Before it hosts the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on June 21-30, Eugene will once again be a hot spot for high school track and field — starting this Friday and Saturday when the state’s top athletes will make their way to Hayward Field for Oregon Relays.

“It is great for the kids to see what a big meet is like and what the competition in Oregon is like,” said Bend High coach Kurt Hargett.

Hayward Field will also host the high school track and field state championships, May 16-18.

Top teams coming from across country

Like most track meets, Oregon Relays includes sprints, distance races, and jumping and throwing competitions. But Oregon Relays, as its name suggests, has relays — lots and lots of relays.

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Sure, it will have the standard 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays, as seen at the typical track meet. But Oregon Relays will feature a 4×200, 4×800, two different sprint medley relays — in which each leg is a different distance, a 100, 200, 400, 800, for example — and a mixed gender 4×800 relay.

Getting into Oregon Relays is not easy, as it draws top teams and athletes from across the country and athletes must meet certain benchmarks in their events to qualify.

So even Summit — which won both the boys and girls 5A state titles last year and has a combined 19 state track and field titles since 2004 — knows all too well that it will not be the favorite going into Oregon Relays.

“You get to be big-time underdogs,” said Summit track and field coach Dave Turnbull.

“It forces us to step up our competitive level and get humbled a little bit. It is always good to get humbled a little.”

Six Central Oregon teams have athletes competing

The six teams from the Intermountain Conference — Bend High, Mountain View, Summit, Caldera, Redmond and Ridgeview — will have athletes competing in the two-day meet that will feature high school, middle school and professional track athletes.

One of the biggest draws for athletes is getting the chance to compete at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, which has hosted Olympic Trials and World Championships.

“Being on a bigger stage, I always love that,” said Summit senior high-jumper Collin Moore, who won the Class 6A high jump state title at Hayward Field in 2022 as a sophomore. “Knowing that there is no better spot to do it in Oregon or the United States, getting to be in that stadium is just special.”

The grand stage, plus the best track and field athletes from across the country, makes for one exciting event.

“It is one of my favorite meets,” said Bend High senior hurdler Sara Rivas, who won both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles at the state meet last year and finished in the top six in both events at last year’s Oregon Relays. “I love running at Hayward — it’s so pretty. And it is a great opportunity to run and it has great competition from all over, especially out of state.”

Competing in a big meet like this, less than a month away from the state meet, brings the benefit of being able to scout out the competition and feel what it’s like to compete in a venue like Hayward Field.

“It is all about the state experience,” Turnbull said. “Kids get to go out there and compete so they don’t get overwhelmed when they get to state.”

For more information on Oregon Relays, including a complete schedule, ticket information and results, visit oregonrelays.runnerspace.com.