West Linn's Hayden Williams-Downing takes first in girls javelin at Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays

West Linn junior Hayden Williams-Downing took first-place in the girls javelin at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays on Friday, April 26, throwing a personal best 165 feet, 7 inches to best 42 other competitors at Jesuit High School.

Williams-Downing’s mark of 165-7 was nearly 14 feet farther than the next best throw on Friday, as Ridgeview’s Zowie Nunes finished second with a 151-foot, 9-inch toss.

After taking third place at the 6A state meet as a sophomore in 2023, Williams-Downing initially caught eyes this spring when she opened the season with a personal-best toss of 162 feet, 9 inches in the Wilsonville-West Linn Ice Breaker on March 13.

On Friday, the junior one-upped herself at one of the top stages in Oregon high school track and field, putting the state on notice while extending her lead atop the statewide javelin leaderboard.

While Williams-Downing reset her state-best mark on Friday, Nunes’ second-place throw, 15 feet behind the West Linn junior, happened to be the second-best throw by any Oregonian thrower this spring.

Williams-Downing will be in action again at the Three Rivers League Championships at Oregon City High School on Wednesday, May 8.