Tualatin track & field enters 2023 season

As this year’s winter sports dwindle away, Tualatin’s spring sports begin. This year, The Wolf decided to meet with individuals from the Tualatin track & field teams, coached by Hashim Hall. Seniors Jonah Beddes and Talitha Pierce, juniors Elizabeth Graham, Hunter Smith, Kyra Bakke, Nathan Ruybalid and Oliver Wolfe and sophomore Andrew Gerlach all shared their thoughts on this fast-approaching season.

What is your favorite track and field event?

Wolfe: My favorite event is definitely javelin.

Bakke: I would say my favorite one is the high jump.

Gerlach: The 3k is my favorite track event.

Smith: My favorite track and field event would be shot put.

Graham: This is a hard question because I have multiple. I love the 4×100 relay because it is so hyped, and it’s one of the only “team” aspects of track, which overall is a pretty individual sport. However, within my individual events, it’s either long or triple jump because they’re both insanely fun – very hard but very fun to fly through the air and improve my skills with our little, tight-knit jumps crew.

​​What are you looking forward to?

Graham: I’m looking forward to competing in some pretty big meets, like Oregon Relays and state since they are at Hayward. I enjoy competing, and surprising myself in my marks is very fun, as well as seeing all my training leading up to those improvements. It’s really rewarding. Another thing I am looking forward to is getting close with the team, it’s always a pretty tight-knit group even though it’s a large team, and again pretty individual based.

Ruybalid: I am really looking forward to the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Do you have a favorite memory from your high school athletics career?

Beddes: An unforgettable memory for me is going 1-2-3 in the 1500m at districts with Aaron and Caleb Lakeman.

Graham: I think I’d say my favorite memory was either breaking the long jump school record or running the time my 4×100 team had been chasing the whole year to get to Nationals. When I broke the record I had no clue what the record even was, so my coaches told me, and it was the biggest surprise, and then with my 4×100 team we were all just so happy and proud of each other. It was a pretty magical moment.

Do you think any records will be broken? Which ones and by who?

Wolfe: Ethan Grimm and myself will be going back and forth for the school javelin record….but I’ve got my money on Elizabeth Graham, Aaron Lakeman, Lauren Ayers and Karys Gates. 

Pierce: I think Aaron Lakeman will break the 1500m record. Izzy Kneeshaw will probably break the 100m record again and break the 200m record. Lauren Ayers will likely break the 1500m record again and break the 800m record. Kyra Bakke will probably break the high jump record again, and Elizabeth Graham will probably break the long jump record again.

Beddes: I think the 400m record will be broken by Marcus Ludes and the 4x800m distance medley relay will also be broken at some point.