Gervais track and field's Monty Andres competing at USATF National Junior Olympic Championships

Soon-to-be Gervais senior Monty Andres will be competing in the high jump at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships on Saturday, July 27, at Texas A&M University in College Station. Andres' entry mark of 6 feet, 0.75 inches slates him tied for 35th in the 60-plus field.

“It’ll be a fun experience to go over there and compete,” Andres said. “It’s going to be a big competition, but it (will) be a lot of fun to jump with a lot of guys that I know from out-of-state.”

Andres, who finished fifth at the OSAA 2A state championships in May, qualified for the national championships after advancing past the USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympic Championships on June 22 and the USTAF Region 13 Junior Olympic Championships on July 4. He finished third at both events, clearing 6-0.75 and 6-0.5, respectively.

Although he's enjoyed a successful month, the results came a bit unexpected. Once the state championships concluded, Andres took a break, believing his track season was over until next year. He wasn't quite up to his physical standards at the association meet, but after securing a bid to the regional meet, he revamped his training with Gervais assistant coach Mitchell Kruse.

The training was needed, as Andres entered the regional competition with the eighth-best mark, a position he wasn't quite accustomed to after reigning near the top of the state high jump standings during the high school season.

“When I found out that I was going to go to the association meet, I didn’t really practice all too much,” Andres said. “When I realized I qualified for the regional meet, I had to start going and practicing every day. Start lifting weights again and conditioning for it.”

Andres has been training with Kruse at Silverton High School, due to Gervais' high jump mat being removed for a turf installation. His trip is being covered by the Silverton Runners Club, leaving Andres to focus fully and prepare for the competition. The journey to nationals has served as a bit of redemption as well.

Not quite fulfilling his aspirations at the state championships, Andres' latest success has been a welcome reminder of his talents and potential. He hopes the experience will fortify his conviction and help catapult him to a better performance in Eugene next year.

“After what happened at state, I feel like I have to show that I can still compete at the highest level,” Andres said. “I feel like I need to show that I can still compete on huge stages.”