When it was over, when the Camas girls had a district track title in hand, coach Alisa Wise just might have underplayed the accomplishments of Megan Kelley.
“She’s consistent,” Wise said. “What you see at a state level is kids come in thinking to win they need to do something big.
“Megan was consistent. That’s the kind of kid she is.”
Yes, Kelley was consistent at the Class 3A Greater St. Helens district track and field meet. If consistent means winning every event you enter.
On Friday, the last of two days in the meet, Kelley won the 200 meters by a full second; she won the long jump by 21 inches; and she helped the Papermakers win the 800-meter relay.
That performance added to her victory Wednesday in the 400 meters.
It was part of an outstanding meet by the Papermakers, who won the girls title with 192.67 points to 142 for runner-up Union.
Union, however, captured the boys title, outscoring Camas 194 to 122.67.
The top three finishers in each event at the 3A district meet — plus competitors who meet qualifying standards — advance to next week’s regional meet. That competition will determine berths to the state meet.
In other highlights from the Class 3A meet:
• In a re-running of the boys 100 meters, necessitated by a timing malfunction during Wednesday’s competition, four Union athletes advanced to the regional meet.
Ryan Stanford won the event in 11.01 seconds, followed by Stanley Ojukwu, Nathaniel Penaranda, and Kinsley Ojukwu.
The 3A district meet allows for more than three qualifiers to advance if they meet state qualifying times. That was beneficial for Kinsley Ojukwu, who has the fourth-best time in the state among all classifications.
During Wednesday’s original running of the 100, Ojukwu pulled up with a hamstring injury and finished last. Friday, he was running with a heavily bandaged leg and competed from a standing start, finishing in 11.26 seconds.
• In addition to his victory in the 100, Stanford won the 200 with a time of 22.50, while Penaranda finished second. Kinsley Ojukwu did not advance to bi-district in the 200, finishing in seventh.
• Anna Adamko won her third individual event of the meet, adding the shot put crown to her titles in javelin and discus. Adamko is the defending Class 3A state champion in the javelin.
Johna McEllrath of Prairie finished second in all three events.
• Kristina Owsinski of Prairie won the girls 100-meter hurdles and finished second in the pole vault.
“I felt ready, prepared,” she said after winning the hurdles in 15.64. “I didn’t warm up that much, just go out there and do it.
“I ran my two fastest times last year at the state meet. Hopefully when state rolls around, I’ll be at my best again.”
• Union’s Jacob Troupe won the long jump and the high jump. Troupe, who entered the meet with the best qualifying mark in each event, jumped 21-2¾ in the long jump and went 5-11 in the high jump.
• Mikey Lauritzen of Camas, who has been hampered by a groin pull most of the season, won the boys 110 hurdles in 15.05 seconds.
That was well ahead of Union’s Taylor Nelson, who was second in 15.90.
“It felt amazing; best race of the year,” Lauritzen said. “Being healthy is the big thing right now.”
Lauritzen later finished second in the javelin behind Mitch Saylor of Union.
• Columbia River’s Allison Clark won the 1,600, nearly five seconds ahead of teammate Sarah Bobbe. On Wednesday, Clark and Bobbe finished 1-2 in the 3,200.
• Columbia River’s Kyle Boe added a win in the 1,600 to his win Wednesday in the 3,200.
