11:53 AM PDT on Sunday, May 30, 2004

By ANNE M. PETERSON, AP Sports Writer

EUGENE -- Galen Rupp won the state title in the 1,500 meters, setting a new meet record at the OSAA class 4A-3A track and field championships Saturday at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.

Rupp, a senior at Portland's Central Catholic, finished in 3:49.76, breaking the meet record of 3:50.49 set by Klamath Union's Lauren Jespersen in 2002.

It was Rupp's second state title of the meet -- he also won the 3,000 meters on Friday. Rupp won the state cross country title in November.

"I didn't have anything to do tomorrow, so I let it all hang out at the end," he said.

Rupp was followed in the 1,500 by fellow seniors Ryan Vail of Centennial, with a time of 3:53.44, and Beaverton's Stuart Eagon in 3:55.65.

Rupp set the overall state record in the 1,500 earlier this month at Nike's corporate headquarters in Beaverton, during an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first sub-4 minute mile run by Roger Bannister.

Rupp was clocked at 3:45.3 at the 1,500-meter mark of the mile run. He finished the mile at 4:01.8, breaking the state prep mile record of 4:04.9 set by Dirk Lakeman of South Eugene in 1977.

The 18-year-old will return to Hayward Field on June 19 for the Prefontaine Classic, where he'll run the 5,000 in hopes of making the Olympic Trials.

On Friday, Rupp ran the 3,000 in 8:22 for his second straight state title in that event. Last year he ran it in 8:14.36.

Rupp's idol, the late Steve Prefontaine, set the all-time state record of 8:08 while at Marshfield in 1969.

In the 4A girls' 1,500, Tualatin's Meghan Armstrong claimed her third straight state title with a time of 4:37.92. She is the first runner to win three consecutive championships in the event.

South Eugene senior Sara Pearson was second in 4:40.32 followed by Cleveland senior Olivia Bender in 4:40.94.

Like Rupp, Armstrong also won in the 3,000 on Friday with a time of 9:53.21. She became just the second runner to win three consecutive titles in the event: Kim Roth of Sprague claimed three titles in the 3,000 from 1980-82.

The Benson girls won their sixth straight state championship, the most consecutive girls' team championships in meet history regardless of class. They had 84 points, followed by Grant with 40 points and Gresham with 38 points.

Benson also won the boys' team title for the first time since 1995 with 45 points, edging Beaverton with 44. Barlow had 40 points.

Wilsonville's boys claimed the 3A team title with 65 points, followed by North Bend with 56 1/2 points and Siuslaw with 52 points. The Dalles won the 3A girls' championship with 51 points, ahead of Cascade with 40 points and North Bend with 33 1/2 points.

Ashley Taylor, a Benson senior, won the 100 meters in 12:25, shortly after helping her team to a victory in the 4x100 in 48.59. The girls were on the medal podium cheering wildly when the Benson boys also won the 4x100 in 42.47.

"Last year they didn't do so well," Taylor said of the boys' team. This year they got it together and they won. It's really great. We were hoping the boys and girls would both win it this year."

Taylor was second in the 200, finishing in 25.49 -- behind Benson teammate Sara Callier in 25.16.

The Benson boys also won the 4x400 title in 3:18.34 to clinch the team championship, while sophomore Nate Anderson won the 400 in 48.48.

One of the most exuberant victories of the day came from Scott Sanders, a Brookings-Harbor junior who won the 3A boys' 1,000 in 4:00.80.

"I'm extremely happy. I'm excited. But it doesn't really surprise me because I knew what I had to do," he said, adding: "I'm coming back next year and I'll be ready."