Sports Report: State track champions crowned, Baseball & Softball teams reach semifinals, Oregon Baseball advances
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- The Summit Storm boys and girls track and field teams are once again on top of Oregon's 5A classification. For the third time in the last four years, both programs captured team state championships, continuing one of the most dominant stretches in state history.
The Summit boys ran away with the team title, scoring 103 points—22 more than the second-place finisher. The Summit girls secured their championship in a tightly contested battle, defeating defending state champion Caldera 70-63.
The victories mark the 22nd and 23rd state championships for longtime Summit head coach Dave Turnbull.
The Storm claimed state titles in four events. Bjorn Blankenship won the boys 3,000 meters, Anna Millikan captured the girls javelin title, and Jude Jarrett earned the boys 200-meter championship while also being named Athlete of the Meet. Summit's girls 4x400 relay team also brought home gold.
Central Oregon athletes excelled throughout the state meet, combining to win championships in 13 different events.
Caldera also produced several state champions, highlighted by freshman Rikaiya Griffin and Justin Parsons winning long jump titles, while Cooper Kanalos took first place in the shot put.
Other local champions in the 5A classification included Mountain View's Chase Nosler, who won the 100-meter dash, and Ridgeview's Jackson Meyer, who captured the pole vault title.
In 3A competition, La Pine's Lucy Fisher won the pole vault and Sydney Schreiber claimed the long jump championship.
At the 2A level, Trinity Lutheran's Anthony DeMeyer won the 110-meter hurdles, while Culver's boys 4x400 relay team also earned a state title.
Meanwhile, both the Summit Storm and Ridgeview Ravens baseball teams are headed to the state semifinals.
Defending state champion Summit will host Thurston at 5 p.m. Tuesday, while Ridgeview travels to face Central, also at 5 p.m.
Should both Central Oregon teams advance, they would meet for the fourth time this season in the state championship game. Summit won two of the three meetings between the teams during the regular season.
On the softball diamond, Caldera is the lone remaining Central Oregon team still alive in the postseason. The top-seeded Wolfpack, owners of just one loss all season, will host Crater in the state semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Caldera has dominated its postseason competition, winning both playoff games by the 10-run rule.
At the collegiate level, the Oregon Ducks baseball team is headed to the Super Regionals after defeating rival Oregon State 4-1 in the Eugene Regional championship game.
The No. 11-seeded Ducks will travel to face No. 6 Texas in a best-of-three Super Regional series. The appearance marks Oregon's third trip to the Super Regionals in the last four years as the Ducks continue their pursuit of a College World Series berth.
