The fact that Benjamin Hill is right-handed is fortunate. The senior from Summit would most likely not have won the discus gold at Friday afternoon’s Class 5A state track and field championships at Hayward Field if he had been a southpaw.

Hill broke his left hand three days prior to competing in the Intermountain Conference championships last Saturday after being struck by an errant discus.

Luckily he’s right-handed.

Hill had dominated the last two meets and broken personal records since the injury. Hill increased his advantage, having already secured the state title, with the longest throw of his life, measuring 159 feet, 2 inches. This was an improvement of nearly six inches over his previous best achieved in the IMC championships the previous week.

“This has been coming,” Hill Explained.“I’ve had some big throws, but the big one came today. My heart was pumping pretty quick; the feeling of having already won the state was pretty crazy. But when I stepped into the ring, all of that went away.”

Goodrich Repeats

On Friday, during the field event-heavy opening day of the 6A, 5A and 4A state finals, Hill was one of two Storm athletes to win state titles. Teammate Noah Goodrich, the triple jump champion for the 5A, was with him.

Similar to Hill, Goodrich gave it his all.

“I really wanted 47, but I’ll take what I got,” Goodrich Explained.“It feels more special to have won it twice.”

Three triple jumpers from Summit placed in the top four of the competition, including Goodrich. Seniors Davis Doan (44-00.5) and Brian Maloney (44-08.75) placed third and fourth, respectively.

“We are always pushing each other to get better,” Goodrich Explained. “You can’t be slacking against them because they will pass me if I do.”

The Summit boys’ 42 team points on the first day were accounted for by the three triple jumpers, propelling the previous year’s team champions into first place.

Back-to-back-to-back for Zowie Nunes

In 2022, Zowie Nunes of Ridgeview won the javelin as a freshman. Then, as a sophomore, she won the title again. With a throw of 146 feet, 4 inches on Friday morning, Nunes captured her third straight state championship.

No other athlete in the competition was able to throw more than 135 feet, but Nunes had three throws that cleared 140 feet. With a toss of 134-11, sophomore Anna Millikan of Summit came in second.

“I was really consistent with my last three throws in the 140s,” Nunes Explained. “So that felt really good.”

More Friday notes

After the first day, the girls team from Summit, the 5A team winners the previous year, leads the field with 31 points. Nine of those points were earned by the Storm in the 3,000-meter run, as sophomores Sky Knox (10:18.81) and Sophia Capozzi (10 minutes, 18.20 seconds) placed fourth and fifth, respectively. With a 5-01.75 clearance, rookie Jacqueline Haffner placed fifth in the high jump.

In the boys 3,000, Hayden Boaz (8:32.80) and Noah Laughlin-Hall (8:43.28) of Summit placed fourth and sixth, respectively.

The fifth-place finisher from Caldera, Mason Morical (8:33.37), was positioned between Boaz and Laughlin-Hall.

In the 5A girls triple jump, three competitors from Central Oregon were among the top five. Freshman Lily Teel of Bend High finished second (35-08.75) after the first few jumps, followed by seniors Hannah Ortiz (35-07.25) and Isabelle Molebash (34-06.75) of Summit.

Four local athletes finished on the eight-person podium in the 4A triple jump. In the boys triple jump, Madras sophomore Gavin Williams established a personal best with a jump of 44-08.25, placing him in second place. Teammate Andres Aguilar (43-10) finished just behind him, while Crook County junior Elijah Oelkers (43-01) took fourth place. Danny Easterling, a senior, finished eighth in the triple jump competition, giving Madras its third medallist.

Three White Buffaloes earned medals in the triple jump overall, with junior Adelynn Adams (35–10.5) placing third in the girls’ division.

Topics #5A Championships #Summit's Strong Showing #Zowie Nunes Wins