EUGENE, OR – You may have read our latest article on the speedy soon-to-be senior at Reeths-Puffer, Mason Darke. Since then, however, Darke has competed in the West Michigan All-Star meet, the MHSAA state finals, and, most of all, the Nike Outdoor National event.
Darke took first place at the WM All-Star meet in the 110m hurdles back in May and would then follow it up with a 5th-place finish in the 300m hurdles at the Division One state finals in early June.
Darke was invited to compete in one of the biggest events in the country at Oregon’s track complex from June 19th to June 22nd.
In potentially the most important race of his life up to this point, Darke didn’t disappoint. Finishing with a personal best and first-place title with a time of 14.40 in the 110m hurdles, he has now fully cemented himself as one of the top amateur track athletes in the nation.
The race was compiled with the best of the best in that particular event from all around the country. Four runners were from California, a handful from Texas, and others from states such as Wisconsin and Idaho.
Darke, a previous Montague Wildcat, transferred to the Rockets after his sophomore year.
“From the spring until now, my growth was insane, especially in the 110m hurdles. My coach, Parker Aerts (Reeths-Puffer school record holder), put in a lot of time and hours drilling and going over hurdles with me all winter, spring, and through the championship season,” Darke said about his growth in the past season.
Just a season ago, Darke averaged around a 16.50 time in the 110m, and to bring it down by two seconds is something not every high school track runner can do. The improvement truly shows the kind of work he puts in day in and day out.
“I had a lot of doubters and a lot of people trying to tear me down because of the amount of time I was putting into track, and some people didn’t like it. But that’s where I had to eventually grow up and say that you can’t make everyone happy and that I’m doing it for me and nobody else,” Darke said.
Darke, heading into his senior season, already has the accolades and the numbers to advance to the college level.
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