It wasn't supposed to end this way.
Spencer Van Orden, arguably already the greatest hurdler in Idaho history, was set to add to his legacy. The recent Highland High School grad was a four-time state champion after all, having swept both the 110 and 300 hurdle titles in back-to-back seasons.
But on a warm May afternoon during the Class 6A State Track and Field Championships at Mountain View High School in Meridian, it didn't exactly work out that way. Instead of leaving with a few more titles, Van Orden walked out on crutches instead.
"Deep down I knew I was probably pushing it. But that ego, that showmanship part of me — my pride kicked in. I was like, this is my title, this is my race, this is my state. It's my senior year. And I'm just going to go for it."
That mentality had always worked out for him before.
Van Orden entered his senior season as arguably already the best hurdler in Idaho history. A four-time state champion and the holder of both all-classification state records in the 110- (13.60 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (36.51 seconds), he was also the reigning Gatorade Idaho Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year — the first Highland athlete in nearly two decades to earn the honor. He was also the only Idaho boy to win at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in 11 years.
But Van Orden wanted more. No Highland boys athlete had ever three-peated at state, let alone in two events. In fact, the only Ram ever to accomplish that feat was Julie Briggs — a fellow Gatorade Idaho Track and Field Athlete of the Year — who did it in the 100 and 200 meter dashes 36 years earlier. So Van Orden wanted to do it too.
But that chapter was never written.
Van Orden strained his left hamstring in practice just two weeks into the season. But it didn't slow him down. Three weeks later, despite the injury, he posted the fastest 110-meter hurdles time in Idaho history — 13.44 seconds — at the Arcadia Invitational, the same meet where he'd made a name for himself a year earlier. He ended up taking third in the 110 and fourth in the 300 against some of the top competition in the country.
"I had a similar injury at a similar time last year and still had a pretty good season," Van Orden said. "I was still pretty hopeful."
Then came Tiger-Grizz.
In the finals of the 110 hurdles, Van Orden felt his right hamstring bunching up going into the second-to-last hurdle. He still cleared it and won the race. But as he crossed the finish line, it gave out.
"After Tiger-Grizz, I was pretty upset," Van Orden said. "But luckily it was the night of prom, so I rushed home and just tried to have a good day anyway."
But afterward, he was still dealing with a second-degree partial tear — and wouldn't run again until state.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown," said Chase Collins, owner of EGO Performance and a sports psychology coach who had worked with Van Orden nearly every day for two years. "Here's Spencer Van Orden going into this season and everyone's watching. It just sucks to be injured. He has all these expectations and pressure, whether self-imposed or not, and not being able to perform just wears on you."
So Van Orden became "Coach Spencer" in the meantime, working with fellow hurdlers Keenan Garmendia and Kellan Tingey on their technique while sharing insight on what helped him become the best hurdler in program history.
"It was great to see him find another role and purpose while he was unable to practice and compete," said Highland hurdles coach Amber Tingey.
When he wasn't doing that, Van Orden was in the gym with Collins, desperately trying to get back for state.
"We tried everything," Collins said. "Managing volume, getting him into rehab, just honestly trying to figure out what even caused it."
Van Orden missed districts. But after being granted a hardship exemption by the IDHSAA, he still made it to state — arriving with two braces on his right leg.
The day before prelims, he spent the entire open track session barely limping through girl's height hurdles, just trying to work up the confidence to clear one at any speed at all.
On prelim day, he kept setting mental deadlines for himself. If he could get through warmups in the bullpen, he'd go for it. If he could get through warmups on the track, he'd go for it. He cleared his warm-up hurdle before the race.
Then Tingey pulled him aside.
"She told me she trusted that I was going to make the right choice," Van Orden said. "I knew as soon as I got on that track I wasn't gonna step off."
He got out clean. He cleared the first, the second and then ...
"My hamstring pops and I crash right into hurdle four," Van Orden said. "Everyone standing inside the finish line had to sit up and just saw me laying on the floor with the hurdles collapsed around me."
He was helped off the track, loaded onto a golf cart and driven to the trainer's tent. Behind him, the crowd rose to its feet.
"I got to do my little wave goodbye," Van Orden said. "I just had to settle for that. There wasn't much else I could do."
It meant Van Orden wouldn't become the first Highland boys athlete to three-peat at state. Wouldn't join Briggs as the only Ram to do it in multiple events. And for the first time in his career, he wouldn't finish a race.
"I kind of felt like I let everyone down," he said. "I was really excited to put on one final showcase."
But the next morning, he still showed back up.
On crutches and in a lot of pain, Van Orden made his way to the infield — not far from the spot where his dreams were dashed. He watched and cheered on Garmendia and Kellan Tingey as they carried on his legacy. Garmendia took sixth in the 110 and Tingey fourth in the 300, ensuring a Highland boy would be on the podium for a fourth straight year. Prior to Van Orden's arrival, the Rams hadn't put a boy on the state podium in 16 years.
"I loved sitting by Spencer during the event," Amber Tingey said. "He helped keep me calm and he had so much faith in the boys. Spencer has always encouraged and pushed those boys."
For Van Orden, being there and next to her wasn't really a choice.
"They have poured their blood, sweat and tears to be on that track," he said. "We've all done it together. It was only right that we finished together, even if I wasn't in the state I wanted to be in."
But Van Orden still leaves with six school records — 100 meters (10.65 seconds), 200 meters (21.53), 400 meters (47.73), 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and the 4x200 relay (1:27.53) — and three All-American honors. He was the first boy or girl to repeat as state champion in multiple events since his head coach Camille Long did it 18 years earlier. Van Orden was the program's first Gatorade Idaho Track and Field Athlete of the Year since Taylor Farnsworth in 2007. And as a sophomore, he ended a 30-year drought as the first Highland boys hurdles state champion since Amber Tingey's husband Jeff did so back in 1995.
"He's the blueprint," Amber Tingey said. "He leaves a legacy of technical mastery, records that will be difficult to beat, and a lasting blueprint for future hurdlers. He will always be remembered as a phenomenal hurdler, but more importantly a friend to everyone."
"He is the most respected and accomplished hurdler in Idaho track and field history," she added.
Van Orden is now taking his talents to Texas Tech, which has won the last four Big 12 Outdoor championships and claimed a national indoor title in 2024. He avoided surgery, spent the entire summer rehabbing and arrived in Lubbock just a few days ago ready to get to work.
"I'm not done. I'm going to get to Texas Tech, get to the grindstone and show everyone what I can do," Van Orden said. "I'm so beyond excited to work with the coaches and just make myself the best 400 hurdler I can possibly be."
It wasn't supposed to end this way. But maybe it was supposed to begin this way.
"I got to spend my time moping around and being sad about missing all of my lasts," he said. "But now I get to look forward to my firsts."