The competition to qualify for the OSAA track and field state championship meet begins Thursday for many high school teams around the Umpqua Basin. District meets begin throughout the state and many athletes will have high hopes of reaching the state tournament next week in Eugene.

The Roseburg track and field team is headed to Bowerman Field at North Medford High School for the Southwest Conference district meet. The Indians have a handful of athletes that qualified for state last year, including state shot put champion Tyler Sconce. The senior will also be attempting to qualify for state in the discus again as well.

Junior Carson Ellis is also looking to return to state in the shot put and fellow thrower Dalton Rasmussen reached state last year in javelin and is a favorite to win the district title.

Roseburg junior Hannah Bartlett is the lone girl that will be attempting to make it back to the state meet at Hayward Field. She finished 11th in the high jump in 2017.

While Roseburg has a number of returning state qualifiers from last year, there will be a few that will have a shot at qualifying for state for the first time. Seniors Isabella Hill and Jessica Peterson will have a shot at qualifying in shot put and discus.

Nick Bolin is seeded third in the boy’s high jump, while runners Merhawi Lake, Eli Hansen, and Gracious Lusby have all been putting up good times that could earn them a berth at the state meet.

The Southwest Conference track and field district begins at 1 p.m. Thursday with the boys shot put final, the boys long jump final, the girls pole vault final, and the girls javelin final. The district meet wraps up on Saturday.

The Sutherlin Bulldogs also begin the Sky-Em League track and field meet Thursday. Senior Kiersten Porter is the lone returning state qualifier from last year’s Bulldogs squad. She reached state in the shot put, but will also try to qualify in discus and javelin.

The Sky-Em League track and field meet is being held in Sisters. The events begin with the boys pole vault and discus and the girls high jump at 11 a.m.