McKenzie Sports Report – June 4

McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week

The McKenzie School District 2026 Spring Athletic Season has concluded and there are no contests scheduled.

Rhys Hamlow/Pole Vault Places 5th At State

Jacob Norlund/Javelin Finishes 7th

Rhys Hamlow’s first season competing in the Javelin event wrapped up in a fine way for the Eagle junior. Hamlow capped his inaugural season with a fifth place vault at the 2026 OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union Track and Field State Championships held at Hayward Field last Thursday through Saturday, May 28-30. Hamlow cleared the bar at 3.50 meters or 11 feet 5.75 inches, a new Personal Best. That mark tied with Union’s Caden Blackburn, who earned fourth place due to fewer attempts at the height. Blackburn’s teammate, Preston Mouritsen, won the Class 1A State title with a cleared height of 4.14 meters or 13 ft. 7 in.

McKenzie sophomore Jacob Norlund also made his trip to the State Championships memorable. Norlund’s throw of 43.26 meters or 141 ft. 11 inches earned him a seventh place finish in his initial State Championships meet. Norlund’s Hayward throw was a bit short of his personal best of 148 ft. 5 inches, set a week earlier at the 1A-SD2 Special District 2 Championships held at Aaron and Marie Jones Community Track.

Eagle sophomore Claire Weiss returned to the State meet this season after qualifying last season as a freshman in the 400 meters, where she set her personal best time of 1:02.68 minutes. Weiss ran a season best time of 1:02.85 minutes at Hayward last weekend, finishing twelfth, but did not qualify for the 400 m finals. Weiss and her teammates Liliana Jones, Mira Willis and Nelli Sullivan finished their State 4×100 meters preliminary race in a thirteenth place time of 53.78 seconds, just short of their Personal Best time of 53.63 seconds established at the District Championships a week earlier. The Eagles foursome did not qualify for the 4×100 Relay finals. Imbler’s team of Saviah Kunz, Whitney Haddock, Paige Braseth, and Jeytt Cant won the 4×100 Relay in a time of 51.22 seconds.

McKenzie freshman Fen Willis placed thirteenth in his first trip to the State Championships, running a 400 meters preliminary race time of 54.43 seconds, which did not qualify for the State finals, which was won by Harper’s Madoxx Martinez in 50.17 seconds. Same finale for junior William Valtinson and senior Elijah Santiago in the 200-meter prelims. Valtinson finished eleventh with a time of 23.62 seconds and Santiago finished fourteenth at 24.24 seconds. Valtinson also finished his 100 meters prelim race in a seventeenth place time of 11.96 seconds. None of the latter times qualified the Eagles for their respective finals races.

Josiah Gaither of St. Stephen’s Academy won the State Championship 200 meters final in 22.42 seconds and the senior also won the 100 meters in a time of 11.19 seconds.

The McKenzie 4×400 meter Relay team, comprised of senior Will Meister, Willis, Santiago, and Valtinson did not finish their race at Hayward. Harper’s team won the 4×400 Relay in a time of 3:30.00 minutes, a season best time for Sam Jensen, Richard Joyce, LJ Jacobs, and Maddox Martinez. For other event times and finishes, readers should go to ossa.org or athletic.net for results.