On May 29-30, 2026, 15 athletes from South Eugene High School competed at the OSAA State Track & Field Championships. Hosted at Hayward Field in Eugene, this event had amazing performances across multiple events by a number of athletes.
South distance star and Axe staffer Yosuke Shibata stunned the crowd in the 1500m final, achieving a 6A State Meet Record time of 3:48.56, dethroning former record holder William Heslam by eight-tenths of a second. Shibata also placed third in the 800m final, while South sophomore Jacob Loveless placed sixth.
Outstanding South distance runner, freshman Eva Johnson Hess, achieved second place honors in both the 1500m and 3000m finals. In both races, the winner was Lincoln High school junior Ellery Lincoln, who is ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the U.S. for each event respectively. South senior Madi Zemper-Prill placed sixth in both finals behind Johnson Hess, and each athlete achieved personal records in said events. South senior Frances Blake and senior Axe staffer Alaya Drummond competed in the 800m preliminary round, placing 12th and 13th, both achieving new personal bests.
South sophomore sprinter Isabelle Chery competed in the girls 100m and 200m, placing sixth in the 100m final and 11th in the 200m prelims. South junior Capri Betenson competed in both the 100m and 300m hurdle events, and attained a personal best in the 300m hurdles in 46.76 seconds. Unfortunately, Betenson missed the final by just four-hundredths of a second. South senior Michael Vance also competed in the 300m hurdles, achieving his third-fastest time of the season at 40.80 seconds.
In the throwing events, South senior Ruby LeDuc placed 10th in girls discus, sophomore Henry Harner placed 16th in boys shot put, and sophomore Elizabeth Knudson-Hannah placed 12th in girls shot put.
Finally, South competed in the girls 4x100m and boys 4x400m relays, achieving season’s bests in both events. Overall, South had a great state meet, placing highly in multiple events and even acquiring a meet record. The track team is looking to be even stronger next year, as only five of South’s state qualifiers were seniors, meaning the younger competitors still have time to display their skill and place even higher.
Article by Elliott Gardner