm not so rigid. I feel a lot more smooth and feel like I can put a lot more power into it more easily.”
It helps that he has grown more than an inch and added about 25 pounds. He now stands a little over 6-0 and weighs 224.
“I feel like I have more momentum, and I can transfer that power more efficiently,” he said.
Olivo also has become a student of the event, often giving tips to other athletes at meets.
“It's cool to see him be able to shine in that way,” DeYoung said.
With it being so early in Olivo's development, his potential is intriguing. DeYoung said that “timing” will be the key for Olivo to build on his early success as the season progresses.
“He's got the power, and he knows technically what he should be doing,” DeYoung said. “It's just having all those pieces click in the throw. For the Oregon Relays throw, all of the right things happened at the right time. He already has a fair sense of timing. Hopefully that sense continues to develop.”
The Celtics have high hopes for Olivo.
“We're definitely expecting a little more out of him,” first-year head coach Amanda Chan said. “I think he's got it in him. We're still early in the season, so I think we can still progress a little bit.”
Olivo also is making gains in the discus and shot, posting wins in both events at the Kingsmen Icebreaker, Central Valley Conference League Relays and a dual meet at North Salem.
He threw the discus 151-1 at the Kingsmen Icebreaker, shattering last year's PR of 124-10. It is the top mark in 6A this season and No. 5 overall in the state.
Valley cruises in 200
Jesuit senior sprinter Grant Valley added to his outstanding start to the season Wednesday in a Metro League dual meet against Aloha.
In his first 200-meter race this year, Valley won in 21.65 seconds, the top time in the state this season. It blew away his personal best from last year of 23.11.
Valley was coming off a winning performance in the 100 at the Oregon Relays last weekend. He finished in 10.69, crushing his PR of 11.33 from last season and moving him to the top of the state-best list.
JC's Moore keeps building
Junction City junior Kaleb Moore followed up his PR in the discus at the Oregon Relays last weekend with a new best in a meet against Cottage Grove on Tuesday.
Moore threw 169-10, the best throw in the state this season. He entered the season with a PR of 162-5 before throwing 166-10 at the Oregon Relays.
Moore is No. 2 in the state in the shot this season, throwing 55-7 ½ at the Oregon Relays. But if his PR of 56-8 in the JC Intersquad meet March 8 is counted, he is No. 1 ahead of Lincoln senior Brady Holland (55-10).
In last year's 4A meet, Moore won the shot and placed second in the discus and eighth in the javelin.
jerryu@osaa.org
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