Exploding Whale Sports
May 12, 2019, 6:20pm
A lucky and hard-working seven Siuslaw Vikings track and field athletes will be competing at the Class 4A state championships this coming Friday and Saturday at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham.
The two boys include Sky-Em League district champions Ryan Jennings, a sophomore, in the 300-meter hurdles and Ryan Rendon-Padilla, a junior, in the javelin.
Jennings ran a personal-record 41.47a seconds, third best in 4A this season, to advance to state.
Rendon-Padilla, defending 4A champion in the javelin, launched the spear 185 feet, 4 inches, short of his school-record 191-7 but better than the 181-7.5 he threw in winning state in 2018.
Rendon-Padilla leads 4A with a 191-7, nearly 23 feet ahead of the 168-11 mark of No. 2 Joseph Grace, a senior at Phoenix.
Lady Vikings advancing to state include sophomores Brea Blankenship, Gracie Freudenthal and Andrea Osbon, junior Hannah Rannow and senior Naomi Shoji.
Rannow is the defending 4A champion at 800 meters, and will have a chance to repeat after winning the Sky-Em district title Saturday in 2:20.32a.
Rannow will compete in the 3,000 after clocking a state-qualifying 10:33.43a Friday for third place at district. Rannow also will run a leg of Siuslaw's 4x400 relay team, which was second at district.
Rannow has state-bests in 4A this season of 2:18.32a in the 800 and 10:14.56a in the 3,000, both PRs.
Blankenship finished second on Rannow's heels Saturday in the 800, with a PR 2:21.20a, third-best this season in 4A. She also will run a leg of the 4x400 relay team.
Freudenthal was second in both hurdles Saturday, with times of 16.34a in the 100 final and 47.72a in the 300. Both were off her personal bests, but not bad considering the heat and that she ran three events in the span of 70 minutes, including anchoring the 4x400 relay team.
Osbon was named the Sky-Em's outstanding girl for throws after winning both the shot put (37-10) and the discus (104-7), while finishing third in the javelin with a PR 100-3.
Shoji will be take the baton first for the 4x400 relay team at state.
Complete district results are online at https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=349081&show=all.
SAVING THEIR BEST FOR LAST
The Vikings had 20 athletes — 9 boys and 11 girls — set personal records in one or more events at district, including:
Boys
Girls
POSTED PROUDLY ON THE PODIUM
The Vikings had 26 athletes —10 boys and 16 girls — finish eighth or better in at least one event to reach the awards podium, including:
Boys
Girls
SAY IT ISN'T SO: SENIORS SAY SAYONARA
Siuslaw coach Chris Johnson doesn't believe in his athletes giving less than 100 percent.
He doesn't believe in rooting for a major league baseball team (he's a Cubs fan).
And he doesn't believe in the senior recognition night afforded athletes in most other Vikings sports.
So let's salute Vikings seniors in track and field.
Davina Galli, Hailee Edgerly, Madison Reynolds, Alyssa Richards and Naomi Shoji all competed over the weekend for the Lady Vikings.
Distance runner Ethan Hack, who did not compete at district, was the only boy on the Vikings roster this spring, setting PRs in the 1,500 of 5:19.11a and 3,000 of 11:32.12a.
Happy trails all.