Cottage Grove High School

Top Moments of 2024

CGHS Track and Field and Cross Country

The end of the calendar year presents an opportunity to appreciate 2024 and to set goals for the future. Often times we don't truly appreciate the magnitude of special moments or experiences until years later, but athletes that have been part of these CGHS programs have once again created memories that will last for a lifetime. The word history has been thrown around a lot recently to describe particular team or individual accomplishments, but it's often used without context or extensive knowledge of the past. However, the moments below have truly rewritten or added new pages to the CGHS athletics archives. In no particular order this year please enjoy a recap of some of the 2024 highlights from the track and field and cross country seasons.

Carter Caps off Amazing Cross Country Career

Despite fighting illness during the last few weeks of the season Carter Bengtson still managed to win his second consecutive State Cross Country Championship. This accomplishment can often be difficult to conceptualize. Cross Country doesn't have weight classes, athletes aren't divided into multiple events like track and field or swimming, and there is no tournament bracket that might give a favorable route to the title match or game. Carter stepped to the line against every one of the top 4A runners in the state and won...again. Carter wasn't the best for his size or for his position, he was the best, PERIOD. Not only did Carter join an elite group of runners this season by winning back to back state titles, but he also capped off one of the best cross country careers in state history. Over the last four years Carter has accumulated 23 points by placing 15th, 6th, 1st and 1st at the State Championship. This ranks Carter #21 all-time in state history regardless of class size (1A-6A); that's top 21 in Oregon over the last 58 years! During the season Carter also recorded one of the fastest 4A 5k times ever by running a 15:09 in the Danner Championship at Nike Portland XC. If you didn't get a chance to see Carter in action this fall you still have a few opportunities this spring. Don't miss out on a chance to watch one of the best to ever wear a Cottage Grove uniform.

Boys Cross Country Team Finishes 4th at State Championship

While Carter was rewriting record books as an individual, the boys team also had high hopes of a top four finish at the state meet. It was a feat that has only been accomplished by the CGHS boys one time since 1975 (boys finished 3rd in 2021). Entering the state meet ranked sixth based on season best times, the boys knew they had a chance. By the time the race concluded the boys had edged Molalla by just two points to earn 4th place and the final podium spot. For the first time since 1957-1959 the CG boys notched three consecutive top 10 team finishes at the state meet. Cottage Grove had one of the deepest 4A teams in the state in 2024 with only the state champs from Newport getting all seven runners across the finish line first. Five of those seven runners return in 2025.

Fastest CGHS Girl Ever on State Meet Course

Lots of athletes and former athletes boast personal bests that have been run on fast courses over the years, but who ran fast when it really mattered? All season long athletes post times that often create questions. Was the course short? Was it flat? How good was the competition? The state championship course at LCC is the great equalizer. When the state meet is over in November it's easy to tell who's personal bests were just an illusion. Ella Cardwell entered the state meet ranked 17th based on season best times, but finished 9th with a time of 19:33. While three CGHS girls have faster personal bests than Ella, no girl in CGHS history has been faster over the 5k distance when it mattered most, at the state championship. Ella also became the first girl to post a top 10 finish at the state meet since 2009. She is the first CGHS girl to break 20 minutes in the 5K since 2018 and she did so on five different courses in 2024. Ella's consistent hard work has been the difference maker as she has placed 50th, 23rd, and 9th at the the last three state championship meets.

Boys Three-Peat X 2! The Streaks Continue!

Each of these moments could easily be recognized on our top 10 list individually, but the fact that they have happened together makes it even more impressive. For the last three years (2022, 2023 and 2024) the boys have ruled the Sky-Em League in track and field AND cross country. The Sky-Em League has been one of the toughest leagues in the state over the last three years including a crazy 2023 season where Marshfield, Cottage Grove and North Bend all finished in the top four at the state track and field championship. While the state track meet is often a contest to see who has the most elite athletes, the district championship is always about the true depth of a program. The Cottage Grove boys may have been heavy favorites on the track in 2024, but the 2022 and 2023 district title wins were the result of significant upsets due to Cottage Grove outperforming the form chart. In other words, being the best when it mattered most. In similar fashion the cross country team dominated in 2024, but required some big performances for the first two titles. After upsetting Marist in 2022 the boys were forced to replace six of the top seven varsity runners to earn the 2023 championship. The streak isn't over! There are several seniors that are looking to end their high school careers this spring by going undefeated at the district track championships while the cross country team looks to race for number four in the fall!

Trio of Second Place Finishes at State Track Meet

While winning a state championship is the pinnacle, it is also a great accomplishment to have three athletes with 2nd place finishes at the state track and field championship. Mayka Alsup spent the majority of the season with the softball team, but was able to find a little time to throw javelin. After winning the district championship in the javelin, Makya improved by over seven feet at the state meet to secure second place. It took a state meet record to beat Hayes Valley in the 110m hurdles, but he finished ahead of third place by .85 seconds. Hayes also placed 7th in the 300m hurdles. Carter Bengtson took second place in one of the fastest 3000m races in state meet history and his time of 8:37 is only two seconds off of Bruce Davidson's 40 year old school record. Carter also placed fourth in the 1500m. The best part is that all three will be back this spring!

Eli Cracks the CGHS Top 20

It has been 25 years since a CGHS guy has thrown his way onto the top 20 list for the discus or shot put. With a throw of 152-06 in the discus Eli Williams earned the #16 spot on the all-time CGHS list. How hard is it to make the CGHS all-time lists for the throws? Alex Toureen took second place at the state championship in 2011 with a throw of 50-8 and he was still 14 inches from cracking the CGHS top 20 list. Imagine being the second best thrower in the state on any given year and not being good enough to be on your school's all-time top 20 list! WOW! Eli went on to take 4th place at the state championship in both the shot put and the discus. Eli also placed in both throws in 2023 to help the boys team capture a third place finish.

School Record Streak Continues

Between 1974 and 2021 the girls cross country team had only qualified for the state cross country championships three times, and only one time in the 40 years between 1982 and 2022. Despite multiple runners fighting illness off and on for the majority of the season the girls managed to qualify for the third time in the last three years. These girls have helped to establish a new standard for distance running at CGHS. Qualifying for the state meet for the girls team was once the goal, but they have made it the expectation. The girls returning next year look forward to the challenge!

Carter Runs 4th Fastest 4A 5K of All-Time

After running a fast 3k at the state championship Carter earned an entry into one of the most elite high school meets in the United States, Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field. Carter chose to compete in the 5k distance which isn't a standard distance at most high school state championships. Carter's time of 15:06 ranks him #4 all-time in 4A state history and just one spot ahead of Bruce Davidson from Cottage Grove. It's awesome to see two Cottage Grove names among the all-time greats! After running 15:09 on the cross country course this fall could a sub 14 on the track this spring be in Carter's future?

Squad Champs!

The squad competition has become an integral part of our program since 2012. This year the Quads of Fury added their name to the list of other squad greats! While it's not traditional track and field most of the time, the squad meet and weekly squad competitions have created lasting memories for many of the athletes.

Brennen Murphy Continues Success at Western Oregon University

Brennen picked up where he left off at CGHS and had an amazing first year at WOU. Not only did he win the 400m at the GNAC Championships, but he earned bragging rights by passing up Coach Vogel on Western Oregon's all-time 400m list by running 48.08 for the #4 spot all time (see list below). Coach Vogel's 1:49 time in the 800m could present a little more of a challenge, however. While many remember Brennen as a star on the basketball court and on the track, he was also a varsity cross country runner. Brennen was the tie breaking runner for the 2021 cross country team that finished third at state and was also a member of the 2023 district championship team. Brennen is a great example of a multiple sport high school athlete that is having success at the next level. It's not always about specializing in high school, it's about becoming a great athlete and learning to compete in many different ways. Good luck to Brennen as he gears up for the 2025 season!

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