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HRV
runner sets one last record on way out
By Ben McCarty
News staff writer
May 23, 2008
It
was the end of an era for the Hood River Valley track team on
Thursday.
Eagle distance standout Leo Castillo, who holds the school
record in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters — and got those
records by breaking his own school records — ran his final race
as an Eagle in the 3,000 meter state championship at Hayward
field in Eugene.
And appropriately enough, he broke one more record on his way
out.
Castillo finished fourth in the race with a time of 8 minutes,
45.65 seconds, easily beating his previous record mark of
8:49.94 set at the Centennial Invitational this year.
“I gave it my best,” he said.
Castillo ran at the front with Bryce Burgess of Franklin and
Dave Marks of Lakeridge for the first 2,600 meters of the race,
but on the final lap, Burgess and Marks widened their gap with
the rest of the field.
Castillo tried one last burst to catch them heading into the
final 200 meters, but ran out of steam as he neared the finished
line, which allowed Brian Manning of Jesuit to sneak around from
behind him and take third place.
Burgess ultimately out-dueled Marks to the finish line to claim
his second consecutive state 3,000 meter title.
“I kept pushing it over the final 200 but I just didn’t have
enough,” Castillo said.
Next year he will be joining the Willamette University track
team, but says he will not be forgetting the time he spent in a
Hood River Valley uniform.
“I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “These last four years have made
me who I am.”
Lauren Lloyd was the only other of the five HRV
state qualifiers to compete on Thursday.
In the preliminaries of the girls 800 meters,
Lloyd qualified for the finals by finishing first in heat one
with a time of 2:17.28 to just beat Jesuit’s Emily Maletis
across the line.
In the second heat, Alexandra Jones of St.
Mary’s, who Lloyd beat at the Mount Hood Conference district
championships, finished first with a time of 2:16.51.
Lloyd’s preliminary time was the fourth fastest
overall heading into Friday afternoon’s final.
Kari Hidle, who qualified in the long jump, and
Rachel Perry, who qualified in the shot put, were also scheduled
to compete on Friday.
David Warren, who qualified in the pole vault, is
scheduled to compete on Saturday.
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