Oregon City's Sophia Beckmon First In State History To Go Past 20 Feet In Long Jump; Caleb Lakeman's Magic Continues As He Catches Michael Maiorano In Final Strides Of 3,000; Emma Gates Take Three Attempts At 6-1.25 In HJ

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Kim Spir and Becky Holbrook

EUGENE – Sophia Beckmon's awful series of jumps took an abrupt turn on her sixth and final try Friday at the Oregon state track and field championships at Hawyard Field. 

The reigning national champion from Oregon City was in danger of not making the finals after a tepid first jump and a foul, and she was still in third place after five jumps. 

She asked for a Hayward Field slow-clap, remembered all of the people who were pulling for her, and finally got the jump she'd been seeking all year on her final try – 20 feet, 1.50 inches (6.13m). 

"I wish it was a little bit less stressful," Beckmon said. "Every single one of my jumps felt off and to the point where it had to come up to the last one (to win), which was honestly a lot anxiety and it was kind of scary. 

"Actually getting 20 feet and feeling the relief of getting my goal, which has been my goal for so long now ... I actually cried."

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Beckmon's long-sought 20-footer, the first in state history, came after achieving a season's best of 19-11 (6.07m) and a district meet jump of 19-10 (6.04m). 

It was one of the biggest highlights on a day brimming with record-breaking potential in one of the most highly anticpated state meets Oregon has ever seen. 

Lake Oswego's Mia Brahe-Pedersen and Roosevelt's Lily Jones qualified safely to Saturday's finals in the 100 and 200 in what could be spectacular final showdown between the two sprinters. Brahe-Pedersen came close to her personal-best time in the 200 by clocking 23.33 in the prelims for a meet record after running 11.66 in the 100 for another. Jones ran a personal-best 23.89 in the 200 and also ran 11.73 in the 100 prelim. 

In the Class 4A girls high jump, Cascade's Emma Gates made first-attempt bars all the way through 5-feet-11 (1.80m) – higher than the winning jump at last week's Pac-12 Championships – and then had three tantalyzing attempts at an all-time state record of 6-1.25 (1.86m). 

Gates said her second try at the bar felt like her best. 

"I'm getting closer and closer, so hopefully sometime soon I'll get that 6-1 mark," she said. "A little more speed, a little more up, hopefully I get it."

The morning's 3,000-meter finals featured a deep and loaded field in the 6A boys race that was full of storylines. 

But it will be remembered for South Meford's Michael Maiorano taking the race out in 61 seconds for the first lap and 4:20 for 1,600, building an enormous lead, and then trying to hang on for dear life. Tualatin's Caleb Lakeman closed with a 58 (to Maiorano's 64) and got to the finish first in 8:13.31. Maiorano gave everything to reach the line in 8:13.58 and fell hard to the track, tearing an inch-deep gash in his knee. 

Seven boys went under 8:20, including third-place finisher Charlie North of Franklin (8:14.24) and Aiden Smith of Lincoln (8:15.52) and Jacob Nenow of Jesuit (8:16.45). 

Maiorano's ambitious gambit nearly paid off. And Lakeman, one of his best friends, wasn't sure he could overcome the gap. 

"Definitely the last 100 is when I thought I've got a real shot of winning this thing," Lakeman said. 

Maiorano opted for a Prefontaine-esque route, feeling that anything less than a bold all-out effort from the gun was a wasted opportunity. 

"I don't think winning is winning, for me, if I run for two and a half kilometers and then steal the race in the last 200 yards," Maiorano said. "And that's a great strategy for some people, and that's winning for some people."

Last year at the Oregon 6A Showcase, the de facto championship meet put on by coaches, Maiorano went to the front and had two runners go with him for 2,400 meters. Seniors Charlie Robertson and Mateo Althouse ultimately went by him and kicked to first and second. 

In the girls 6A 3,000, Lake Oswego's Kate Peters rolled to a state meet record with US#3 9:25.15 and came up three-tenths of a second shy of Ella Donaghu's all-time state best. It was Peters' first state track title and she was pushed, a bit, at the end by Franklin's Kaiya Robertson (9:28.72) and Ida B. Wells' Charlotte Richman (9:31.43). 

Class 3A/2A/1A

Catlin Gabel's boys scored 84 points to win the Class 3A championship, getting victories from Josh Widdows (110 hurdles), Mike Hart (800) and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Nyssa used a second-place finish in the 4x400 to slingshot ahead of St. Mary's of Medford to win the 3A girls team title, 71.5 to 70. 

Trevor Angove won the long and triple jumps, and his brother Hunter Angove won the pole vault, as Bandon won the 2A boys title with 56 points. 

Coquille got a 1-4 finish in the javelin, with Trinidy Blandon taking the victory, on the way to the 2A girls team title. 

Jace Martin swept the 100 and 200 and was part of two winning relays for Adrian, which won the boys 1A team title with 74 points. The Adrian 4x100 relay ran 43.82, faster than the 2A or 3A winning teams. 

Addy Martin, Jace's sister, also swept the sprints for Adrian. But Damascus Christian proved to be too deep and beat Adrian 105.5 to 82 for the 1A team title.