McKenzie Sports Report – June 12

McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week

The McKenzie Varsity 2025 Spring Athletic season has concluded and there are no contests scheduled.

Aytan Brown Sprints to 2nd At State 200 meters

Also Takes 4th Place in 100 meters

Claire Weiss Runs PR 5th Place 400 m.

Eagle senior sprinter Aytan Brown capped a fine spring track season at the 2025 OSAA State Track and Field Championships, finishing his 200 meters final race in second place and capturing fourth place in the 100 meters. And he ran on the McKenzie 4×400 m relay team that placed tenth.

The meet was held at iconic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30. Brown entered the Championship meet with the State’s top 200 m. time for Class 1A teams, 22.49 sec., earned at the Special 2 District Championships held at the Aaron and Marie Jones Community Track on May 24. And he also held the third fastest 100 m. qualifying time of 11.26 sec. Eagle teammates and fans were hopeful for a State title as Brown ran the fastest preliminary times for both events, 11.27 sec., in the 100 m. and 22.78 sec., in the 200 m.

Josiah Gaither of St. Stephens Academy out-kicked the field in the 100 m finals to win with a time of 11.31 seconds and Brown finished fourth at 11.64 sec. Gavin Anderson of Damascus Christian nudged Brown in the 200 m. finals with a time of 22.96 seconds and Aytan finished in 23.01 for second.

Eagle teammate, junior Allen Acevedo ran a Personal Record time, 52.47 sec., in his 400 m. prelims to finish 5th. Carter Ford of Pilot Rock won the 400 m. final in 51.24 sec., and Acevedo finished 8th at 54.09 sec.

McKenzie junior Will Meister represented the Eagles in his specialty, the 3000 m. race and he finished 12th with a time of 10:38.56 minutes. Jeff Leavitt of Joseph won the long distance event in a fine time of 8:30.37 min.

The McKenzie 4×100 m. relay team, composed of junior Hayden Harbick, freshman Liam Acevedo, junior Elijah Santiago, and Allen Acevedo finished 10th in 47.24 seconds behind the winning Damascus Christian team, which posted a finish time of 44.48 seconds.

The Eagle 4×400 m. relay team of sophomore William Valtinson, Santiago, Brown, and Allen Acevedo finished 10th as well with a time of 3:41.54 minutes. Southwest Christian won the 4x400m relay event in a time of 3:30.73 minutes.

McKenzie’s lone female State qualifier, freshman Claire Weiss, per usual when she toes the line for a 400 m. race, set a new personal record. This PR time of 1:02.68 min. won the Eagle athlete a 5th place finish in her first State Championship meet. Kiarin Ross of Adrian won the 400 m. in 59.03 sec.

McKenzie Track On The Rise

Eagles Send 8 Athletes To State Meet

It’s been a while since the Eagles of McKenzie sent this many track and field athletes to Hayward Field for the OSAA State Track and Field Championships. And with just three senior athletes departing this spring, Eagle track and field can look optimistically toward once again making waves at the State level.

McKenzie Boys earned 14 points at Hayward finishing in a tie with Harper for 16th place. As a team, that’s the highest Eagle Boys Track team finish at State since 2007, when McKenzie placed fourth, earning 39 points. That season David Sherman won the State 1500-meter title and brother Michael Sherman finished second. David also finished second in the 3000 meters and Michael took third. Jordan Fleming finished sixth in the 800 m. and Mike Juden finished seventh in his 400 m race. The Eagle 4×400 m. team of Fleming, Juden and the Sherman bros finished seventh.

Last season, 2024, McKenzie sent a single athlete to State, Griffin Withalm who placed third in his 200 m. final with a time of 22.97 sec.

For her effort, Weiss single handily placed McKenzie in a tie for 29th place at the State meet, earning 4 points along with Chiloquin and Camas Valley. The last Eagle girl to individually make it to State in track and field was Chloe Erdahl, who placed seventh in the shot put event. That was in 2019. Erdahl, like Weiss, was the lone McKenzie female athlete that season, to qualify for State. And like Weiss, she was accompanied by her male 4x100m relay teammates, who were Rowan Maranda, Kaden Kewish, Jermiah McGlasson, and Caleb Thompson.

This season’s girls team finish of 29th in the team race is the highest since 2015 when the Eagles earned 13 points to finish 20th. That season, Buggy Hiddletson led her team with a third place finish in the shot put and a fourth place medal in the javelin. Naomi Satchell finished eleventh in the 800 m., Idgie Glynn finished seventh in the 100m. Hurdles and twelfth in the triple jump, Paige Lowry was a twelfth place finisher in the long jump and the Eagles 4×100 m relay team placed tenth and the 4x400m relay team finished eleventh. Miyanna Hayes, Satchell, Katey Totten, and Glynn made up the 4×100 team and Satchell, Hayes, Totten and Lowry comprised the 4×400 m. relay.

The highest Girls team finish in recent years was in 2008, a fourth place finish, which was the same finish in 2007. That 2008 season was special in that Eagle Sarah Hanchett won the 800 m. (2:21.71 min.) and the 3000 m. (10:48.59 min) State titles, and placed second in the 300m Hurdles (47.83 sec) and third in the 400 m. race (1.03 min). Her teammate Teresa Torres won the State javelin title (133-09 ft), took second place in the discus (119-0 ft.) and fourth in the shot put (35-06 ft). The two girls earned a total of 57 points.

The 2025 OSAA Boys State Track and Field Championship team went to Damascus Christian, which amassed 70 points. Adrian finished second with 63 points. The Girls Championship went to Imbler, which earned 71 points. Eastern Oregon neighbor Joseph finished second with 65 points.