In their final Tri-Valley Conference meet before moving up to 5A next season, Crook County track and field showcased their league dominance at the district championships at Ward Rhoden Stadium May 21-22.

The Cowboys tallied 216.5 team points, far surpassing the 128.5 of runner-up Madras. The Cowgirls, meanwhile, put up 195 team points to comfortably beat second-place Molalla’s 127.5.

Three of Crook County’s standout track and field athletes — Gabe Love, Eli Oelkers and Natalia Crass — set new 4A state bests for the season to highlight Crook County’s individual efforts. Adam Radabaugh won both the 800 and 1,500 and ran a leg on the Cowboys’ victorious 4×400 relay team.

Love won both the 100 and 200 over The Dalles sophomore speedster David McCracken. After setting a new 4A state best in the preliminaries at 10.75, Love ran a 10.78 in the finals of the 100 Thursday, while McCracken took second with a 10.92. Love left no doubt in the 200, running a 21.89 to McCracken’s 22.73.

The only disappointment for Love was in the javelin, where the defending state champion lost by two inches to Molalla’s Brandon Roberson, 187-10 to 187-8.  Roberson has the state’s top mark this season at 188-0.

Oelkers jumped a state best 23-6.25 to dominate a strong field of long jumpers.  Andres Aguilar of Madras was second with a 22-1.75. Seven jumpers, including all three entrants from Crook County and all three from Madras, topped the state qualifying mark, as did Molalla’s top jumper to send a whopping seven from the Tri-Valley. Other Cowboys heading to state in the long jump are Jace Jonas, fourth at 21-8.25, and Gabriel Lopez, fifth at 21-8.

Oelkers also won the 110 hurdles with ease, clocking a 14.81. Dillan Marshall of Molalla was second at 15.91. Quinten Harsh-Bearden of Crook County was fourth and Wyatt Otnes seventh.

Oelkers was second in his showdown with River McClure of The Dalles in the 300 hurdles. McClure finished in 38.40 to Oelkers’ 38.97. Otnes was fifth for CC with a 43.85.

Radabaugh had enough to keep Tyson Long of The Dalles in the rearview and won the 800 with a 1:58.07 to Long’s 1:59.01. Freshman Ira McKinnon of Crook County was fourth in 2:03.71 and junior Josiah Swick seventh.

Radabaugh, a senior, toughed out the 800 after blowing up the 1,500 early in Thursday’s action. He ran a 4:08.51 to win the 1,500. Nick Wood of Molalla was second at 4:14.64. Cowboys Taylor Harper and Kannon Whiting were third and fourth, 4:19.40 and 4:24.70.

Taylor got his ticket to state in the 3,000, winning a close race with Aiden Erickson of The Dalles, 9:26.65 to 9:27.47. Whiting was third and Hunter Davis of Crook County fourth.

The Cowboys’ 4×400 relay team won by nearly six seconds over runner-up The Dalles. Michael McKinnon, Radabaugh, Jones and Love combined for a 3:22.88. The Dalles was second in 3:28.26.

Taking second in the high jump, Alexander Jarrell is heading to state. He went 6-2. Derek Goulart of The Dalles went 6-3.25 to win. Adam Crass was sixth for CC with a 5-7.75.

Other Cowboys who placed high in their events include Andrew Lewis with a third-place pole vault, going 11-4. Julian Morehouse of The Dalles went 14-4.  Tomas Saavedra was third in the very competitive shot put. He went 44-6.25. Paul Ables of Estacada won with a 45-9.25. Chance John took fourth in the javelin with a 159-4.  William Coshow was fourth in the discus with a 121-3.

The Cowboys’ 4×100 team took third behind winner The Dalles and runner-up Madras.

Cowgirls roll 

Running at home for the last time, Crass topped her own state-best 400 with a 57.34 to win with ease, topping Miriam Egoavil of Madras by five seconds. Crass also has the state’s fastest 800, set at 2:15.35 on May 10. At district, Crass ran a 2:21.76. Teammate Pati Carne ran a great race as well, taking second, finishing in 2:26.48 to make state.

Paige Wood was outstanding in winning the javelin with a 125-5 throw. Laci Hoylman of The Dalles was second with a 111-11. Wood also qualified for state in the shot, throwing 35-8. Estacada standout Abby Behrman, holder of the year’s best 4A shot and discus, went 43-3.75 to win the shot. McKenna Maykut was fourth with a 32-0.75.

Sisters Emily and Jane Rice were first and second in the pole vault to both make state. Emily went 9-4 to get the win and Jane 8-10 to take second. Hanna Becker was fifth for CC at 7-10. The Rice sisters also took fourth and fifth in the 100 hurdles, with Emily clocking a 16.90 and Jane a 17:09. Molalla’s outstanding Peyton Craven won with a 14.71.

Craven ran away with the 300 hurdles, too, in 46.87, but Jane Rice was third in 49:02. Craven also won the high jump and long jump, winning all four of her individual events.

Cowgirls went second, third and fourth in the discus behind Behrman. Lucy Brooks, a senior, barely edged Maykut to get the trip to state. Brooks went 107-8 and Maykut 107-1. Isabelle Schmidt was fourth with a 104-8. Behrman won by 30 feet with a 137-11.

Hannah Zapf showed no freshman nerves in winning the 200 with a 26.83 time. Teammate Chantai George punched her ticket to state, too, with a second-place 27.12, barely edging Molalla’s Ryn Grossnickle’s 27.21.

In the 100, Cowgirl Harper Smith took second, edging Grossnickle, 12.80 to 12.97.  Denise Hicks of Estacada won with a 12.65.

The Cowgirl sprinters combined to take the 4×100 by a half-second over Madras. Dylanne Smith, Zapf, Salma Sacco and George combined for a 50.23 and Madras clocked a 50.79.

Ruby Snider was third in the 1,500 at 5:10.72, a race won by Emily Picard of Madras in 4:48.55. Elizabeth Nystul was seventh for CC. Snider was fourth in the 3,000, which Picard also won. Nystul was again seventh.

June Conner was third in the long jump with a PR 16-4.25 and Harper Smith also PR’d at 16.1.75 for sixth. Mallory Aldridge was sixth in the high jump with a 4-5.

State is at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus May 30-31.