Pendleton's Anders Oja competes in the 300-meter hurdles at the IMC track and field championships Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Prineville. Oja won the event with a time of 40.45 seconds to earn a trip to state. Pendleton swept the top three spots.

PENDLETON — Long before Andy Oja burst onto the track scene, his grandpa George Oja was forging a path in the sport as a marathon runner.

The Pendleton senior races at the 5A state track and field meet Friday and Saturday, May 20-21, at Hayward Field in Eugene, a place his grandpa once competed.

“My grandpa did indeed run at Hayward, although he said it was not at a noteworthy event,” Andy Oja said. “I’m sure excited to run there. I went down there and watched a meet. That facility is amazing. It will be fun to run there.”

George Oja will be in the crowd this weekend, watching his grandson run in the 110 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the 4×100 relay and the 4×400 relay.

“You could tell he was going to be something special his freshman year, and having a year where he could work with Lane (Maher), Ty (Patrick) and Dustin (Henderson),” Pendleton hurdles coach Ben Bradley said. “We told him he was going to be Lane’s replacement. He has stepped in and filled those shoes.”

It has been a long journey for Oja to reach the state meet. His freshman year he was behind three outstanding hurdlers. The coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 meet, and Oja broke his arm during the third meet of the season last year.

“We had a pretty strong team back then (2019) and I wasn’t able to run at the big meets,” Oja said. “Lane’s got that cool record of 38.75 in 300s, which is 1.2 seconds ahead of mine. It would be great to have that record.”

This year, Oja has the third best time going into state in the 110 hurdles at 15.40, and has the top time in the 300s at 40.45, which he ran last weekend at the Intermountain Conference district meet.

Oja has won every 110 and 300 hurdle event this year except one — he was fourth in the 110s at the Nike/Jesuit Relays on April 29. There was not a 300 hurdle race at the event.

“I’m following in his (Maher’s) footsteps to win a state title,” Oja said. “In 300s, I’m ranked first right now. Running at Jesuit, I didn’t have my fastest time, but it helps having that kind of competition.”

While he is good at both, he said he doesn’t prefer one over the other.

“I like them both a lot,” Oja said. “They are different. They are aggressive in their own ways. In the 110s, the hurdles are closer together. The 300 is tactical in its own way, and it’s longer and you are really pushing yourself that last 110. The 110s, it’s a quick blast and you are done.”

With the proper mindset and a good start out of the blocks, Bradley sees Oja on the top of the medal podium.

“I think Andy has a great chance at taking home first in the 110s and 300s,” Bradley said. “I still don’t think we have touched what he is capable of. I hope he taps into that and gets onto the podium. Historic Hayward Field is pretty special. They talk about Hayward magic for a reason, You can feel it when you step out there. I ran at Hayward. It was incredible. You step on the track and feel like good things will happen. We are mentally preparing them that the moment is not too big for them, they earned the right to be there.”

Oja ranks fifth on the school leaderboard in the 300 hurdles at 39.95. Maher has the school record at 38.75.

In the 110s, Oja ranks eighth. Kelly Simpson holds the record at 14.46, set in 1999. Maher is second at 14.74.

“There are three guys at 15 seconds, and Andy’s best is 15.07,” Bradley said. “There are four guys who have run sub-15. We have been waiting for the sub-15. A good clean race and I think we will see 14.8 out of him. That will be fun to watch.”

Relay time

Oja will have a busy schedule at state with the hurdles and two relays.

Oja ran the third leg on the winning 4×100 team at the IMC district meet. He ran with Gabe Browning, Brock Mackey and Thaiden Cannin, turning in a time of 43.60, which ranks them third heading into state.

Sam Jennings typically runs the anchor leg, but was swapped out at the last minute because of a leg issue. As the top-ranked javelin thrower in the state, the Bucks want to make sure he is 100% for the state meet.

“I think we have a pretty good shot at winning it,” Bradley said. “We had to do a last minute substitution and throw Cannin in to take Sam’s spot. They went for it. Thaiden ran that anchor leg like a wolverine. We are fortunate to have a good stable of athletes. Any combination of the five athletes will do a good job.”

The 4×400 is a whole other story. Oja is not as fond of the longer race, but he runs it for the good of the team.

“I definitely like the 4×100 better than the 4×400,” he said. “No one thinks the 4×400 is a fun race, and it’s right after the 300 hurdles. It adds another obstacle.”

The Bucks were second at district in the 4×400 behind Ridgeview. Their time of 3:31.05 is their best of the season, but ranks seventh among the 13 teams at state. Running with Oja were Trey Boston, James Thatcher and Cannin.

The way Oja sees it, if the Bucks perform like they are capable, a team trophy could be in their hands on the way home.

“We have quite the team this year,” he said. “We have a decent shot at doing something at state. It would be awesome to win that (team title).”

Bradley agrees.

“These guys have been getting better and better all season long,” he said. “That has been a difference maker for us. Guys have been stepping up.”

Family ties

Not only was George Oja a runner, but he was a heck of a basketball player in his day.

A 1961 graduate of Astoria High school, he played basketball and ran track for the Fishermen. Nicknamed ‘Jumpin George,’ he earned All-Metro honors his junior and senior years.

He attended Pacific University, where he played basketball and ran track. A three-year letter winner on the track, he once held the school record in the mile at 4:20.

In the mid-1970s, he won the Nike Marathon in Eugene, and in 1983, he was ranked 18th in the United States in the marathon.

“He is kind of the family legend,” said Andy, who also played basketball for the Bucks. “He was more of a marathoner than anything. For me, 400 meters is about the max I will do.”

The Finnish family genes go deeper than athletics. George Oja taught anatomy and physiology at Linfield University, and coached cross-country and track. He retired from coaching in 1993, and from teaching in 2003.

Andy’s parents, Eric and Emilee are both math teachers — Eric at the high school, and Emilee at the middle school.

Andy applied to, and was accepted at, MIT, Princeton, Brown and Columbia. He visited them all, and chose Princeton, where he will study mechanical aerospace engineering.

He has no immediate plans to join the track team, but said he might try to walk on once he gets a handle on his schoolwork.

Hayward Field, Eugene

1A Girls and Boys

Ellery Flerchinger, Griswold (discus); Ione boys 4×100 relay (Thomas Rudolf, Gary Walls, Martin Medina, Cedrick Dayandante); Lewkus Burright, Ione (discus).

2A Boys

Theo White, Weston-McEwen (200); Isaiah Lemmon, Stanfield/Echo (400); Trevor Nichols, Heppner (800, 1500); Alex McIntyre, Weston-McEwen (800, 3000); Hobbs Hurty, Stanfield/Echo (800, 1500); Joe Sherman, Heppner (800, HJ); Jagjot Singh, Stanfield/Echo (3000); Skylar Jeffers, Pilot Rock (110H, 300H); Weston-McEwen 4×100 relay (Reece Ball, Theo White, Colson Hall, Cameron Reich); Weston-McEwen 4×400 relay (Aiden Wolf, Alex McIntyre, Cameron Reich, Theo White); Heppner 4×400 relay (Jacob Finch, Ed Ellsworth, Joe Sherman, Trevor Nichols); Anthony Keeney, Stanfield/Echo (shot put, discus); Carter Burnette, Stanfield/Echo (discus); Conor Brosnan, Heppner (discus); Caleb Sprenger, Weston-McEwen (javelin, HJ); Cameron Reich, Weston-McEwen (LJ); Anthony Nix, Weston-McEwen (TJ).

2A Girls

Lily Lindsey, Weston-McEwen (100, 200, HJ); Hallee Hisler, Heppner (200, 400); Kelsey Graham, Weston-McEwen (400); Hannah Finch, Heppner (800, TJ); Jacque Kerns, Stanfield/Echo (800, HJ); Irelynn Kollman, Heppner (800, 1500); Arianna Worden, Heppner (1500); Saige Jensen, Heppner (3000); McKenna Bray, Pilot Rock (100H, HJ); Weston-McEwen 4×100 relay (Charli King, Kelsey Graham, Rose White, Lily Lindsey); Pilot Rock 4×100 relay (Aiva Ellis, Kyella Picard, Paige Moffit, Mersayus Hart); Heppner 4×400 relay (Arianna Worden, Irelynn Kollman, Halle Hisler, Hannah Finch); Weston-McEwen 4×400 relay (Charli King, Rose White, Brynn Brownie, Kelsey Graham); Emily Lambert, Pilot Rock (shot put, discus); Kyella Picard, Pilot Rock (shot put, javelin); Charli King, Weston-McEwen (PV); Emily Hancock, Stanfield/Echo (LJ); Charlei Harwood, Stanfield/Echo (TJ).

3A Boys and Girls

Pedro Chavez, Riverside (200, 400, HJ); Diego Magana, Riverside (400); Luis Campos, Umatilla (discus); Jozen Byers, Irrigon (PV); Julie Magana, Riverside (100, 300H); Taylor Durfey, Umatilla (shot put, discus, javelin); Crystal Sanchez, Riverside (LJ).

4A Boys and Girls

Johnny Koklich, McLoughlin (100, 200); David Hernandez, McLoughlin (800); Shaq Badillo, McLoughlin (shot put, discus); Luis Wolf, McLoughlin (HJ, LJ); Michael Doherty, McLoughlin (LJ, TJ); Kadey Brown, McLoughlin (shot put, discus); Star Badillo, McLoughlin (discus); Madi Perkins (javelin).

5A Boys

Brock Mackey, Pendleton (100, 200); Trey Boston, Pendleton (400); James Thatcher, Pendleton (800); Andy Oja, Pendleton (110H, 300); Drew Reyburn, Pendleton (110H, 300H, HJ); Thaiden Cannin, Pendleton (300H); Pendleton 4×100 relay (Gabe Browning, Brock Mackey, Andy Oja, Thaiden Cannin); Pendleton 4×400 relay (Trey Boston, James Thatcher, Andy Oja, Thaiden Cannin); Nathan Neveau, Pendleton (shot put, discus); Sam Jennings, Pendleton (javelin); Nolan Mead, Pendleton (HJ); Andrew Williams, Pendleton (PV); Ben Jennings, Pendleton (TJ).

5A Girls

Kelsey Lovercheck, Pendleton (200, PV); Muriel Hoisington, Pendleton (400); Reilly Lovercheck, Pendleton (100H, 300H, LJ, TJ); Pendleton 4×100 relay (Kelsey Lovercheck, Grace Pitner, Hadley Brown, Muriel Hoisington); Addison Kennedy, Pendleton (shot put); Chloe Gray, Pendleton (shot put); Jamie Gau, Pendleton (HJ); Shaelynn Silva, Pendleton (PV).