The Best of Oregon Relays and More

April 26, 2022

EUGENE, OR. - The bigger the stage, the better the performances. That has been the theme all year long for several of Idaho's finest track and field athletes. Whether it is the Boise Relays, the Arcadia Invitational, or last weekend's Oregon's Relays, these athletes are improving with each passing week. We are now roughly three weeks from District and less than a month from the state meet, which means this season will be over in the blink of an eye. But let's not put the cart before the horse and see some of the exceptional individual marks from last weekend:

OREGON RELAYS 

HELMS GOES SUB-14: Emmett's Landon Helms' magical senior season is only getting better as we hit the final stretch of the outdoor season. He not only got the meet record in the pole vault (15-11) with his clearance of 16-06.75, his second-best outdoor clearance ever, he went on to break 14-seconds in the 110HH for the first time ever. He did so in the prelims with his 13.93 wind-legal effort, good enough for another meet record. Going into the Saturday final as the top seed, he went on to win the invitational section in 14.04.

BECK LAUNCHES NEW STATE LEAD: Jackson Beck of Mountain View seems to get better and better with each passing week. After opening up the season with a throw of 47-08, Beck has rattled off consecutive throws of: 52-07.50 - 53-03.75 - 52-03 - 54-02.50 - and then Saturday's heave of 56-11.75 for a new Idaho state leading mark (was originally recorded as 57-feet, rounded down). If Beck's consistent and steady improvement that he showed last year and is showing this year is any indication, we are in for big things this final month of the outdoor season. 

JENECKO DIPS UNDER 4:20: Timberline's Shawn Janecko had never broken 4:20 for the 1600 in his career before Saturday. Not only did he break it, he smashed it. Running a full mile, Jenecko clocked a new lifetime best of 4:16.57 for 1600m before crossing one mile in a time of 4:18.24. Janecko is now #2 in the state of Idaho for 1600m behind only Tyler Sainsbury of Rocky who posted a 4:13.01 at the Pasco Invite (WA.). More to come on Sainsbury later.

BOISE BOYS RELAYS CLAIM STATE LEADS: The Brave of Boise were asked a lot last weekend, not just individually but on the relays. It seems to have paid off, not only did they win the outright team title, they now hold the fastest time in the state in the 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, and the SMR, the latter three of which were accomplished last weekend. On the girls side, the Lady Brave relays are state leaders in the 4x400, 4x800. They will get some much needed rest before they ramp up for the final stretch.

BOYS

• Boise (4x200): 1:29.33 - Lawyer, Murray, Coffield, Leigh
• Boise (4x400): 3:24.63 - Coffield, Lawyer, Briggs, Murray
• Boise (4x800): 8:06.41 - Kemper, Helder, Sheesley, M. McIntyre
• Boise (SMR 200-200-400-800): 3:38.16 - Smith, Leigh, Murray, J. McIntyre

GIRLS

• Boise (4x400): 3:57.96 - Clark, Hirai, L. Smith, S. Smith
• Boise (4x800): 9:20.41 - Bruce, Nance, Hamlin, L. Smith

PATRIOT INVITE

(Tyler Sainsbury goes wire-to-wire at the Patriot Invite)

SAINSBURY SLAYS THE FIELD: In less than ideal, windy conditions at the Patriot Invite, you weren't going to get any eye-popping marks in most events. Mother nature, nothing you can do about it. But what did standout, was Tyler Sainsbury (Rocky Mountain) and his 800m performance, where he went wire-to-wire, bearing the brunt of the wind the entire race and still posted a new Idaho state leading time of 1:54.21. Just the week before, Sainsbury went 4:13.04 at the Pasco Invite, which means he is rounding into form here in the final stretch of the season. For the host team, Eva Lowder set a new lifetime best in the pole vault and is now in sole possession of the state lead with her clearance of 12-03. The Madison girls 4x400 team of Belle Draney, Ciara Brown, Brighton Heywood and Madeline Weatherford posted a 4:11.42, the third fastest mark in Idaho this season, while their 4x100 team ran 50.71, #6 ID. mark. Eagle boys 4x400 team ran a season best 3:28.17 to win the meet and are now #3 in Idaho. 

GREAT BASIN OPEN

Junior Claire Petersen had a great day at the Great Basin Open, posting state leading marks in the girls 100m and 110H. Petersen held off Alaynie Wilcox of Minico in a tight 100-hurdle race, as the two posted the state's top two times of 15.08 and 15.13. Petersen was just .01 off her all-conditions lifetime best of 15.07 (+2.4). She came back later to win the 100m in a state-leading time of 12.22. Petersen has lifetime bests of 11.95 in the 100m. Lynzey Searle (Burley) posted an ID. #2 mark in the 300IH with a time of 47.00.

KNIGHT INVITE

While the wind was into the face of the athletes on the homestretch at Patriot, it was at the back of the athletes for the Bishop Kelley Knight Invite. Who took the most advantage of that? BK's James Onanubosi, who posted a 100m winning time of 10.67 with an aiding +4.0 tailwind. Dalton Wild (Post Falls) won another heat with a PR of 10.95 but had an aiding tailwind of +4.3. Mother Nature, nothing you can do about it. Samuel Fish (Vallivue) set a new lifetime best in the 1600 after crossing the line in 4:19.35. A new state leader in the girls' triple jump, Middleton's Cassidy Fried posted a huge lifetime best of 37-07.

OTHER NOTEABLE PERFORMANCES: 

Pocatello's Matejah Mangum posted an Idaho #1 in the girls 200m with her 25.17 at the DirectCom Invitational. She also anchored the girls 4x100 team to a 50.16, the #3 mark in Idaho. Grace's Cole Wilkerson posted a PR in the 800m with a time of 1:56.42, just ahead of Blackfoot's Matt Thomas (1:56.45) at the DirectCom Invite.