Posted: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 5:00 pm
Makayla Waller of Lebanon competed in the Oregon Junior Olympic state championship track and field meet on June 21-22 at Willamette University in Salem.
Makayla participated in the Bantam Girls division of the 400- and 800-meter runs, as well as the long jump. The top five individuals in each event qualified for the regional meet in Spokane, which included athletes from Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
In the long jump, Makayla made it to the finals but did not crack the top five. In the 400, she nearly got second but settled for third by five-hundredths of a second, with a final time of 1 minute 18.59 seconds. Her best showing of the day was in the 800, her favorite race, as she placed second in 2:54.10.
At last weekend's regional meet in Spokane, Waller placed eighth in the 400 and second in the 800. The winner of the 800 at regionals was Isabella Frey of the Emerald Valley Track Club, who also won the state meet. Regionals included athletes from Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Waller was one of the few athletes not affiliated with a running club.
With her runner-up finish in the 800, Waller qualified for the national meet in Omaha, Neb.
Last fall, Makayla competed at the National Junior Olympic cross country championships in Kansas.