Curtis WA Boys 4x100, Lake Oswego Girls 4x200 Break State Records; Aaron Sahlman Comes Up Fraction Short on Sub-Four Bid; Tyrone Gorze, Ruby Broadbent Complete Distance Doubles; Mead WA Runs Fastest Prep Mixed 4x800

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Kim Spir photos

EUGENE -- This time, Long Beach Wilson left no doubt. 

One year after holding the trophy as the Oregon Relays Co-Ed team champion and then giving it back after a scoring error showed that another team had won (Boise ID 122, Wilson 120), the Bruins rolled up 139 points with a late rush on points from the hurdles and 4x400 relays. 

"We got it back now, so it doesn't matter," said Marcell Francis-Mitchell, who placed third in the 800 and turned around to help the team win the 4x400 relay and break its own meet record with 3:15.98.

"Right now, you're going to remember us."

RESULTS/VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS

Saturday's half of the two-day meet featured the completion of distance doubles for Tyrone Gorze and Ruby Broadbent, more historic sprinting for states in the Northwest, the establishment of a new national standard in the seldom run mixed 4x800 relay, and an oh-so-close sub-four effort for Nike Cross Nationals champ Aaron Sahlman. 

After Gatlin Bair torched the Idaho all-time best in the 200 meters Friday, a quartet from Curtis WA smashed a decades old all-time Washington best in the 4x100 relay. 

Titus Morris, Cinque Maxwell, Andrew Shirley and LeRoy Horton executed nearly flawless baton exchanges on the way to 41.29, taking down the 1986 record of Garfield (41.2h/41.34c).

Shirley also won the pole vault with a clearance at 15-11. 

Perhaps the most electric moment of the meet came in the girls 4x200 final, where Lake Oswego junior Mia Brahe-Pedersen added to her growing legend by chasing down Wilson anchor Ma'Nia Tidwell to hit the finish line first in 1:39.86 -- and Oregon all-time best. 

In the girls pole vault, national record holder Hana Moll of Capital WA took three attempts at 15-0.25 (4.58m), coming closest on the second try of what would have been a +1cm improvement on her outdoor prep record set at Arcadia. 

If the mixed 4x800 relay catches on, the number serves as the new prep best is 8:44.74 by Mead WA. The quartet of Jonathan Lieb, Olivia Ferraro, Jacob Marchesseault and Charlotte Cullen averaged 2:11 per carry. The previous record was believed to be 8:56.8y by the team from William Penn of New Castle, Del. at the A.I. DuPont Co-Ed Relays in 1978.  

Sahlman, running unattached in a New Balance kit given to him by Trayvon Bromell, finished fourth in the PRO men's mile in 4:00.30. Sahlman was frustrated afterward, believing that that a 2:01 first half was just a bit too slow. He closed in 58.37 and finished behind Johnny Gregorek of ASICS (3:58.44), Kieran Lumb of On (3:58.68) and OTC's Matt Wisner (3:59.96).

Jenn Randall of Cascadia Elite won the women's professional mile in 4:33.84. 

In the high school miles, Gorze and Broadbent extended their distance dominance over the meet. Broadbent, an Oregon State signee from Victoria, B.C. (Parkland), chased down Bethany Michalak of Air Academy CO on the homestretch to win in 4:47.71. It's the second-fastest mile in meet history behind Dalia Frias' 4:43.32 last year. 

Gorze ran near the front of the pack for three laps and then left everyone in the dust over the final 440 yards, completing the final lap in 57.1 seconds. His time of 4:08.30 is US#2 in the full mile, behind Sahlman. 

William Heslam of Roosevelt OR became the fourth boy from Oregon to run sub-1:50 in the 800 meters. The Oregon recruit flew over the final 200 meters to take the lead away from Wilsonville's Carter Cutting and hit the finish tape at 1:49.79. Cutting moved to No. 5 on the all-time Oregon list with his second-place finish of 1:50.07.

Maya Baechler of Kitsilano BC won the girls 800 meters in 2:11.36. 

Long Beach Wilson's Kaylin Edwards led a 1-2 finish with Tidwell in the 300 meters for 18 team points that put the team championship out of reach. Edwards also ran 14.46 to win the 100-meter hurdles. 

Another double winner was Central Catholic's Kyeese Hollands, who threw a personal best 155-7 in the discus after winning the javelin with 145-1. 

In another new event, the 40-yard dash, Jordan CA's Jordan Washington used his strong start and top gear to finish first in 4.57 seconds. 

Federal Way WA's Soukhanya Waters edged out Olivia Hicks of Mountainside OR, 5.234 to 5.236.