West Salem’s Micah Masei competes in pole vault at the OSAA Track and Field State Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene on Friday, May 20, 2016.
EUGENE — The four-month stretch Micah Masei just completed would be an amazing career for most athletes.
But that was just his junior year.
The West Salem High School athlete best known for his prowess in swimming capped off an extraordinary season by winning the OSAA Class 6A state championship in the pole vault Friday at the state track and field meet at Hayward Field.
Adding that to his season of swimming when he placed second in the state in the 50 free and was the anchor on the state champion 200 free relay team.
Then when you consider the district championships – three in swimming and the pole vault in track – and it’s an impressive year.
“It’s not all about winning,” Masei said. “It’s mainly about the work that you put in and then having it pay off, but I mean, it showed and it’s nice to see. It’s nice to get recognized. It’s a lot of fun, too.”
Masei entered the state pole vault competition with all of the other jumpers at 13-0 and was one of four vaulters to clear 13-9.
When the bar was moved to 14 feet, he cleared it on his first attempt. Oregon City’s Maxter Heirendt, Thurston’s Nathan Wirth and South Eugene’s Walker Quinn couldn’t clear the height.
“Since pole vault is very mental, you kind of just have to talk yourself into it and just think that, you kind of just have to trust yourself because you’ve done it so many times,” said Masei, sporting lacerations on his face from face planting during practice Wednesday.
Many people claim they’re willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be a state champion, but Masei actually did them.
With the memory of no heighting in the pole vault at the state meet as a sophomore still weighing heavy on his mind – and because the preliminary was at the same time – Masei made the decision to scratch out of the 110 hurdles.
It’s a decision few athletes would be willing to make.
“He’s a great athlete, great kid, super focused,” West Salem coach Erich Herber said. “Both those sports, both track and field and swimming, both take a lot of individual focus and ability to do that and discipline, and he’s one of the most disciplined kids we have on our team.”
Because Masei’s swimming season went so long, he didn’t start competing in track and field until April.
To be successful in it – and especially in the pole vault – he maintained a schedule of waking up at 5:30 a.m. five days a week to train with his club swimming team, going to school, going to track practice and finally going home to do homework.
Then on weekends he travelled to Eugene to get personal coaching in pole vault.
“We had a chance to go down to Lane Community College and work with Dan West down there on the weekends so it was kind of like if you want to be up to speed with everybody else, you’re going to have to do everything they do on the weekdays, plus pole vault training on Saturday and Sunday,” said Masei’s father, Bill, Dallas’ track and field coach.
West Salem junior Keira McCarrell improved on her season best in the javelin by 12 feet and set an eight-foot personal record in the event, but placed second in the event at the state level for the second year in a row.
Sherwood senior Payge Cutherbertson, who led the state most of the season, won with a mark of 159-11.
“All I did was just push up off my block and it went way farther than I anticipated,” McCarrell said. “It kind of just kept going.
“I was really happy when I got the mark, 150 to me, it just kind of bettered my mentality for going into World Juniors because I just needed to be over 150 to even be considered to be on the team.”
Also for West Salem, junior Ahmed Muhumed placed third in the 3,000 (8:25.87), Elea McCrae was third in the long jump (17-1.5), Chase Lakin placed sixth in the long jump at 21-5.5.
Sprague’s Austin Kleinman placed third in the discus at 159-11 and McKay’s Andrea Fennimore was fifth in the long jump in 17-1.5.
In the 5A portion of the meet, Silverton senior Tess Oster made a significant improvement on her final throw of the girls javelin to place second.
Going into her final throw she was fifth in the competition, but threw 122-9 for her final throw to jump up to second behind Sandy’s Madeline Thompson.
Oster was a starter for Silverton’s girls basketball team in her junior year, but she missed her senior season of basketball due to a concussion.
In the 4A meet, Cascade’s Christy Seaton places fifth in the 4A girls high jump at 5-1.
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler