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46 °F 5 Day Forecast Sunday, November 30, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2003 EP vaulters soar into spotlight at Crater Classic By DON HUNT Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — A combination of factors left the Crater Classic with one of the leanest fields in its 33-year history Saturday at Crater High. Budget restrictions prevented some of the top schools from the northern end of the state from traveling south. Injuries kept Klamath Union’s Lauren Jespersen and South Eugene’s Erin Gray — two of the premier distance runners in the state — from competing. And North Medford’s outstanding group of female sprinters decided to head south and compete in the Mount San Antonio Relays in Sacramento, Calif. Advertisement But thanks in large part to Eagle Point pole vaulters Robbie Johnston and Aubrey Harrington, the meet was able to retain its reputation as one of the state’s best. Johnston broke his own school record for the second time in 10 days and set an all-time best in the Southern Oregon Conference with a mark of 15 feet, 4 inches, then narrowly missed clearing what would have been a meet record of 15-8. Not to be outdone, Harrington broke one of two meet records on the day — Yreka’s Katie Richardson set the other in the girls discus — when she skyrocketed to 11 feet. Erika Stratton of Summit matched Harrington’s height and beat her on fewer misses, but the Eagle Point vaulter was on cloud nine afterward. "I could feel this one coming," said Harrington, who established a lifetime best by six inches and broke her own school record. "I’ve been vaulting well in practice, and I was feeling really good today." Harrington used a Southern Oregon University pole Saturday and purposely left her own pole at home. "The SOU pole gives me more spring, but it’s harder to bend," Harrington said. "I didn’t bring my own because I knew I’d go back to it if things got tough. I call it my pacifier pole — and it was time to leave it behind." Harrington made three strong attempts at 11-6, getting her feet over the bar each time but displacing it on her way down. "I’m going to make 12 feet this year," Harrington said. "That’s my goal." Johnston, meanwhile, needed a third attempt to clear 15-0 but then sailed well over the bar at 15-4 to break the all-time SOC best of 15-3 held by Roseburg’s Gary Vance. Johnston then tried to break the meet record of 15-7 held by Myrtle Point’s Caleb Krantz, and he nearly got it on his first try. "That’s the first time I’ve ever attempted 15-8," Johnston said. "It was new territory for me, but I gave it a good shot." The Bend boys and the Grants Pass girls bagged the team titles, while South Medford claimed the combined team championship. The Bend boys totaled 86 points, followed by South Medford with 62 and Summit with 61½ . On the girls side, Grants Pass finished with 76 points, Klamath Union with 68½ and South Medford with 66. Richardson, meanwhile, launched the discus 143-11, more than 12 feet farther than anyone in Oregon has thrown this season but well off her personal record of 152-3. Although Harrington, Stratton and Richardson were the only athletes to break meet records Saturday, there were some other notable performances. To wit: Lakeview’s Ryan Nash won the long jump (22-1) and triple jump (45-7) and finished second to South Medford’s Jonathan Klenke in the 100- meter dash with a time of 11.08 seconds. Nash couldn’t match his phenomenal triple jump mark of 48-11 — the second-best in Class 3A history — that he hit last week at the Sisters Invitational, but he still had a solid meet. "I hurt my back last week, and it still isn’t 100 percent," Nash said. "I didn’t jump at all in practice this week trying to rest it, and I got a little tired today." Bend’s Dan Dispaltro ran a state-best time of 50.21 in the 400, beating his nearest competitor — North Medford’s Matt Schneider — by nearly a second. Another Lava Bear runner, Tim Badley, ran the state’s fourth-fastest time in the 1,500 with a 4:04.43 clocking. Badley out-kicked Klamath Union’s Kevin Pellegrino and Summit’s Kenyon Neuman over the final 50 meters to win the race and register a personal record by a whopping eight seconds. "I found another gear at the end," said Badley, who has been running track for only two years. "Those two guys (Pellegrino and Neuman) passed me with about 100 meters to go, but I got them back. "It felt great." Jespersen, the defending state champion in the 1,500, is suffering from tendinitis in his knee and is out indefinitely. Klenke looked strong in his season debut by winning the 100 in 11.06, finishing second to Nash in the 200 in 22.85 and anchoring South Medford’s 4x100 relay to third place. Klenke missed the first three weeks of the season while on a cultural exchange trip to Italy. "It felt good, and the best thing is I didn’t pull a muscle," said Klenke, the defending SOC champion in the 100 and 200. Siuslaw’s Collin Cram blazed to a 14.81 clocking in the 110 high hurdles. Only Churchill Class 4A state champion Sol Rexius (14.5) has run faster this spring in Oregon. Klamath Union’s Katie Leary outran North Medford’s Danielle Jordan and Henley’s Emily Mathis in a battle of three of the state’s fastest distance runners. Leary sliced more than six seconds off her previous best time with a 4:45.72 clocking. Mathis was second in 4:47.93, and Jordan third in 4:49.22. Jordan doubled back in the 3,000 and handily won that event in 10:31.37. Jordan had hoped to meet South Eugene’s Gray in the longer race, but Gray is sidelined with a stress fracture in her leg. North Medford’s Rachel Munyon surprised the field in the shot put with a winning mark of 37-6¾ , more than three feet farther than her previous best and a Black Tornado school record. Munyon also set a school record in the discus with a mark of 118-1, good enough for fifth place. "She was more aggressive in the ring, and she’s learning how to be more competitive," said North Medford throwing coach Mike Schaan. "She has worked hard on improving her technique, and today everything started to click. It’s very encouraging." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times