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North fares well in the hurdles at the Centennial Invitational By DAVID BALL GRESHAM - The North Medford track team highlighted its stay at the elite Centennial Invitational with an impressive performance in the hurdle races Saturday. Senior Sarah Rountree led the charge by taking second in the 100-meter hurdles, which featured the tightest finish of the day. Racing from the middle lane, Rountree was sandwiched between Gresham's Christine Manuel and Wilsonville's Hannah Hultine. All three hit the tape within a wink of each other. Manuel won the race in 16.04 seconds. Rountree was second at 16.06, and Hultine took third in 16.07. "When it's that close, you just have to run your heart out. There's nothing else you can do," Rountree said. Rountree jumped out of the starting blocks to take a slim lead that held up through the first half of the race before the pack caught up. "I felt really good, but the middle of my race always gets me," Rountree said. "I need to get my trail leg over the hurdle faster. But I know there's room for improvement. I just want to put it all together at the right time." Teammate Rosana Medina moved up three spots from her seeding time to finish second in the 300 hurdles. On the boys side, Chris Vorgang turned in a pair of third-place efforts in both hurdle races. He highlighted his day by putting on a late charge in the 300 hurdles, passing a pair of opponents on the final straightaway and just missing another with a wild lunge at the tape. He clocked 40.53. "My coaches have taught me to pick off as many people as I can," Vorgang said. "I just ignored what my body was saying and went for it." Vorgang was competing despite suffering a pelvic injury during a snowboarding accident three weeks ago. "I probably wouldn't even be out here right now without the help of my chiropractor (Aaron Walsh)," Vorgang said. Vorgang also used a late burst to take third in the 110 hurdles in 14.95, passing one racer over the final hurdle and almost catching runner-up Sam Hobbs of Westview on his final few strides. The Black Tornado also had success in the girls sprints, with Brittany Hodges taking third in the 400 in 58.39 and Emily Dunn finishing fourth in the 100 in 12.84. Racing in the outside lane, Hodges set the pace through the first half of the 400 before falling back a couple spots down the final straightaway. Benson standout Deborah Jones won the race in 56.02 seconds. The Techsters dominated the sprints and won the team title, while Mead High School out of Spokane, Wash., took home the boys trophy. North Medford's 400 relay team started the racing finals Saturday night with a runner-up effort of 49.26, falling two strides behind Benson's winning team. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.