Saturday saw a few Oregon high school stars get their time to compete at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships in Eugene.
In the women’s 400-meter dash, Lake Oswego Josie Donelson finished 12th with a time of 53.98. The time wasn’t enough for the rising senior to qualify for Sunday’s semifinals. Donelson’s best time of 53.94 is just 0.01 off the state record set by North Salem’s Sasha Spencer in 1997.
Addison Kleinke, a rising sophomore who attends the Willamette Connections Academy online school and competes for Churchill High, didn’t record a height on Saturday. After passing on the opening height of 3.85 meters (12 feet, 7.5 inches), Kleinke wasn’t able to get over the bar at four meters (13-1.5).
In just her freshman season, Kleinke already became the state’s best pole vaulter with a state record jump of 13-7.5 this summer. Her mark is also a national record for any freshman.
In the women’s 100-meter dash, Oregon rising sophomore Lily Jones finished tied for 10th in 11.78. Jones is a Roosevelt alumna who competed as a member of the women’s 4×100-meter relay team at the U20 World Championships in Cali, Colombia last year.
There will be more Oregon high schoolers competing on Sunday, the final day of the USATF Outdoor Championships. Central Catholic alumna Kyeese Hollands is scheduled to compete in the women’s javelin throw.
Emma Gates, who is a rising sophomore at Arizona and a graduate of Oregon’s Cascade High School, will be competing in the high jump. Ben Collins, a rising redshirt sophomore at Portland State and a graduate of Sheldon, and William Heslam, a graduate of Roosevelt High School, will be competing in the men’s 1,500-meter race. Aiden Smith, a rising sophomore at Oregon and a graduate of Lincoln, and Aaron Lakeman, a graduate of Tualatin, will be competing in the men’s 3,000-meter race.
— Nik Streng, nstreng@oregonian.com, @NikStreng
