Prep Track and Field heads down the home stretch locally
CVC teams have dual meets, invitational prior to Districts
A couple of weeks remain in the 2023 high school track and field season in Oregon, but the high school meets are winding down in anticipation of district competition, ultimately culminating with the signature Oregon Track and Field Championships in Eugene on May 26 and 27 for the 6A-5A-4A schools
For members of the Central Valley Conference, tracksters and their fans have a few options to choose from in the next couple of weeks. A handful of dual meets are on the slate—come rain or shine—and there are also a handful of invitational events that will get some attention.
For the CVC itself, the culminating event is the District meet at McNary High School in Keizer. Preliminary running events will be held along with select field events on Friday, May 19. The rest of the field events and most race finals will be held on Saturday.
A quick perusal of top conference track and field performances this season provide a good idea of the top teams within the conference.
North Salem and West Salem have the edge in the sprints for boys, while West has an advantage over the rest of the field on the girls side. Of significance in the boys races, North Salem’s Demari Thompson—last year’s 5A 100 and 200 meter state champion—faces quite a challenge from West Salem’s Mihaly Akpamgbo. Both are right around the 11 second mark in the 100, where Thompson has the slight edge. Akpamgbo has the superior time in the 200 meters. In the related relays for the boys, North is best in the 4X100 meter race, while West Salem has the edge in the 4X400. For the girls, West and North are at the top of the recorded times.
In the middle and long-distance races, West Salem’s boys have dominated all season long. The girls’ times are split up in those same races between four different schools—West, Sprague, McNary and South Salem.
In the field events, West Salem and Sprague have the superior numbers in terms of the top marks, but in any event—a “darkhorse participant” can come out of nowhere to shock the field—both at the district and state level. That is part of the appeal in attending the meets.
Yours truly has traditionally taken part in meets as a public address announcer over the years, but a change in employment status—my wife joined me in retirement this spring—pulled me away from the microphone this season, at least for the moment.
As a former track competitor, I would encourage everyone to check the weather, dress accordingly, and enjoy the rush of competition.
Please check out the remaining events on the prep track schedule, and the most up-to-date top performances from Central Valley Conference competitors.