By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
Gracie Troester’s three first-place finishes powered Republic’s girls to a team championship at the COC Track Meet on Wednesday.
Republic totaled 129 points, while runner-up Ozark had 118.5.
Troester won the 800 in 2:22.76 and 1,600 in 5:10.35 and was part of Republic’s winning 4 x 800 relay (10:00.61).
Troester’s top performance came in the 1,600. She turned things around against Webb City’s Abi Street, who was second in 5:16.
Two weeks at the SBU Relays, Street beat Troester by five seconds.
Street led in their rematch until midway through their fourth and final lap.
“We had about 200 (meter) left and her coach was telling her, ‘You’re going to have to kick early,’” Troester said. ‘I heard him and thought, ‘I’m going with her.’ I have a longer stride, so I took off with her and I passed her. I didn’t know if she had a kick or not. I knew I had to go as fast as possible.
“I came into the race thinking I was going to get second. She’s good,” she added. “My coach came up to me before the race and told me to stick on her back the entire race.”
Troester, a sophomore, nearly went the home-school route at the beginning of this school year.
“I wouldn’t have been able to run as often (as a home-schooler),” Troester said. “That would have hurt me because I love running so much. And I knew I would miss my teammates and coaches. “
Republic also won the 4 x 400 relay in 10:00 and Jenna Belcher was first in the 3:351.2, as was Alaina Norman in the shot put (37-101/2).
Neosho won the boys team championship, as the Wildcats’ 129.33 points edged runner-up Webb City’s 123 points.
The Wildcats closed the meet by taking first in the 4 x 400 relay and gaining seven points on the Cardinals, who were ninth in the race. Entering the 4 x 400 relay, Webb City held a lead by two-thirds of a point on Neosho.
Neosho’s firsts were turned in by Tyrese Hill in the 100 (10.87) and 200 (22.37), Izaiah Hill in the 400 (50.34) and triple jump (44-51/4), Jared Siler in the triple jump (22-21/4), along with the Wildcats’ 4 x 200 relay (1:30.47) and 4 x 400 relay (3:26.93).
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Cardinals post four first-place finishes
Webb City’s Grayson Smith left Ozark feeling much better than his previous visit to Tigers Stadium. Last September as a wideout on the Cardinals’ football team, he suffered a broken right leg against Ozark.
Smith returned to win the pole vault by clearing 15-0.
Smith momentarily appeared to set a meet record of 16-2, but the bar fell as he was about to land on the mat.
“I thought it might (stay up), I was hoping it would,” Smith said. “I got lazy and didn’t pull my chest back. That’s on me. It adds fuel to the fire. There’s more to come. We’re not done, yet. I’m going for 17-0 this year.”
Smith had related to his mother how poetic it would be to break the COC record at the same site he broke his leg.
“I kind of jinxed it,” he said.
Also finishing first for the Cardinals were Trey Roets in the javelin (174-9), Evan Stevens in the 3,200 (9:21) and their 4 x 100 relay (43.12).
Carl Junction’s Ward three-time winner
Carl Junction’s Sydney Ward set meet records while winning the 100 (12.12) and 200 (25.23), in addition to running the anchor leg on the Lady Bulldogs’ winning 4 x 200 relay (1:47.36).
Carl Junction was in the middle of the pack in the 4 x 200 relay before Ward received the baton and made a spirited comeback.
“It was nice running the inside lane. I’ve never had that before,” Ward said. “It was different, but fun. I felt faster. The curve felt nice and it was easy to make up ground. I saw the girl in front of me and thought, ‘Why not catch her?’”
Ward added to the list of COC championships for her family. Her older brother, Lance, was an eight-time state medalist during his prep career. He now runs track at Harvard.
“We used to do track workouts together. We were really close before he went to college. He’s a pretty big inspiration,” Sydney said. “People asked me, ‘Am I going to be like him.’ That was my goal, to live up to that.”
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Nixa’s Cantwell sets two meet records
Nixa freshman Jackson Cantwell debuted at the COC Meet by winning the shot put (60-111/4) and discus (176-9) and setting meet records in the process.
He felt his technique in the discus was not up to par.
“Today was not a good day for me in discus. I don’t think you could say a whole lot good about how I did, except maybe the result,” Cantwell said. ‘If you’ve seen me in practice, you know I’m a lot more capable than that. It’s a little unsettling. But I’d rather have my best throws at the end of the year.
“I don’t think it was a bad day in shot put,” he added.
Host Tigers receive first from Embola
Ozark’s Mamady Embola breezed to victory in the 110 hurdles and set a new school record with a time of 14.97.
His previous personal record was 15.32.
“I’m not exactly where I want to be, but I’m getting closer,” Embola said.
Ozark’s Peyton Ligion and Joplin’s Zion Allen tied for first in the jump by both clearing 6-43/4.
The Lady Tigers’ Abby Beets took first in the pole vault by clearing 10-113/4.
