By Eli Thomas
The Chronicle
EUGENE – When Pleasant Hill senior sprinter Ryan Thomas crossed the finish line in 12.17 seconds at Hayward Field, she set a Class 3A state championship record for the girls 100m, besting the previous record by nearly a tenth of a second.
Thomas could have been a three-time state champion entering this year, but a torn ACL in her freshman year and injuries sustained from a car accident in her junior year means she “only” has one state title. Thomas is fully recovered from a stress fracture in her foot that bothered her earlier this season, and it’s showing in her recent performances. Her goal entering this season was to break 12 seconds, which she did in last week’s Class 3A Special District 1 Championships.
She thinks she has a good chance of topping last week’s 11.96 time, citing the magic of legendary track venue Hayward Field.
Another athlete who has overcome adversity to clinch his place in Friday’s sprint finals is Creswell’s Connor Nguyen. Nguyen has suffered injuries in each of his first three years of track, but has stayed healthy in his senior year, and saw the fruits of his labor Thursday, qualifying for the 100m and 200m final.
“It couldn’t have happened for a better athlete. He’s one of them that goes out and does extra workouts on his own. He’s got a car loaded full of different equipment, sleds and different things, and he’s very driven and motivated,” said Creswell head coach Rachael Bailey.
The other two athletes from Pleasant Hill and Creswell to qualify for Friday’s finals are the Bulldogs’ Jordyn Lee and Kylie Leonard. Lee qualified in the 400m, but just missed out in the 200m; Leonard qualified in the 400m and will look to defend her state title in the 300m hurdles.
