Two Sweet Home track and field athletes placed in Saturday’s Meet of Champions at Willamette University.
Nathan Whitfield, in the javelin, and Hannah McClaskey, in the discus, were the only Huskies to place in the top eight of the event, which attracts some of the top talent in Oregon.
“Some of our kids were right at the door, but they didn’t quite place,” said Coach Billy Snow, who was one of the meet’s organizers. He said the event went well, despite some wet and windy weather late in the afternoon that affected some of the Huskies.
In the boys events, seven Huskies competed individually along with two relay teams.
Whitfield threw the javelin 152-02 to place seventh, ahead of teammate Alex brown, who had a bad day and finished 13th with a best effort of 142-07.
Cody Shipp placed 14th in the 100 (11.75) and 13th in the 200 (23.87), while Tim Faulconer was 18th in the 400 (54.25).
Peter VanDerlip was the last finisher in the 3000, running 10.23.31.
Brandon Wiest had a bad day in the high jump, failing to clear a height, but finished ninth in the triple, jumping 38-09 1/4.
Four Sweet Home girls competed. McClaskey placed eighth in the discus, throwing 106-10, and 16th in the shot, with a throw of 31-01 1/2.
Hannah Swanson, who has been battling illness for much of the season, placed 10th in the 100 hurdles, in 17.55, over a second behind her lifetime best of 16.42, set last year just after the Meet of Champions.
Kambria Schumacher placed 10th in the 800 in 2:32.13, well behind her PR of 2:29.8 four days earlier in a home meet against Cascade and Molalla. Track conditions were a big factor, Snow said.
“It was cold and windy and everybody was off, not just her,” he said.
Cassandra Schumacher was 15th in the 3000, setting a 7-second PR of 11:40.16, though Snow said she never really looked comfortable.
Kimiko Kamo of Vale was a dominant performer in the meet, winning the 100 (12.44), the 200 (25.73) and the long jump (17-7). Chrissi Grizzel of Jefferson won the javelin by 25 feet with a toss of 145-11.
The 4×100 relay team of Brandon Elliott, Ramiro Santana, Faulconer and Shipp would have finished 14th in 47.16 but got disqualifeid, Snow said, while the 4×400 relay team of Isaac Villareal, Santan, Land Florek and Faulconer finished 10th in 3:40.47, half a second from a medal.
Stayton’s Jared Swehosky won the 1500 (4:06.29) and 3000 (8:56.09), ahead of second-place finisher Kym Hunt of Cascade in both races (4:06.84 and 9:08.52).
Marshall Ackley of Nyssa, who won the Sweet Home decathlon in April, won the 110 high hurdles (14.96), the 300 hurdles (39.11) and the pole vault (13-4).
Snow said Sweet Home was represented not only on the field but also in helping to coordinate the meet.
“We had people who spent hours getting ready for it,” he said. “Everything went very well.”
Sweet Home/Cascade/Molalla
Top finishers for the Husky boys on April 25 were: Cody Shipp, second in the 100 (11.71); Ole Bond, third in the 200 (23.85); Jess Keys, second in the 800 (2:17.61); Peter VanDerlip, second in the 3000; Isaac Villareal, second in the 300 hurdles (46.31); Alex Brown, first (172-06) and Nathan Whitfield, second (156-03) in the javelin; Brandon Weist, first in the high jump (5-8) and second in the triple jump (38-11 1/2), and the short relay boys team of Bond, Brandon Elliott, Faulconer and Shipp, which won in 45.94.
Top performers for the girls were Kambria Schumacher, third in the 800 (2:29.8); Jessica Trautwein, second in the 3000 in 13:00.96, ahead of Cassandra Schumacher (13.01.10) and Kambria Schumacher (13:02.00); Hannah Swanson, first in the 100 hurdles (17.68); Hannah McClaskey, first in the discus (107-10) and third in the shot (33-01 1/4); Erika Snow, second in the pole vault (7-0); and the girls short relay team of Brittany Trahan, Sarah Rosa, Swanson and Amanda Basham, which finished second in 55.41.
The Huskies will be back in action Friday, May 12, at the Stayton Twilight Meet.