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CAMDENTON, Mo. — John McNabb could not help but simply repeat himself.
“It just keeps getting better… it just keeps getting better,” he said.
Even through the hat and sunglasses, you can see the glow when he talks about his team. Camdenton has more to work with than at any time before in his 28 years as coach.
They have speed, a lot of it… and it’s young.
The Lakers may have the most sprinting depth on the girls side of any team in Southwest Missouri, led by two juniors, Kylie Meier and Grace Wormek, and sophomore Natalie Basham.
Meier became the program’s first state champion in 33 years last season by capturing the Class 4 300 meter hurdle crown.
“It’s a joy to come to practice every day. Never before have we been in that situation, and now it’s like: hey, it’s possible.”
Having a little gold knocking around can put some perspective on things, and make a lot of athletes salivate. Since that win, neither Meier nor her teammates have shown any signs of slowing down.
“It’s definitely given me that demeanor to strive harder and do better than what you’ve done before,” said Meier.
The same motivation can be found in Wormek, who missed the cut in the 100 and 200 meter dash at state last year. Being within arms length of the finals convinced her to pull a 180-degree turn on her workout regiment.
“It was kind of a kick in the butt,” she said. “I’ve been lifting and eating right. I’ve lost weight and I’ve just taken it more seriously this year. My times are improving this year and I’m about to break two records, hopefully.”
Her 25.24 time in the 200 is currently the fastest in the Ozarks.
Basham turned plenty of heads as a freshman when she took sixth in the 300-meter hurdle race behind Meier. She missed the cut in the 100 meter hurdles by 0.18 seconds.
As a unit, the trio makes up three legs of the area’s deadliest girls relay team. They sport a time of 1:46.28 in the 1600 and 4:06.77 for the 3200, both tops in southwest Missouri.
“There’s a lot of competition that we have to face. We haven’t faced it yet but we know that it’s coming,” said Basham. “(Kylie) has pushed me so much to be better. I wouldn’t be where I am without her, honestly.
Of course, the enthusiasm comes from the taste they got last year, and that taste has already yielded a state title. This season’s final weekend could produce even more hardware, making it hard for them to sit still knowing they all return next season as well.
“It gets us really hyped about what we can do this year and come back next year and do then as well,” said Meier.
Camdenton hosts the Class 4, District 5 meet on Saturday, May 13.
