As the smallest school competing in Friday’s Dean Nice Invitational at Gresham, the Philomath High School girls track and field team had a considerable challenge to try to earn points. After all, the meet featured 13 schools from 6A and six from 5A along with the Warriors and The Dalles out of 4A.
But one thing seems certain with Joe Fulton’s group of 2025 Warriors — the team doesn’t back down. Led by senior Janice Hellesto’s three individual victories and several other point-scoring performances, Philomath brought home the third-place trophy.
“I just felt like these girls especially deserve to be in some high-level meets,” Fulton said last week after the team had competed in another large-school meet at Corvallis. “They need the competition.”
Philomath welcomes the tougher meets as a training ground to improve times, distances and heights in its chase to win a fourth straight 4A state title.
Hellesto admits that she has doubts about competing in so many large meets. Track and field can be a mental exercise on top of the obvious physical skills that are needed to excel. Last week after winning the 100, 200 and long jump at Corvallis, she said it’s been an eye-opening experience to compete this season against larger schools.
“It’s really humbling to be like, ‘there are people better than me,’ and that’s OK — it pushes me to be better,” Hellesto said. “But it can be a little hard when you’re not winning meets because it kind of gets me nervous about state.”
The number of high-caliber athletes at the Dean Nice Invite must’ve pushed Hellesto to be better in the 100-meter dash because she sprinted to a school-record time of 12.27 seconds just one week after breaking the school record in the long jump. Maggie Ross previously held the record in the 100 with a 12.34 that she sprinted at the 2019 Meet of Champions, a performance that at the time had broken a 38-year-old school record.
Hellesto also won the 200 in 25.47 seconds — her best time this season and .09 of a second off her personal-best time of 25.38 at last year’s state meet. Hellesto took first in the long jump as well at a distance of 17-9.5.
Among the team’s other top performances, senior Anneka Steen tied for second in the high jump by clearing 5 feet even. Teammate Hanna McDaniel, also a senior, cleared 5-0 as well and placed fourth. On the track, senior Natalie Dunn placed third in the 400 with a season-best time of 58.98 and senior Adele Beckstead was fourth in the 1,500 with a 4:58.91.
Philomath’s 4-by-100 relay had a fourth-place finish in 50.12 with freshman Kya Bolton, Dunn, senior Petra Hernandez and Hellesto. And in the 4-by-400, the Warriors were fifth with senior Melea Lattin, Beckstead, freshman Reagan Nuño and Dunn.
Senior Aspen Russell (pole vault), sophomore Hailey Eckhold (shot put), Nuño (800), freshman Cassidy Smart (3,000) and Bolton (100) also scored points.
Crescent Valley won the meet with 86 points followed by Tualatin’s 84 and Philomath’s 72.5.
For the boys, sophomore Jamin Peters had the top finish with his fourth-place showing in the discus. Peters had a throw of 134 feet, 9 inches, which is 1 foot, 7 inches off his PR. Junior CD Nuño placed seventh in the 200 (22.82) and junior Lukas Hernandez was eighth with a PR in the 1,500 (4:11.89). The 4-by-100 relay of Nuño, sophomore Kaden Howard, freshman Dreyton Nuño and senior Warwick Bushnell was eighth (43.65).
Corvallis finished atop the boys standings with 81 points, followed by Sprague’s 58 and Central Catholic’s 51.5. Philomath finished 18th with nine points.
Philomath’s varsity will compete next week with a May 16 appearance at the Wally Ciochetti Invitational at Cottage Grove. In addition, the annual junior varsity district meet is coming up Thursday at Stayton.
Dean Nice Invitational
Friday, May 9, at Gresham HS
Boys
Team scoring: 1, Corvallis 81; 2, Sprague 58; 3, Central Catholic 51.5; 4, The Dalles 49; 4, Tualatin 49; 6, Sheldon 48; 7, Franklin 47; 8, Crescent Valley 44.5; 9, Clackamas 43; 10, Barlow 40; 11, Wilsonville 36; 12, David Douglas 32; 13, Union (Wash.) 27; 14, Centennial 20; 14, Hood River Valley 20; 16, Gresham 15; 16, Lakeridge 15; 18, Philomath 9; 19, Reynolds 7; 20, Lake Oswego 6; 21, South Salem 4.
PHS results (Top 8): 200 — 7, CD Nuño, 22.82; 1500 — 8, Lukas Hernandez, 4:11.89; 4-by-100 relay — 8, Philomath (CD Nuño, Kaden Howard, Dreyton Nuño, Warwick Bushnell), 43.65; Discus — 4, Jamin Peters, 134-9.
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Girls
Team scoring: 1, Crescent Valley 86; 2, Tualatin 84; 3, Philomath 72.5; 4, Franklin 50.5; 5, David Douglas 50; 6, Lake Oswego 38.5; 7, Barlow 36.5; 8, Corvallis 33; 9, Wilsonville 32; 9, Centennial 32; 11, Reynolds 30; 12, Lakeridge 28; 13, Sprague 27; 14, Springfield 22; 14, Union (Wash.) 22; 16, Clackamas 15; 17, Hood River Valley 12; 18, Gresham 11; 19, The Dalles 7; 19, Central Catholic 7; 21, South Salem 5; 22, Sheldon 1.
PHS results (Top 8): 100 — 1, Janice Hellesto, 12.27; 8, Kya Bolton, 12.88; 200 — 1, Janice Hellesto, 25.47; 400 — 3, Natalie Dunn, 58.98; 800 — 7, Reagan Nuño, 2:22.85; 1500 — 4, Adele Beckstead, 4:58.91; 3000 — 7, Cassidy Smart, 10:38.34; 4-by-100 relay — 4, Philomath (Kya Bolton, Natalie Dunn, Petra Hernandez, Janice Hellesto), 50.12; 4-by-400 relay — 5, Philomath (Melea Lattin, Adele Beckstead, Reagan Nuño, Natalie Dunn); Shot put — 6, Hailey Eckhold, 33-6.75; High jump — T-2, Anneka Steen, 5-0; 4, Hanna McDaniel, 5-0; Pole vault — T-6, Aspen Russell, 10-0; Long jump — 1, Janice Hellesto, 17-9.5.
For complete meet results, click here.
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