When Lake Oswego senior James Bauman was on the track at the 2024 OSAA Track and Field State Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene this week, attention was on him.
“Oh yeah this kid’s really fast,” one spectator noted prior to Bauman’s 100 meter prelim.
And they couldn’t have been more correct.
Bauman cruised to a first-place finish in the race with a blistering time of 10.54 seconds, proving the murmurs throughout the stadium to be true.
Then, the senior kept cruising through the final on Saturday, May 18, running 10.50 to take first place.
“It was great,” Bauman said. “I expected it from the get-go, so it was really fun to come out and execute it.”
The electrifying performance marked a second-straight state title in the 100 for Bauman, who took first place in the 5A classification while competing for Putnam as a junior.
Back then, Bauman ran 10.77, the third-fastest time at the state meet. Now, the senior is officially the state’s fastest high schooler, as no other time came close to matching the Laker this week.
“5A, 4A, 3A. It’s all the same thing,” Bauman said. “We’re just coming out here and running. That’s all it is.”
Bauman credits his offseason work for his ascension to the top, noting that most athletes focus their track and field efforts toward the spring.
“The offseason is where it’s at,” Bauman said. “I feel like a lot of people start track during the spring, but I think a lot of it has to come through the winter. You just gotta get going. You get into a rhythm early and it’s just awesome.”
Of course, facing off against some national competition helped, too. Bauman has spent time in Washington, Florida, New York and California competing with the Lakers this spring, competing against some of the nation’s best.
Like swinging two or three bats in the on-deck circle, Bauman has been warming up with extra weight. When he entered the state meet on Friday, he was more than ready to knock one out of the park.
“It’s just that great competition,” Bauman said. “Being able to go out there in New York, Florida, California it was awesome to run with those boys and really push yourself.”
After tweaking his hamstring, Bauman didn’t compete in the 200, where he was an overwhelming favorite, but he still helped the Lakers to a seventh-place finish in the team competition. The senior ran a leg on the championship 4x100 team alongside Matthew Altman, Baron Kurland and Henri Danzelaud, which took first-place with a time of 41.48.
Meanwhile, Kurland finished sixth in the 400 with a time of 49.68, adding three team points for the Lakers, who finished with 33 points as a group.
In terms of what’s next for Bauman, the senior says it’s all about recovery.
“It’s been a really long season, so running all these races, my legs getting used to it, that was a really hard transition,” Bauman said. “But I’m excited to keep going and get ready for that college season coming up.”
Bauman is headed to Vanderbilt University next fall, where he’ll carry the title of “fastest high schooler in Oregon” into the college ranks.
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