The Wilson High School girls’ relay team celebrates after competing at the Oregon Relays. Photo by Rian Yamasaki.

by Owen Murray

Hayward Field is for records. It doesn’t matter how old you are.

Eugene’s historic track and field venue has played host to innumerable athletes who take the record book and rip it up. It was no different when high school athletes in the Oregon Relays came to town for the first weekend in April. The winners set the bar with seven U.S. 2025 #1 times and 21 Oregon 2025 #1 times. They say running at Hayward Field matters — they say it feels different. Over two days, they proved it.

The action started early, when Central High School’s Aiden Wendring ran a U.S. #1 5:59.02 in the boys’ 2000m steeplechase on Friday morning. Victoria Rodriguez (Mercer Island High School) ran her own U.S. #1 time — 6:41.62 — just minutes later.

Mateo Ganje and Aster Jones sprinted to their own wins in their respective 200m races. Ganje, from Glacier Peak High School, ran 21.65 to outstrip second place by 0.82 seconds. Jones, meanwhile, ran a U.S. #3 (Oregon #1) 23.44 to clinch her second-straight title.

Jones, the Roosevelt High School junior who won the 200m race last year at Hayward, returned in 2025 to sweep both the 100 and 200m titles in Eugene on Friday night.

“I haven’t been here since Nike Nationals last year,” Jones said. “It just feels good to come out here. (Hayward Field) is only two hours away from my house, and it honestly just seems like a home.”

“It honestly just seems like a home.”

- Roosevelt High School’s Aster Jones following her two Oregon Relays titles

She’d return to the track later on Friday with an 11.55, Oregon #1 (U.S. #24) time in the 100m race to claim her second title of the day. Grant Valley, meanwhile, ran a personal-record 10.80 in the boys’ 100m final to best Ganje by eight-hundredths of a second.

On the infield, Marissa Johnson (Tigard High School) set a new Oregon 2025 #1 13.14m throw in the girls’ shot put. It was more than enough to win her the event.

Shortly afterward, Hayden Williams-Downing won the girls’ javelin. It took until her third throw, but she uncorked a 43.89m mark that topped the next-closest throw by 2.94m. She’ll get used to Hayward Field soon — the West Linn High School senior is committed to throw at Oregon next year.

The final hour on Friday night was blazing fast. Eugene mayor Kaarin Knudson (and former Oregon track and field All-American) was on the track with a microphone, pulling even more enthusiasm from the crowd. The sun began to set, and Wilson High School (Long Beach) kicked off the second window of the meet with a 3:17.07 4x400m relay that won the event by nearly six seconds.

Minutes later, Max Billett (Shorewood High School) and Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island High School) set U.S. #1 marks in both the boys’ and girls’ two mile. Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge High School), ran 4:46.70 in the girls’ mile to earn her own American #1 mark while Kellen Williams (Jesuit High School) ran a personal-best 4:09.06 to win the boys’ mile.

For high school athletes like Rodriguez, running on hallowed ground matters.

“I was talking about this with my friend,” Rodriguez said after winning the two mile race. “The track actually looks a little big — maybe it’s just the stadium…there’s just something about it.”

“There’s just something about it.”

-Mercer Island High School’s Sophia Rodriguez on competing at Hayward Field

Maya Bybee finished second in the two mile — the top 17 athletes all reset the top US times in order. She loves running against the best, she said.

“It’s so cool,” she said. “I keep running into these girls throughout the races, and competing with them at these meets. They’re all so kind and so nice — it’s so cool to have such a competitive field that really pushes you and makes you stronger.”

Friday was extra special for Niwot miler Addison Ritzenhein. The senior was born in Eugene before moving away in first grade, and she returned to run a new U.S. #2 time (4:51.08) and place third in the girls’ varsity mile.

“It’s such a special feeling, coming back here,” Ritzenhein said. “It sounds kind of weird, but there’s memories.”

Ritzenhein was in the girls’ distance medley relay, too, but the focus was on Lakeridge when the event rolled around on Saturday night. Trailing for most of the race, it took something that anchor Chloe Huyler doesn’t usually do to grab victory.

“Normally, I’m the one to get outkicked at the end,” Huyler said. “So today, it feels great to be able to outkick someone and be in the opposite position.”

Huyler pushed past Mercer Island’s Sophia Rodriguez on the back stretch at Hayward Field, where fans filled the outer lanes cheering, to sweep the Pacers into the lead and grab the win, running 11:37.83.

That stretch matters, Huyler’s DMR teammate Margaux McCloskey said.

“I feel like, especially with all the people on the back end…it’s so encouraging,” McCloskey said. “I’m in the 400 meter leg, and that last half of the race was so brutal. When I see all the people and faces, it’s super encouraging to finish that leg.”

Of course, it had to end with shock, too. When the boys’ distance medley relay hit its final leg, the Mercer Island boys weren’t close to the front.

Islanders runner Owen Powell had other ideas. He ran a sub-four minute 1600m leg to pull the team into first place — 10:04.01.

“Coming off this indoor season, (where I) ran sub-four twice, gave me a lot of confidence,” Powell said. “I knew it’d be a bit trickier here, in a high school only race…honestly, I wasn’t trying to run any time. I was just trying to catch the guys.”

He caught them.

“I wasn’t trying to run any time. I was just trying to catch the guys.”

- Mercer Island High School’s Owen Powell following his sub-4 minute 1600m in the boys’ DMR

Wilson (Long Beach) wrapped up the meet underneath the lit-up Hayward tower and claimed its third-straight Oregon Relays title when the night ended, with 160 points. The Bruins won 14 of 60 events, including a team sweep of the 4x400m relays, where the girls ran a meet-record 3:48.12, and both the sprint medley relays. The victory was comprehensive.

The prize for the athletes?

A pizza party.