Roba Sultessa and Emma Wren each won individual events at the State Championship Track and Field meet last weekend, and the entire team had an excellent meet. “The difference between hot water and boiling water is one degree, and when water boils it can power machines and move mountains,” said Coach Steve Nims, analogizing the success of the meet. “I am very proud of how they did,” he then added. Sherri Groth, a Cleveland fan and the mother of sprints Coach Julia Blattner, agreed with Nims’ analysis. “The energy was amazing, and the performance was excellent,” she said.

During the boys’ 800 meters, the Cleveland supporters had such high energy and cheered so loudly that the only thing which could be heard on the stadium infield opposite from the Cleveland cheering section was a repeated chant of “Ro-ba! Ro-ba!” Sultessa passed Caleb Hoffman of Bend on the back stretch of the final lap and never let up, ultimately repeating as State Champion in 1:52.80. His time was fast enough to set a new 5A record by more than three seconds, and also beat the 6A champion’s time by more than half a second. “It felt good,” he said, staying humble despite the crowd of reporters and admirers through which this reporter had to fight in order to interview his own classmate. In the girls’ 800, Bryn Mckillop finished in tenth.

Emma Wren won her first State Championship in the 3000 meters, running the seven and a half laps in 10:16.29. “The win didn’t feel real,” she said, “it just felt like any other race.” She ran with a pack for the first six and a half laps, before going to the outside and taking the lead with 400 meters to go. “I took off and… no one went with me,” Wren said. In the 1500 meters, Wren’s other event, she finished in fourth place, though she still holds the fastest time in 5A this year, a full three and a half seconds faster than the time of state champion Rachel Khaw of Liberty. “I’m really happy that I was able to place fourth running on tired legs,” she said of the 1500, adding that her focus was on the 3000. “I wanted to do well in the 3000 knowing that was the race I’d be most fresh.” McKillop also ran the 1500, finishing sixth. In jumping events, sophomore Emma Hausafus put on quite a show. In the high jump, she jumped and inch higher than she did at State her freshman year, enough to finish in fifth. Hausafus also went to State in the triple jump, qualifying for finals and finishing ninth. “I wasn’t as nervous as last year, so I had a lot more fun this year,” she said, and expressed hope that she would still be competitive when Cleveland competes in 6A next year. Cleveland sent three other athletes in field events. Basil Hawley finished tenth in the discus with a throw of 127 feet 1 inch. In the javelin, Lisa Huang and Claire Diller finished eighth and 11th respectively. In the 4x400 relays, Cleveland’s teams had lackluster races, with the girls finishing seventh and the boys finishing eighth. Cleveland qualified runners in three other races for the State meet. In the 100 meter high hurdles, Emma Adams finished 11th, failing to qualify for finals. In the 300 hurdles, Birch Clark finished 12th after mistiming her steps between hurdles. “I know I can run faster if my steps are on,” she said, calling the race “very frustrating.” Finally, in Cleveland’s only sprint event, Roba Sultessa finished 11th in the 200 meters, saying he was glad he hadn’t qualified for finals as the 800 and 200 meter finals were back-to-back on the meet’s second day. While neither Cleveland team was anywhere near the podium in team scoring, all involved felt it was a very good meet for the team. “We took care of business,” said the boys’ team Captain Zach Armstrong, who did not qualify for the meet.