An ultra-talented group of Class 1 track and field athletes punched their ticket to the state meet on Saturday in the Class 1, Sectional 2 meet in Ozark.
The School of the Ozarks Patriots won the boys team competition and actually tied Jasper on the girls’ side with 101 points. The Patriots boys narrowly edged Rich Hill 93-92.
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School of the Ozarks has never had a track athlete win a state title, but this year they have the potential to win more than one. Keaton Tillack, Rachel Snyder, Evelyn Carswell, and Brooke Housley each took home the gold on Saturday in at least one event. But beyond that, an additional sixteen athletes qualified for state from S.O.T.O.
Tillack won the 110 meter hurdles (15.47 seconds), the 300 meter hurdles (42.22) and ran with the winning 4×400 meter relay team with a time of 3:36.80. Snyder won the 300 hurdles (48.88), the triple jump (33’8”) and came in second in the 100 hurdles (16.47). Like Tillack, Snyder also was a part of the girls’ first-place 4×400 meter relay team (4:42.18).
“Our hurdle team with Rachel Snyder, Teddy Lingner and Mary Beth Porter, we PR’ed,” said the senior Tillack. “All of us PR’ed in the 110 hurdles and we’re all moving on to state. It’s been a fun day.”
Last year at state, Tillack finished second in the 110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. He says being the first S.O.T.O. athlete to win a state title, “would mean the world to me.”
“I definitely want to give God all the credit because without Him I would be nothing,” he said. “I don’t really know how my time matches up to the other sectional meets… It would be really fun to take that first place home.”
The Jasper girls won the sectional team title last year, and since Jasper tied School of the Ozarks on Saturday, they are still the reigning sectional champs.
The Lady Eagles were led by senior stud Lexie Royster, who took first place in three of her four events. She came in second place behind Snyder in the triple jump, but won the long jump (16’), the 100 meter hurdles (16.01) and was a part of the winning 4×200 relay team along with three other seniors: Keylee McCutcheon, Brianna Cawyer and Audra Etcheson.
Humansville’s Dustin Shoemaker swept the distance events, winning the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs. Shoemaker currently holds the fastest 3200 meter time and the second fastest 1600 meter time in the state in Class 1.
Shoemaker has a friendly rivalry with Hardin-Central’s Riley Gorham, who bested him in both events last year at state. Gorham also beat Shoemaker in cross country this fall.
“I was really upset last year in cross country when he beat me,” said Shoemaker. “It was just really upsetting. But he’s my age, so we have a special rivalry because I’ve been with him all four years. The two-mile [3200 meter run] is something that I’m really looking to try to beat him in because he’s got so much speed. And the mile, I think I may have a chance, but the two-mile is something that I’m going to give it my all. Right now I’ve ran a faster time than he has, and I’m just hoping that I can do that at state.”
Shoemaker is chasing Gorham on the track this year, but he’s chasing someone else in the Humansville record books. His older brother Dakota Shoemaker holds the school record for the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter events, the same events that Dustin runs.
“As of right now, I’m two seconds off my school record in the two-mile,” Shoemaker said. “I’m one second off my school record in the mile. And I’m half a second off my school record in the 800. So today I’m going to try to break my school record in the 800. But at state is when I’m really going to go after it and I’m really going to try to break all those records. My own brother holds those records. So I’m just really hoping to break my records is all I really want. Place is just an add-on to that. My brother is 21 now. He’s four years older than me so I never really got a chance to run with him and race with him. But he’s also been a big influence on my running career.”
Speaking of record books, Claire Workman will need her own page in New Covenant Academy’s record book by the time it’s all said and done. The defending state champ already holds the Class 1 record in the 800 meter run and will look to retain her gold medal in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter events at state. She won each of these events on Saturday and also anchored the 4×800 meter relay team. Workman, along with standout teammates Claire and Katie McCune, will certainly make some noise next week in Jefferson City.
“Today, what I see is toughness,” said NCA coach Mike Workman, Claire’s father. “They are doing what they have to do, they’ve prepared themselves and mentally they’ve really put it together. They went out hard in the mile and really just got out fast and I think they showed everybody what they can do. In the 800, Katie McCune was a very close finish there to get fourth and she just dug deep in the last fifteen yards and pulled away. I was impressed with that. It tells me these girls are ready to go to state.”
The Osceola boys are also aiming to defend their title at state next week. They are currently the four-time defending state champs in the 4×100 meter relay. On Saturday, they won the race over Rich Hill with a time of 45.44 seconds. The boys also won the 4×200 meter relay coming in at 1:35.
Senior Eli Mitchell anchors the relay teams and will look to make it five gold medals in a row for the Indians.
“First place is nice but for the most part, me personally, my goal is to just go out and do the best I possibly can to help my team,” said Mitchell, “whether it’s a track meet or a practice, I just try to push everyone as best they can to have the best team.”
Yet another defending state champ from Saturday’s sectional meet is Dora junior Ashlynn Vanatter, the defending 100, 200 and 400 meter dash state champion. Vanatter did what she was supposed to do on Saturday and swept all three events.
“I’m feeling great,” she said. “I am just happy to be out here. It was kind of a windy day but it turned out to be a great day and I’m just happy I’m going back to state. That was my main goal… Mainly I’m just taking away the confidence that I gained today. Coming out here and just seeing where I was at gave me a lot of confidence. But the competition is going to get better at state, so I’ve just got to make sure I go out and run my best at state too, not just today.”
