Malachi Schoenherr, Ellery Lincoln Open Season With Course Records
By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor
Ken Martinez photos
WILSONVILLE — Sub-four milers Josiah Tostensen and Tayvon Kitchen have graduated and moved on to college and yet there was the Crater boys cross country team on Friday night, ushering in a potential new star.
Desire to become great at running has become infectious in Oregon’s Rogue Valley and the Comets drove 250 miles north to take part in Oregon’s jamboree-style season opener at the Wilsonville Night Meet.
Freshman Ryder White, remember that name, was one of the biggest reveals of the event, which includes races for each class on a fast 3,000-meter layout.
White was so far out in front of the other freshmen that that he misjudged a turn, lost some time, and still broke the meet record by 12 seconds with 9:04. He won by 40 seconds.
“They’re basically my mentors,” White said of Tostenson, now at Washington, and Kitchen, now at BYU. “They got me in the mindset keep going and keep training every day as hard as I can.”
It was a record-breaking night for a couple of Oregon’s established stars, too.
Malachi Schoenherr, a senior at Sheldon, broke the meet record for all classes when he hit the finish line in 8:34.5, That took five seconds off the previous record held by Jeffrey Rogers of Sherwood (2021).
“I haven’t done much speed (work) yet this year so doing this off strength and it felt like I couldn’t have gone much faster over that whole time but I could have held that (pace) longer,” Schoenherr said.
Jayden Warner of Warrenton OR finished second in 8:39.7 and tied the previous record with 8:39.7. He ran 66 seconds faster than he did a year ago on he same course.
Ronan Gantzos of Oregon Episcopal school was third in 8:41.1.
Lincoln OR junior Ellery Lincoln also broke the meet record when she ran 9:48.1. She sprinted away from Crater’s Brynn Davenport, who ran the second-fastest tie in meet history with 9:53.8.
Both of them surpassed the 12-year-old Night Meet record of 9:57.0, held by Ella Donaghu of Grant, now a Nike pro.
“It was amazing to be pushed he entire time,” said Lincoln, who won for the third year in a row. “She kept the pace super honest and it was great to have her out there.”
Lincoln’s teammate Elyse Henriksen won the senior girls race in 10:09.8 for the fifth-fastest in meet history.
The success of Crater’s boys didn’t end wih the freshman. Garrett Faught broke the sophomore…
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