Sweet Home’s Maria Kropf has qualified for the Junior Olympics national track and field championships in two weeks at Greensborough, N.C.
Kropf finished third in 100 and 100 hurdles in the regional meet over the weekend at Willamette University in Salem, her coach, Jim Kistner, said. The regional meet included athletes from Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.
“The competition was very good,” he said. “It was very deep. She did a good job.”
Kropf ran 12.83 in the 100 prelims, well over the 12.24 she ran to win the state title in May. She came back with a 12.57 to place third in the final.
“Her times are not as good as they were at state, but her state times would have won both those events Sunday,” Kistner said, adding that Kropf had peaked in her training for state.
In the hurdles she ran 15.28 in the prelims and 15.17 in the finals to secure a trip to nationals.