Braverman, Taylor both winners at Oregon Relays
Two local track and field stars will return from Eugene, Oregon, this weekend with wins and records.
River Ridge High School senior Josh Braverman, a University of Iowa commit, won the 300-meter hurdles at the annual Oregon Relays track and field invitational on Saturday.
The returning Class 2A state champion in the event won his heat, and posted a time of 38.41 seconds to take the title.
Braverman has the best mark in Washington in the 300 hurdles — his personal-best 37.62 set at Highline Memorial on March 30 — and is the only hurdler in the state to run sub-38 seconds this season.
Braverman matched his finish from last season in Eugene in the 110 hurdles, taking second. He set a new season- and state-best time of 14.11.
His time broke the meet record — 14.39, set in 2007 by Barlow’s Eric Capelle — but so did the race’s winner, Anastas Eliopoulos. The Vancouver College senior ran a 13.75, becoming the first hurdler in Oregon Relays history to break 14 seconds.
Timberline senior Jaylen Taylor also picked up a win in the triple jump after he uncorked a personal-best 46 feet, 9 inches on his first attempt.
He said it was a good feeling to know that, the first and last time he’ll jump at this invitational, he came away with a win.
“I was amped up a little bit going into the meet, so everything just fell into place,” Taylor said. “It was feeling good through every phase.”
Taylor — who is ranked second in the state and 3A behind Shadle Park’s Jakobe Ford (47-5 1/2) — edged his club teammate, Rogers senior Omarei Gregory, by a quarter-inch to win the event.
Taylor held the state-best mark until April 8, when Ford recorded his jump at the Arnie Young Invitational in Renton, in his first triple jump outing of the season.
“It’s going to push me a little bit more,” Taylor said.
Alex Coleman, a River Ridge senior, took second in the long jump during Friday’s session with a personal-best 22-2 1/2.
He set a new area-best mark with the jump and is now ranked second in 2A and eighth statewide in the event. Braverman and Taylor both hold area bests in their events.
BOTTENBERG THIRD AT PASCO
W.F. West junior Kendra Bottenberg tossed a personal-best 134-7 in the javelin to take third at the Pasco Invitational.
Bottenberg is still the second-ranked athlete in the event in 2A — behind Cheney’s Rylie Pease (138-6) — and has the fourth-best mark statewide.
This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Braverman, Taylor both winners at Oregon Relays."