Gauge Smith, the Bulldogs’ top performer at last weekend’s OSAA 3A State Championships, displays his medals after finishing second in the 400 meters, fourth in the 100 meters, fifth in the 200 meters and seventh in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Photo Provided/Lindsay Smith
After winning three individual titles and the boys’ team title during the 3A Special District 4 Track and Field Championships on May 10-11, the Bulldogs were well represented as eight Creswell athletes competed in 12 events during the OSAA 3A State Championships, held May 17-18 at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham.But the worked-for, hoped-for state titles were not to be.Gauge Smith, a junior, competed in four events and was the Bulldogs’ highest finisher at state. Smith placed second in the 400 meters in 51.25a, fourth in the 100 meters in 11.57a, fifth in the 200 meters in 23.20a and seventh in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 43.19a.Smith went to state as the 400m district champion and as the district’s second-place finisher in the 100m, 200m and 300m hurdles.Nick Bronson, a senior who went to state as district champion in both the 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter hurdles, placed eighth at state in the 300m hurdles in 43.27 and did not advance to Saturday’s state finals in the 110m hurdles after finishing 12th in Friday’s preliminaries in 18.44a – more than two seconds off his district championship mark.”Nick hit the third or fourth hurdle pretty bad in his 110m heat,” noted Creswell head coach Jonathan Ferguson.Christian Tucker, a senior, competed in three events at state, bettering the season records he’d set at districts in two of them: He placed ninth at state in the 3000m in 9:41.81a (SR) and 10th in the 1500m in 4:25.59a (SR).Tucker had placed second in the 1500m at districts and earned at-large state bids in the 3000m and 400m after placing third in those events.For the first time, athletes who did not place first or second at districts to earn automatic state berths could earn at-large bids by placing third or even fourth if they had one of the state’s best marks.Tucker did not qualify for the state finals in the 400m after finishing 10th in the preliminaries.Freshman Andrew Cox placed ninth at state in the triple jump at 37-04. He had earned an at-large bid after placing fourth at districts at 39-09 (PR).Sophomore Josiah Lee placed 10th at state in the 800m in 2:07.25a. He had placed second at districts.Junior Payden Criddle took a no-height in the high jump at state. He’d cleared 5-08 (PR) for third place at districts, earning an at-large state bid.For the Creswell girls, junior Shelby Lamm did not qualify for the state finals in the 100m after placing ninth in the preliminaries. She’d placed third at districts to earn an at-large bid.Freshman Kendyl Seiber did not qualify for the state finals in the 300m intermediate hurdles after placing 10th in the preliminaries. She’d earned an at-large bid after placing third at districts.”I’m proud of the way that our kids competed over the weekend,” Ferguson said. ”It’s not often you get to coach a group of kids with this much heart and dedication.”
