OSAA state track: 3 moments that made the meet memorable for Salem-area athletes

Many young athletes in the Mid-Valley just made memories at Hayward Field that will last a lifetime.

The three-day OSAA track and field state championships wrapped up on Saturday as the 2021-22 high school sports calendar nears an end.

Here is a look back at the top three highlights of the state meet for Mid-Valley athletes.

1: Jordan Koskondy’s big day for North Salem Vikings

Jordan Koskondy, a North Salem junior, won state titles in four events at the Class 5A level — 100 meters, 100-hurdles, 300-hurdles and shot put.

Her championship run began on the track in the 100 meters, where she won with a time of 12.49 to edge conference rival Sydney Soskis of Corvallis (12.52).

Koskondy continued winning ways on the track by taking the 100 hurdles event by a fairly good margin — 14.65, 0.74 seconds ahead of Hillsboro’s Isabel Talley.

After capturing two titles on the track, Koskondy took care of business in the field, winning the shot put with a Class 5A state meet record throw of 43-03. The next closest was Parkrose’s Ofeina Pulotu’s 36-09.75.

Back on the track, Koskondy took her fourth state title, winning the 300 hurdles by 1.27 seconds faster than Central’s Sophie Bliss.

“Jordan Koskondy had by far the most challenging finals day schedule, juggling the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles all within the same timeframe as her record-breaking performance in the shot put,” North Salem coach Beth Dougherty said. “By the end of the day, Jordan was the owner of four individual championships.”

See local athletes in action: Salem-area athletes compete in Oregon State Track and Field Championship

With that stellar performance, Koskondy led the Vikings to second place in the overall Class 5A girls team race, one point behind Crescent Valley’s 67.

“As a first-year head coach, I am absolutely thrilled with the amazing performances our athletes gave in their efforts to close the gap between Crescent Valley, and the score reflected that,” Dougherty said. “A valiant effort resulting in a 66-67 final score.”

2: North Salem’s DeMari Thompson sets record

DeMari Thompson has established himself as a premier sprinter.

The North Salem sophomore was hoping for a strong effort at the Class 5A state meet, and what he ended up with was a record.

Thompson won the 100 meters in 10.75 seconds, breaking the previous Class 5A state meet record of 10.77, set in 2012 by Marist’s Taylor Walcott.

“DeMari Thompson blistered the track,” Dougherty said.

He wasn’t done.

Thompson solidified himself as the top Class 5A sprinter in the state by winning the 200 meters in a time of 21.76.

Thompson’s big meet helped the Vikings finish sixth overall as a team.

“The State Meet this year was memorable for every athlete and coach in the Viking track program,” Dougherty said. “Our athletes came and delivered their very best across the board.”

3: Silverton’s boys capture team crown

The Silverton boys wrapped up an amazing school year with a track and field state championship.

This follows the state title run by the Foxes’ football team in the fall, and state runner-up finish in boys basketball during the winter.

No doubt this year’s senior class left its mark on the school.

And for track and field, that was certainly true for senior throwers Sam Willis and Orie Schaffers, who both also were linemen on the football team.

Willis won the Class 5A discus state title with a mark of 159-05, and Schaffers placed fifth at 135-10.

Schaffers still had more to contribute — he won the shot put state title with a throw of 54-07.5.

“Sam and Orie set a tone Friday, winning the discus and the shot put. Our boys 4X1 set another school record and finished second and from there a momentum was set,” Silverton coach Erik Cross said. “Topped off with Joel Rush’s second-place finish in the pole vault — also a wild card entry — and Austin Ratliff running yet another outstanding 200. Our 4X4 team finished things off with a 7th place finish, sealing the Foxes first track and field state title.”

Silverton’s boys amassed 79 points to win the team championship by 10 points over Crater.

“I can’t say enough about how well our athletes performed at the State meet this weekend,” Cross said. “Of the 19 boys and nine girls who qualified, each and every one of them supported one another from start to finish. One performance built on another.”

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: OSAA state track: 3 memorable moments by Salem-area athletes