By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
CORVALLIS, Ore.– After coming close in doing it last year as a junior, this year she made it happen:
She’s going to State in the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles.
The now-senior qualified for State in the 300-meter hurdles, and again this year following her District Runner-Up finish in the event, but that 100-meter hurdle berth was right there.
But entering Friday’s Mid-Willamette Conference finals in the event, she came ready to go. She was mentally, and physically, prepared for the event. And the result was the one she was looking for.
She didn’t just qualify for the 5A State Meet in the event, she won the event at the District Level. Picking up a PR in the process, winning the event with a time of 15.08.
“I was so locked in for this and I wanted this so bad and I’m really grateful that my coaches have helped me so much to get back in the 100 hurdles. It’s just been so great, I feel so blessed,” said Green of the moment. “I think I’ve had the fitness to do it, it’s just been just putting the pieces together of my form and getting over the hurdle faster and just being focused. I wanted to do it so bad, I was so focused before the race and it just paid off.”
The win was part of the Dragons First-Place finish, Dallas finished tied for first with Crescent Valley with a team score of 131.5 points. They saw Kelsey Rodii winning the 3,000 meter race with a PR time of 10:18.27 as well as Liz Walker winning the High Jump with a jump of 5-feet-5.25-inches to anchor the victory. The Dallas Girls 4×100 meter team also finished second.
The Dallas Boys Track and Field team finished third as a team with 88 team points.
Bertram Latta won the Shot Put and Discus District Title. Xander Hammill (300-meter Hurdles), Israel Mabry finished (Javelin), Daniel Russell (Pole Vault) and the Dallas Boys 4×400 meter relay team all finished District Runner-Up. Of note, the Dallas 4×100 meter relay team finished third with a school record breaking performance with their 42.91 team time.
Speaking of third-place, Nicholas Walker finished third in the 400-meter race on Friday, and with his PR time of 49.77, qualified for the State Meet in the event through getting that qualifying time in the process.
He overcame a slow start to the race and slowly made his way towards the front. Pushing himself against some of the best competition in the league, and perhaps the State, once more.
“I’ve had that issue for two-or-three years, where I’ll get out slow but I finish well. That’s been the main thing I’ve been working on all season, to get out a little harder…and that’s the thing I’m going to work on this next week before State,” said Walker.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
