Back in April, North Marion freshman Callie Cutsforth expressed her desire to finish on the podium for the 1500 and 800 meters at the OSAA track and field state championships.
Well, she certainly exceeded her expectations.
The freshman phenom displayed a masterclass of racing in the 1500 on Saturday, May 18, at Hayward Field in Eugene, as she knocked off the defending state champion La Grande's Brooke Perry and the Oregon West Conference champion Adele Beckstead from Philomath to clinch the 4A state title, clocking in at a personal best of 4 minutes, 49.67 seconds, re-breaking her school record.
“I’m so excited," Cutsforth said. "I went in and I was really nervous. I didn't think I could do it.”
Around two hours later in the 800, Cutsforth, who is North Marion's first OSAA track and field state champion since Emily Scanlan in 2017, finished second in a season best of 2:20.57. She wore a green bow in her hair all afternoon, with all her fingernails painted green and sporting a white Husky paw, paired with a four-leaf clover gold bracelet and earrings.
“I'm the only one for North Marion that made (the state championships)," Cutsforth said. "Why not just go all out?”
An honest race
Cutsforth entered the 1500 with the third-fastest entry time, just 0.25 behind Perry and even less behind Beckstead. She might have been a favorite to reach the podium, but few likely pegged Cutsforth to win. She didn't seem to worry about that.
“I knew that (Perry) was probably going to go and lead, because that's what I've seen her do," Cutsforth said. "I think she went in super confident, and she ran a great race and was able to pull me to a better pace.”
Although Cutsforth executed magnificently tactically in the 1500, she had to do it under an accelerated environment — this wasn't a middle-distance race converted to a sprint. Any notions of a dishonest pace were erased after the first 400, with the field all under 60 seconds as six of the eight podium finishers ultimately set a personal best in the competition.
Through 700 meters, Cutsforth sat in fourth, climbing her way to third by the bell lap. Despite trailing the leaders by only a few strides, Cutsforth questioned how much more she could give.
“I've kind of been trying to get over my mental fear this year," Cutsforth said. "I think I started giving up a little on the third lap, and then I saw that it wasn't that far of a distance for me to cover. I've been working on my kick with my coaches, and I was just like, ‘I got to go for it.’”
But still, the freshman knew she had to time her move perfectly. With 200 meters to go, Cutsforth unleashed her kick, passing Perry and Beckstead on the curve and holding them off on the final straightaway.
"I was able to come back at the 200 (mark) and start kicking, which was what I wanted," Cutsforth said. "Start pushing a little (with 500 meters left) and then put everything in for the last 200 or 150. Just give it everything I had left.”
The victory was reminiscent of her first-place finish at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships last July. It's no coincidence both crowning moments occurred at Hayward Field.
“(Hayward Field) has so much energy. When I can hear the crowd cheering for me, I’m just like, ‘I got it. I can do it,'" Cutsforth said. "I won the same way when I raced at Junior Olympics, just kicking to the end.”
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