Oregon high school boys track and field: Breakthrough stars at midway point of season

We highlight 20 breakthrough campaigns in Oregon (OSAA) high school boys track and field this season

McNary’s Derek Olivo won the boys javelin at the Oregon Relays and recently went over 200 feet for the first time. / Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

We previously highlighted the top returning seniors on the Oregon high school boys track and field scene.

Now, as we reach the midway point of the spring season, we look at some breakthrough stars to watch for next month at Hayward Field in Eugene at the OSAA state championships.

Ben Harris, Wilsonville, senior

Harris returned to the track after taking the past two seasons off and has become one of Class 5A’s top triple jumpers, winning all five of his competitions and jumping a personal-best 46 feet, 4 inches, at the Wilsonville Invitational to break the school record.

Brogan Hedgepeth, La Grande, sophomore

Hedgepeth flashed his potential in the discus toward the end of his freshman season, improving his personal best by more than 24 feet over the final three weeks and placing third at the 4A state meet. He’s improved by another 16 feet this spring, going 167-10 at the Prosser Rotary Invite in Southeast Washington on April 19, and he has added more than eight feet in the shot put to 52-3.

Derek Olivo, McNary, sophomore

Olivo finished his freshman year as a 170-foot javelin thrower and 6A state qualifier, and after spending the winter refining his technique, he’s emerged as the state’s best thrower this spring, with his 202-1 at the Vic Downs Mac Invite moving him to the top 50 in state history. He also could contend at state in the shot (49-6) and discus (151-7).

EJ Cozart Jr., Jefferson, junior

Cozart has cut almost a half-second off his best time in the 100 meters to 11.09 seconds, and he has added the 300 hurdles to his repertoire (season-best 40.58). He jumped a personal-best 21-11¾ in the long jump to place fourth at the Oregon Relays.

Ethan Coddington, Tualatin, junior

Codding has dropped more than a half-second off his personal best in the 100 to 10.77 and almost two seconds in the 200 to 21.61, when he finished second to teammate Vincent Sadighi at the Sunset Team Challenge.

Grant Valley, Jesuit, senior

Valley has overcome numerous leg injuries, including a broken leg during his junior football season that required two surgeries and cost him most of last track season, for the Southern Oregon-bound defensive back to realize his potential. He won the 100 at the Oregon Relays, running a wind-aided 10.69 in the prelims, and cut a second-and-a-half from his 200 PR to 21.65.

Hayden Arthur, Columbia Christian, junior

Arthur started his high school career at Faith Bible, where he finished fifth at the 2A state meet in the discus. Last year, he finished second at the 1A state meet in the javelin for the Knights, and he’s added another eight feet to his javelin PR to 180-9 (moving to No. 10 all-time among Oregon 1A throwers). He's approaching his marks in the discus from his freshman year (127-10 PR).

Hudson Pearson, Sandy, sophomore

Pearson missed the final month of his freshman season after going 21-10½ in the long jump at his first meet, but it’s in the triple jump — an event he picked up for the first time this spring — where he’s announced himself as a serious contender, going 46-6 at his first competition before placing second at the Sunset Team Challenge.

Kellen Williams, Jesuit, junior

Williams is the latest standout to come through the Crusaders’ distance factory, announcing himself with his victory in the Oregon Relays mile this month, running 4:09.96 to break the school record. He blazed to an 8:51.56 in the 3,200 at the Arcadia Invitational, moving up 11 spots over the final lap.

Logan Peterson, Canby, senior

Peterson qualified for the 5A state meet in the 400 and 300 hurdles last year, placing fourth in the hurdles race. He broke the school records in the 300 hurdles (39.50) in placing fifth at the Oregon Relays and the 400 (49.63) at the Chehalem Classic.

Marcus Burton, Tigard, junior

Burton burst onto the scene this month with his victory in the 200 at the Need for Speed Invitational in Sherwood, and he’s since lowered his personal bests in the 100 (10.80) and 200 (21.94) to put himself in the conversation of top 6A contenders at the state meet next month.

Maxwell Miracle, Crater, sophomore

Miracle might be the next Comet to achieve stardom in their distance dynasty. After qualifying for the 5A state meet in the 800 last year, he led off their New Balance Nationals indoor title-winning 4xMile relay team last month, ran the third leg on their victorious 4x800 at the Oregon Relays and ran a state-leading 1:53.85 to win the 800 at the Phillips-Klimek Distance Twilight on April 18.

Milo Swinth, Cleveland, junior

Swinth didn’t get out of the PIL district meet in the shot put or discus last year, but he swept the titles at the Chehalem Classic, improving his personal bests by five feet in the shot (49-10) and 23 feet in the discus (159-4).

Nicholas Miller, Churchill, junior

Miller won a Midwestern League district title in the high hurdles last year, eventually placing sixth at the 5A state meet, and he’s built off that performance this spring by breaking the 15-second barrier (14.86) at a league meet April 16 and shaving more than a half-second off his PR in the 300 hurdles (41.36).

Ryan LeClair, Hillsboro, senior

LeClair broke the Spartans’ 61-year-old school record in the 400 last spring en route to a fourth-place finish at the 5A state meet. He lowered that mark to 48.85 this year with his fourth-place finish at the Oregon Relays, and he has Rick Sanders’ 50-year-old school records in the 100 (10.84) and 200 (22.24) in his sights (LeClair’s PRs are 10.96 and 22.31, respectively).

Rylan Bryant, Sutherlin, senior

Yes, Bryant had a breakthrough junior season for the Bulldogs, placing second at the 3A state meet in the discus and fourth in the shot put, but this spring, he has blown away the marks he posted a year ago, improving by more than 7½ feet in the shot to 54-6½ and by 19 feet in the discus to 157-5.

Sean Ward, Dallas, senior

Ward shocked himself when he high-jumped 6-5½ at a season-opening dual meet, and he’s since cleared 6-8 (an 8-inch improvement from his junior season). He has dropped his personal best in the 300 hurdles by more than two seconds, lowering it to 39.83 at a Mid-Willamette Conference meet in early April.

Silvestre Rico, Adrian, junior

Rico has been a solid triple jumper throughout his career, twice winning medals at the 1A state meet — including a runner-up finish last spring — but he’s improved by more than 17 inches in the long jump, with his 22-4 at early April’s Wayne Invitational moving him to No. 5 on the all-time Oregon 1A rankings.

Topher Gabel, Sandy, sophomore

Gabel won the Mt. Hood Conference district title in the high jump last year, but his PR was only 6-2 entering this spring. He tied that mark in his first meet, then went 6-8 to finish second at the Oregon Relays and 6-9 11 days later at an MHC meet at Gresham. He’s improved his PR in the long jump by 19 inches to 21-4.

Vincent Sadighi, Tualatin, senior

Sadighi made his mark as a quarter-miler last spring, finishing third at the 6A state meet in the 400, but he’s focused more on the shorter sprints this season, cutting almost a half-second off his PR in the 100 to 10.77 and more than a second in the 200 with a school-record 21.59 at the Sunset Team Challenge.

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