Bulldogs earning All-District track honors for the 2019 season include (from left, top): Gauge Smith, Nick Bronson, Christian Tucker, Grant Marshall; lower: Josiah Lee, Payden Criddle, Shelby Lamm and Kendyl Seiber. Head Coach Jonathan Ferguson (not pictured) was also named Special District 4 Coach of the Year. Photo provided
Creswell junior Gauge Smith was named 3A Special District 4 Male Track Athlete of the Year and the Bulldogs’ head coach, Jonathan Ferguson, was named 3A Special District 4 Coach of the Year following the district championships May 10-11, where the Bulldog boys captured the team title.
For Smith, being named Male Track Athlete of the Year was an achievement two years in the making.
”I was hoping to win it last year, but that didn’t happen, so that was the plan from the beginning of the year,” Smith said. ”I told my coach, I want to win Male Athlete of the Year, so that’s what I was working toward.”
In all, eight Bulldogs received SD-4 All-District honors for the 2019 season, after placing in the top three in their events during the district championships.
Smith was the district champion in the 400 meters. He placed second in that event during the OSAA 3A State Championships on May 18-19.
Smith also was the second-place finisher at the district championships in three other events: the 100 meters, 200 meters and 300-meter intermediate hurdles.
Nick Bronson, a senior, was the district champion in two events: the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.
Christian Tucker, a senior, was the second-place finisher in the 1500 meters and the third-place finisher in the 400 meters and the 3000 meters.
Josiah Lee, a sophomore, placed second in the 800 meters.
Also recording third-place finishes at the district championships were junior Payden Criddle in the high jump and junior Grant Marshall in the 800 meters.
Garnering All-District honors for the Creswell girls were junior Shelby Lamm, who placed third in the 100 meters and freshman Kendyl Seiber, who placed third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.
