5 Takeaways from a Record-Breaking Nike Jesuit Twilight

 The Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays delivered one of the most exciting meets of the season, featuring record-breaking performances, historic milestones, and standout efforts across events. Here are the five biggest takeaways from a loaded weekend in Portland.

Ellery Lincoln Steals the Show

Not even an out-of-state showdown in the boys' mile could overshadow PNW's mids-distance queen last week. After one lap of hanging around the great field of girls, Ellery Lincoln broke away to begin a journey toward a historic mile time. 

Lincoln closed in an epic 65-second last lap to run 4:30.00 in the mile and break the meet record previously set by Alexa Efiramison. This mark places her #4 on the all-time high school girls' list, behind only Mary Cain, Sadie Englehardt, and Jane Hedengren.

Idaho's Hallie Heemeyer (4:40) and Audrey Orme (4:42) finished behind Lincoln to earn U.S. top 10 rankings for the season. Brynn Davenport and Sophie Schoolmester were the next two Oregonians, finishing with a tight 4:51.12 and 4:51.69. 

Jackson Spencer's Historic Run Continues 

It may be cheesy to say Jackson Spencer is on a generational run, but it's also the perfect way to describe what the nation is witnessing right now. After winning both national cross-country championships and breaking the 3200m national record at the Arcadia Invitational, Spencer dipped under the elusive 4-minute mile. 

Spencer closed in 56 seconds to run the eighth fastest in high school history of 3:58.17. In the process, he broke Michael Slagowski's meet record of 3:59.53, becoming the second person to break 4 minutes at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays. 

Caden Leonard from Southlake Carroll (TX) clocked 4:01 to finish second in front of a charging fleet of the PNW's best distance runners. Yosuke Shibata from South Eugene finished 3rd as the first Oregon athlete to cross the line and secure a new state lead of 4:05. Cama's (WA) Cohen Butler led a mix of PNW athletes who finished within a second of each other to all fall under 4:10, including Dylan Rowell, Kellen Williams, Peter James, Bjorn Blankenship, and Clayton Jero. 

Barton and Jones Cement Themselves as OR #1

While Aster Jones won her third consecutive Nike/Jesuit Twilight 100m, it was no surprise; Marcus Burton secured his first victory at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight, taking the state lead. 

Although Jones was already the clear top runner in Oregon, last week's victory underscored her excellence. She ran 11.40, an improvement over her first victory, when she ran 11.83. She pushed three Oregon athletes under 12 seconds, including Pharalynn Dickson, Charis Rettmann, and Willa Stockton. 

In the boys' 100m, Marcus Barton secured a victory over some of Oregon's best sprinters, becoming the first athlete in the state to run under 10.50 this season. Barton set a personal record of 10.48, improving on his previous best of 10.67 from last season. Colin Smith (10.51) and Cooper Roms (10.52) also set personal records, finishing directly behind Barton, making it the fastest race in Oregon this season so far.  

Idaho Won the Border Wars? 

Although Idaho brought a small team, their impact was mighty across several events last week. Hyrum Tuft from Rocky Mountain had the biggest highlight of capturing the varsity 3200m victory with a new personal record of 8:58. He is the second Idaho athlete to break 9 minutes this season, joining Wyatt Carr. 

Then, in the girls' mile we mentioned earlier, Haile Heemeyer and Audrey Orme were phenomenal in demonstrating their national-caliber talent. Their 2nd- and 3rd-place finishes in the Elite Mile prove they are ready for the big stages this postseason. 

In the elite boys' mile, junior Wyatt Carr delivered a great performance, posting a state-leading 4:13. This performance rounded out a great day for Idahow at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays. 

Oregon's Top Jumpers Dominated 

Two meet records were broken in the jumps this weekend, where jumpers from Oregon dominated. Saskia Dorf from Westview lept to 40-10 feet to break the triple jump meet record and secure the Oregon #1 rank. Iman Foster nearly took down Dorf with a 40-9.5 foot jump to finish second overall with a season's best.

The boys' long jump was another Oregon sweep, led by Chase Borden, who set a meet record of 24-0.75 feet on his last attempt to capture the victory. He improved from his 23-11 performance at the Willamette Falls the week before to continue his winning streak in Oregon. Chace Braden finished second with a final jump of 23-2.5 to go over 23 feet for the second time in his high school career. 

Also in the girls' long jump, freshman Rikaiya Griffin won with a 19-6 mark, keeping her consistently over 19 feet. She leads the nation in the long jump and is currently ranked 5th in the U.S.