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South Medford senior Devon Scott pulls clear of the bar en route to placing first in the boys pole vault at the Southwest Conference championships Tuesday at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

South Medford's Devon Scott, left, congratulates North Medford's Heston Likens after a successful pole vault during Tuesday's action at the Southwest Conference championships. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

North Medford's Kristina Atonio makes a throw during the finals of the girls shot put Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

North Medford's Everett Cam uncoils for a throw during the boys shot put Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

North Medford's Paije Carpenter delivers a throw during the girls javelin Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

South Medford's Paige Schiffer sets a personal best in placing third in the girls long jump Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

North Medford's Elijah Zavala paces with Sheldon's Benjamin Kehrein and Malachi Schoenherr for a third-place finish in the boys 3,000-meter run Tuesday at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

Grants Pass senior Emerson Kolb makes a throw en route to winning the girls shot put Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships in Medford. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

South Medford's Devon Scott rises to clear 14 feet, 4.5 inches in winning the boys pole vault Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

North Medford's Heston Likens clears 13 feet, 5 inches to place second in the boys pole vault Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

North Medford nets four runner-up showings to open two-day district meet at Bowerman Field

Coming off a personal-best effort a week ago, South Medford senior Devon Scott put himself in position Tuesday for another shot at testing how far up the podium he can stand at the Class 6A track and field state championships.

Last year’s state runner-up in the boys pole vault, Scott soared to his first Southwest Conference championship with a winning effort of 14 feet, 4.5 inches to highlight Day 1 of the meet at Bowerman Field on the campus of North Medford High.

Scott went above 14 feet for the first time during last year’s state meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, placing second at 14-1.75. During a SWC dual in Roseburg last week, Scott hit his high-water mark of 14-6 to rank sixth overall for all classifications in the state. At the 6A level, his PR places him third overall.

South Medford’s Devon Scott, left, congratulates North Medford’s Heston Likens after a successful pole vault during Tuesday’s action at the Southwest Conference championships. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

Scott supplied the lone winning effort for either Medford school on Tuesday, although he got a good challenge in the pole vault from North Medford’s Heston Likens, who placed second at 13-5.

Other runner-up showings Tuesday for the Black Tornado came from Everett Cam (boys shot put), Kristina Atonio (girls shot put) and Paije Carpenter (girls javelin).

South Medford’s Chadd Holtz also placed second in the boys javelin with his throw of 169-3 edging the third-place mark of North Medford’s Joel Kiene (166-5).

Cam posted a second-place mark of 46-9, while his counterpart on the girls’ side in the shot put, Atonio, set a personal record of 36-8 to finish just shy of the winning PR mark put forth by Grants Pass senior Emerson Kolb (38-2.5).

Carpenter, a senior, secured her second-place finish with a heave of 116-7 in the girls javelin, with senior Devan Foster of Grants Pass winning the event at 131-10. Foster ranks seventh in the state with her PR of 135-2 set one month ago.

North Medford senior Elijah Zavala placed third in the boys 3,000-meter run in 8 minutes, 58.37 seconds, while South Medford senior Paige Schiffer went 16-0.5 in the long jump to finish third.

North Medford senior Olivia Boger has hovered at least around the 16-foot mark in the girls long jump — with a season best of 17-4.75 — but scratched in the event. Boger is expected to be a contender in the 100 meters and triple jump when the meet resumes Thursday.

North Medford’s Kristina Atonio makes a throw during the finals of the girls shot put Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

Sheldon took the early lead for the boys team title by scoring 57 points after winning three of the five events contested Tuesday, followed by North Medford (41.5), South Eugene (39.5), South Medford (27.5), Grants Pass (17), Willamette (7) and Roseburg (5.5).

The Grants Pass girls enjoyed a similarly strong start by taking first in three of the five events, posting 66.5 points to carry a decent cushion over second-place Roseburg (40.5). South Eugene (30.67) stands third just a shade over North Medford (30), followed by South Medford (14) and Sheldon (13.33).

Twelve more events will be contested Thursday when the SWC championships resume at 1:30 p.m.

The top two placers in each individual and relay event automatically qualify for the 6A state championships, with other provisions for two wild cards as well as those who meet the qualifying standard. Standards are based on the fourth-place average of the last four state championships for individual events, and the third-place average of the last three state championships for relays.

BOYS

TEAM SCORES: Sheldon 57, North Medford 41.5, South Eugene 39.5, South Medford 27.5, Grants Pass 17, Willamette 7, Roseburg 5.5.

3,000 — 1, Malachi Schoenherr, She, 8:40.15; 2, Benjamin Kehrein, She, 8:43.39; 3, Elijah Zavala, NM, 8:58.37.

SHOT PUT — 1, Henry Harner, SE, 49-5.5; 2, Everett Cam, NM, 46-9; 3, Mack Mulford, SE, 46-2.5.

JAVELIN — 1, Paul Foster, She, 176-3; 2, Chadd Holtz, SM, 169-3; 3, Joel Kiene, NM, 166-5.

POLE VAULT — 1, Devon Scott, SM, 14-4.5; 2, Heston Likens, NM, 13-5; 3, Brody Bloom, SE, 12-5.25.

LONG JUMP — 1, Eli Forsha, She, 22-11.5; 2, Kai McCormack, She, 21-6.5; 3, Levi Hawes, SE, 21-5.5.

North Medford’s Paije Carpenter delivers a throw during the girls javelin Tuesday at the Southwest Conference championships at Bowerman Field. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES: Grants Pass 66.5, Roseburg 40.5, South Eugene 30.67, North Medford 30, South Medford 14, Sheldon 13.33.

3,000 — 1, Sylvia Eckman, Ros, 10:37.0; 2, Elizabeth McCart, SE, 10:38.09; 3, Nettle Grey, GP, 10:40.8.

SHOT PUT — 1, Emerson Kolb, GP, 38-2.5; 2, Kristina Atonio, NM, 36-8; 3, Shaeli Sikes, Ros, 35-5.5.

JAVELIN — 1, Devan Foster, GP, 131-10; 2, Paije Carpenter, NM, 116-7; 3, Leighton Osborn, Ros, 110-11.

POLE VAULT — 1, Kaitlynn Bayard, GP, 10-10.25; 2, Devan Foster, GP, 8-4.75; 3, Bailey Swanson, GP, 8-4.75, and Grace Bachmeier, Ros, 8-4.75.

LONG JUMP — 1, Lila Maves, SE, 16-8.75; 2, Leighton Osborn, Ros, 16-7.5; 3, Paige Schiffer, SM, 16-0.5.

Reach sports editor Kris Henry at kris.henry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035

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