Holycross to compete at Jr. Olympic Nationals in North Carolina
(Courtesy photo) Priest River junior Teagun Holycross, second from left in red, will compete in the 400 hurdles at the upcoming USA Junior Olympic Nationals in North Carolina. His 400 meter hurdle time is among the top 20 in the United States.
(Courtesy photo) Travis Holycross, competing for Borah in the mid-80s, held the Idaho State 4x200 relay record until just a few years ago.
(Courtesy photo) Teagun Holycross claimed three medals at the recent Northwest Championships in Bend, Oregon.
Passion for track, speed passed from father to son
By ERIC PLUMMER
Sports editor
SANDPOINT — When Priest River junior three-sport athlete Teagun Holycross laces up his track spikes next week in North Carolina, he’ll be competing against some of the fastest athletes in the country at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic National Championships.
Holycross, who competes in the summer for the Spokane Speed Academy Track Club, recently finished fourth in the 400 hurdles (58.56) at a Regional meet in Bend, Oregon to qualify for the national meet in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 25. He also finished third in the 4x100 relay and fourth in the 4x400 relay in Bend to qualify, but his teammates won’t be making the trip to North Carolina with him.
For Holycross, who also plans to play football and basketball for the Spartans, his time in the 400 hurdles at Bend puts him into the top 20 seed times at nationals.
“It went pretty well, but I messed up on one hurdle,” said Holycross, who has high goals for nationals. “Hopefully I’ll get in the top 15 or 20.”
Prior to nationals, Holycross will compete in the Blunt East Coast Invitational on July 20, where he’ll do the 400 hurdles and the 200 meter dash. The races, which will be streamed live, should serve as a good rehearsal for nationals five days later.
A love of track, as well as an elite gear, runs in the Holycross family, as father Travis Holycross had a decorated track career as a prep runner at Borah High School in Boise. Travis clocked lickety split PRs of 10.9 in the 100 and 21.9 in the 200, and his Borah team’s 4x200 state relay record set in 1986 held up until finally being eclipsed just a few years ago.
“It kind of broke my heart,” recalled Travis, whose love of track is alive and well in his son. “I ran track in the state of Idaho. Seeing him (Teagun) follow through is very cool.”
The Holycross family drives to Spokane Community College during the summer for two hour practices, and the hard work is definitely paying off. As a sophomore on the Spartan track team, Holycross posted the fifth fastest 300 hurdle time in the state in 3A at 41.69.
Last year Holycross finished 11th in the state 100 (11.75) and sixth in his signature 300 hurdles, and with two years left, figures to have a chance to join his dad as an Idaho state champion.
The difference between the 300 and 400 hurdles is much greater than just 100 meters.
“It’s way different from the 300 hurdles. In the 300, the last hurdle is five meters away from the finish,” described Holycross. “In the 400 it’s about 60, a little extra stretch there.”
Holycross is no stranger to big time meets, finishing 28th in the nation in the 200 hurdles as an 8th grader. Unlike many other sports, which can be subjective in myriad ways, track and field is far more cut and dried. Your marks and times are what they are, one of the reasons Holycross loves the sport so much.
“It’s one of my most favorite things to do,” he said. “It’s the simplest version of every sport. You run, you jump and you throw.”