SPRINGFIELD – Brooklyn Anderson has spent the spring chasing down two milestone marks in Oregon high school track and field history.
The Thurston senior reached both of them during the Midwestern League district meet on Thursday at Silke Field.
Anderson ran 13.99 seconds in the qualifying heat of the 100-meter hurdles to become the fourth girl in state history to run the event in less than 14 seconds. That bettered her previous time of 14.12.
“It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Anderson, who has the fastest time ever for a 5A girl in the event. “I have been wanting to do that for so long. I am very proud of myself. Very, very happy.”
Lincoln High School’s Bianca Mathabane set the state record of 13.57 in 2006, but Anderson could move up to second on the all-time list if she can run 13.94 or faster at this week’s state meet.
“Hopefully, I can do that,” Anderson said of breaking the 14-second barrier again.
Anderson also had a big-time personal best in the long jump on Thursday to place second in the event at 19-feet, 3 1/4-inches while becoming the 26th girl in state history to exceed 19 feet. Her previous best came earlier this season at 18-5 1/4.
“I finally got to 19 and that PR was big, almost by a foot,” she said. “I think the key was rest. My legs were ready to be springy and jump 19 feet.”
After two PRs on Thursday, Anderson returned to win the 100 hurdles in 14.35 seconds on Saturday, leading a 1-2-3 finish for the Colts in the event.
“Honestly, that was not one of my best races, but my legs were extremely heavy so I was just trying to make it through without falling over a hurdle and I did that,” Anderson said with a laugh. “I am happy to be running at state and hopefully I can PR and beat 13.99.”
One of the keys to Anderson’s success this year has been teammates Kelsie Raven and Addi Perrine, who also qualified for state in the 100 hurdles by finishing in 14.92 and 15.53, respectively.
“I don’t think I could have done it without them,” Anderson said. “This whole season, they have been on my shoulder. They are great.”
Raven, a junior, will head to state in four events after finishing second in the triple jump and third in both the high jump and long jump.
“The hurdles was a good race, I was definitely tired from my other events, but I feel good about it,” Raven said. “My favorite thing about the hurdles is having Brooklyn and Addi with me. If I didn’t have them, I don’t think I would push myself that hard. They are awesome and I love them.”
Perrine will head to state as a freshman in the hurdles and short relay.
“It pushes you, having two faster people to train with makes you want to go faster,” Perrine said. “They are so supportive in everything they say and do. We all have fun in practice.”
This is the last week of practice at Thurston for Anderson, who arrived on campus as a gymnast with no track experience. Assistant track coach John Gillespie, a longtime University of Oregon track assistant, saw Anderson on campus and invited her to join the team.
“It has been amazing, I never thought about this for myself at all when I was a freshman,” Anderson said.
Anderson found success right away on the track and finished third at state as a freshman in the 100 while helping the Colts win the 4×100 relay. She finished second at state in the 100 and seventh in the 200 as a sophomore. Last year, she won the 100 hurdles and finished third in the long jump and fourth in the 100.
She heads to her final state meet at Hayward Field on Friday ready to compete in four events.
She has the fastest time of any girl in the state, regardless of classification, in the 100 hurdles. She has the third-best mark in Class 5A in the long jump and ranks fifth in 5A in the 100 with a best time of 12.07. She will also run on Thurston’s short relay team.
“I want to win state again in the 100 hurdles, that is definitely my No. 1 goal, and to finish top-three in the long jump,” Anderson said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better season and it’s not over yet.”
