Love overcomes many obstacles. Just ask Ryan Crouser
(Barlow-Gresham, Ore.) and J.J. Juilfs
(Sheldon-Eugene), two of the country's top track and field performers.
They let "love" fuel their efforts Friday at the Oregon State Track and Field Championships held over two days at Hayward Field in Eugene. The two college-bound athletes overcame serious injuries to win their specialties, Crouser the shot and discus and Juilfs the pole vault.
"If you love something enough, you'll find a way to come through," said Juilfs.
Obviously, Crouser was paying close attention.
Crouser, the premier weight thrower in the United States, suffered a torn adductor muscle in his right leg three weeks ago. The injury aggravates rotating the hip and femur - essential to success in the shot put and discus events.
Juilfs, who had the nation's top pole vault in 2010 at more than 17 feet, was diagnosed with a lower back stress fracture at the end of last summer. He played through the football season, then was forced to be inactive for several months and got a very late start to his pole vault season.
As a result, neither was able to challenge state records as most expected prior their injuries. The state record in the pole vault is 17-7. He was happy with winning at 16-4.
The state's all-time best in the shot put is 72-7, set by Crouser earlier this year - before his injury. He also holds the state mark in the discus (213-7).
Instead of challenging the records, Crouser was reduced to flat-footed standing throws.
Crouser was forced to abandon his standard spin technique and without taking a single step, he hurled the discus 179-1. It was more than 13 feet farther than second-place finisher Greg Skipper of Oregon City. Skipper is Crouser's cousin.
It was well off his record attempt, but even flatfooted he earned 10 first-place points for his team.
In the shot put, again competing flatfooted, Crouser surpassed 60 feet on his second attempt and hit a best of 65-7.5 on his sixth and final throw.
It was well short of the 77 feet he reached in February to set a U.S. high school indoor record. Early this outdoor season, he threw a state record 72-7. Nonetheless, only four throwers in the nation have thrown farther this spring than the Texas-bound Crouser's best on Friday.
"I wasn't sure what to expect," Crouser said. "I wanted to throw over 60 and make sure I got the team points." He did and it was another 10 points for his team.
It looked like Crouser's prep season was over three weeks ago, when he injured the muscle on the javelin runway. He missed the 2010 State Meet when he fractured a bone in his foot.
In order to qualify for the State Meet, Crouser had to participate in Barlow's District Meet where he threw 156-6 in the discus, 55-6 1/2 in the shot.
Though recovered, Juilfs has been vaulting in practice only once a week and competed in his first meet less than a month ago. Going for a state record was out of the question. More importantly, would his back hold up?
"There was a point this winter where I thought I'd never vault again. I thought my career was done," Juilfs said.
He cleared 16-4 3/4 to win for the second straight year. Showing his back is "sound," Juilfs missed three times at 16-10.
"This is the start of my season," said Juilfs, who has signed with Washington. "I'm just gearing up for bigger things.
"This is incredible. I thought my career was over," said Juilfs, whose finish was almost a foot higher than second place finisher Brandon Hooper (South Medford).
Despite their inspiring efforts, Crouser and Juilf's had to share the meet's spotlight with
Aloha (Beaverton) sophomore Thomas Tyner, who ran a state-meet record 10.48 to win his prelim in the 100 meters. Tyner matched that time in the finals to beat two-time spring champion Arthur Delaney (Barlow/Gresham), who finished in 10.62. Delaney won in 2010 with a wind-aided 10.42.
Tyner teamed with three junior teammates (Christian Wood, Ryan Russo and Sheldon Prince to win the 4x100 Meter Relay in 41.5 - breaking a 21-tear-old state record.
Tyner withdrew from the 200 after he fell crossing the finish line in the 100. He was limping noticeably for hours after his record-setting spring. Tyner, a 6-1, 210-pound running back, guided Aloha to the 6A football title last fall and was named Oregon's Offensive Player of the Year in football.
Other highlights of the State 6A (Large Schools) meet included:
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Crater (Central Point) standout Jack Galpin worked hard to beat Tyner in their 200 prelim, and he broke the meet record in the process. Galpin clocked 21.20, good enough for No. 2 all-time behind Ryan Bailey in state history. Tyner scratched from the 200 finals, but Galpin, 21.25, edged Delaney, 21.3.
- Galpin, who has signed with Oregon, also won the 400 in 47.75.
- Sophomore Erin Clark
South Eugene pulled the biggest upset of the two-day meet in the 3,000 meters when she beat a field of future Division I runners, including Jesuit's Annamarie Maag, who will run next year for Georgetown and has six individual state titles in cross country and track. Jesuit's Payton Schutte, who will run collegiately at Arizona State, finished third. Clark's winning time was 10:06.63 (Maag timed 10:08.58).
- Chauncey Summers
Estacada won at 4A high jump 5-10, then missed three times (once barely, 2nd attempt) at a state record 6-1. Her 5-10 mark is the second best in the U.S. this spring. She also won the long and triple jump events.
- Gresham sophomore Haley Crouser battled swirling headwinds to win the 6A javelin with a best of 169-7. She won the same event as a freshman.
- Rachel Proteau of
West Albany set a new 5A state meet record in the girls high jump with a winning jump of 5-7 breaking the record of 5-6 set in 2007.
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Roseburg hurdler Korey Smith won the 110 (14.54) and 300 hurdles (38.65) and Kenneth Newcome won the high jump (6-6) and the triple jump.
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North Medford middle distance runner Stetson Smith ran 1:53.09 to knock off defending champion Badane Sultessa in the 800. Sultessa, of
Centennial (Gresham), was second in a personal best 1:53.75.
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Sunset (Portland) overcame Crouser's heroics to win the boys 6A title, edging Roseburg, 58-55.
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Jesuit (Portland) got victories from pole vaulter Jill Doyle (12-4), high hurdler Garmai Gorlorwulu (14.22) and shot putter Elizabeth Brenner (45-04.75) in winning the girls team title with 96 points. Gresham was second with 48.
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Summit (Bend) pulled off a double victory in capturing both the boys and girls titles at the 5A classifications.
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Newport led by junior Oshay Dunmore won the boys 4A title.
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Philomath captured the girls 4A title.
