The last time that the Douglas High School Track and field team was able to send anyone to the Nike Outdoor Nationals was two years ago. This year, four runners who have never been there are venturing to Oregon to represent the Tigers at the prestigious event in the 1600 Sprint Medley Relay (SMR). The event was scheduled to take place at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon over four days (June 19-22).

The sprint medley relay is a track and field event in which teams of four athletes compete over sprinting distances as part of a relay race. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance.

 The 1600-meter variation consists of two 200-meter legs, a 400-meter leg and the anchor an 800-meter leg. It would be named numerically (2-2-4-8). Representing Douglas in the SMR will be juniors Thomas Kenney and Neo Telles and seniors Daniel Nascimento and Shaan Chaudhry. Kenny will open the race for the Tigers running the first 200-meters, followed by Nascimento in another 200-meter jaunt. Telles will run the next leg, the 400-meters, before leaving the final 800-meters on the legs of Chaudhry. 

Through the early part of the season the foursome was unable to actually run the SMR as a unit due to the rainy weather. Eventually the runners were able to run the event as a team and on the very last day of the season they were able to qualify to attend the Nike Outdoor Nationals. To qualify for the trip out west the team needed to post a sub time of 3:57; the Douglas four ran a 3:50.31 time at the South Shore Twilight Meet on May 24.

“All four runners are hardworking and put everything they had into the race,” Douglas Coach Jeff Thayer said. “Peter (Mannka, the boys head coach) had them prepared to make a run at the qualifying time. The boys made decent improvements through the year to accomplish the feat.”

Individually Kenney and Nascimento both run the sprints for the Tigers; Kenney’s best time in the 100 is 11.94 while Nascimento is proficient in the 200 with a personal best of 24.24. Telles and Chaudhry fluctuate between the 400 and 800 but while Telles has a best time of 54.9 in the 400, Chaudhry primarily focuses more on the 800 and has posted a personal best of 2:09.

The two juniors have been with the team since their freshman year, while Nascimento joined the team during his sophomore season and Chaudhry has only been with the program for the past two years. According to Thayer, despite being the youngest tenured athlete of the four, Chaudhry has gotten better as the season went on and is rather confident that he is capable of running faster. 

When they get to Oregon, the foursome will take part in the 1600 SMR late Friday morning (day 2 of the event). Thayer is looking to get the boys to the track approximately 2 hours before their race so that they can watch the other runners perform and understand the flow of the track, while getting use to the atmosphere of this big stage. One hour prior, he will have them beginning to prepare, while getting locked in for their race.

“This is going to be something totally different than anything any of them have ever been involved in before,” Thayer said. “At Oregon I am hoping that they can run a sub 3:50 in the relay and if all the stars align who knows what they will be able to accomplish.”