By Chris Parker
The Class 3-5 state track meet finished up on Saturday. Hear from the area’s 10 champions below and find a full list of the area’s 93 all-state finishers in each class from Saturday at the bottom.
PHOTOS: CLASS 3-5 STATE TRACK, DAY 2 – CLICK HERE
PHOTOS: CLASS 3-5 STATE TRACK, DAY 1 – CLICK HERE
CLASS 3-5 STATE TRACK RECAP, DAY 1 – CLICK HERE
Dickerson conquers Class 5 sprints
Back in March, Camdenton senior sprinter Angel Dickerson found out his team would be moving from Class 4 to Class 5 for his final year.
He won the Class 4 200-meter dash and finished fourth in the 100-meter dash as a junior in Class 4.
On Saturday, he proved he can compete in any class by sweeping the Class 5 100- and 200-meter dashes.
“It feels awesome because I feel like people thought I wasn’t going to make it through in Class 5 when I comes to placing like I did last year. I didn’t feel like anybody had faith and hope in me. I didn’t hear my name much and stuff like that. It feels good to prove the haters wrong,” Dickerson said.
He ran a personal best 10.44 to edge out runner-up Dominic Revels from Liberty by .01 and win the title.
After running a leg on Camdenton’s fifth-place finishing 4×100 relay, Dickerson came back and won the 200 with a time of 21.53. He was able to turn it on at the end of the race to pull away from Rock Bridge senior Casey Hood who ran a time of 21.57.
“Casey was catching me a little bit, and mid-race I was just thinking if he gets first place it makes sense. He deserves it,” Dickerson said. “Right after that I started gaining a little more and I got first place.”
Dickerson will run at Indiana State next fall where the sky is the limit for him.
“I never hold myself low. I keep my goals high always. If I feel like I can reach it I am going to be crazy enough to go for it,” Dickerson said.
Schwanke closes high school career with gold medal
Coming into the year, there weren’t many people who expected Buffalo senior Brett Schwanke to compete for state sprint titles. He finished 10th in the 100-meter dash and 11th in the 200-meter dash as a junior.
Throughout the season, Schwanke established himself as a contender by winning meet after meet.
On Friday, he put the target squarely on his back by running the fastest prelim time in both sprints.
On Saturday, he backed up that seed by winning the 100-meter dash, which led to an uncharacteristic celebration at the finish line.
“My little brother said it was the first time he saw me celebrate,” Schwanke said. “About the last five meters I knew I had won.”
Schwanke ran a time of 10.49 to set a personal record and school record. It cut more than a second off his 100-meter dash time of 11.72 from last season.
He later finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.67.
Getting to this point took a village.
“It is the best for my family. They get way more nervous and excited than me. They are all about it. It is great for them and all the fans that came to support me,” Schwanke said. “I have to thank God for all the people he has surrounded me with. I couldn’t wish for anything better.”
It was a day that was a dream come true for the Buffalo sprinter.
“You can dream big, and this is bigger than I thought it would get,” Schwanke said.
Monett’s Poynter excels at new event
For most people, learning a new skill takes time to perfect.
Monett senior Konner Poynter is not most people.
Poynter converted from running the 400-meter dash to the 300-meter hurdles earlier this season running his first 300-meter hurdle race at the Nixa Invitational on Apr. 11.
It was his coach that saw potential for Poynter in the event.
“He (his coach) walks up to me about halfway through the season and says ‘do you want to win or do you want to just be a contender?’ I told him I wanted to win,” Poynter said.
And win Poynter did. The Monett senior ran a time of 38.33 to win the Class 4 300-meter hurdles title by more than a second.
He accomplished the feat by focusing on attacking the hurdles.
“Right before the gun goes off the only thing going through my head is ‘fight through the hurdles’,” Poynter said. “My coach was telling me all week I need to fight through the hurdles. Attack that first one and it will set up the rest of the race.”
His time of 38.33 was the third-fastest time for any 300-meter hurdler on Saturday.
Nevada’s Beachler saves best for last
Nevada senior Drew Beachler thought his dream of winning a state gold medal ended with a runner-up finish in the long jump yesterday.
He appeared to be right until he locked in for the final attempt of the triple jump competition and his final jump in a Nevada Tiger uniform.
“I just realized it was my last high school jump and I had to give it all I had,” Beachler said.
Beachler, who held second place after the second, third and fourth jumps before slipping to third going into the final jump, unleashed a leap of 45’10 to take over first place.
The mark gave him a second school record in as many days and that coveted gold medal to cap off his high school athletic career.
“It is pretty special,” Beachler said. “I thought I had the best chance in long jump and I got second. I didn’t even dream of getting first in triple jump.”
Isringhausen comes up clutch to win gold medal
Branson’s Kyshin Isringhausen was one bad jump from finishing his high school athletic career with a no height in the pole vault. Isringhausen came in at 13’9 and missed his first two jumps meaning he had to make his third or go home without any medal much less a gold one.
The Branson senior was able to focus in and get his clearance to keep his season alive and guarantee a medal.
“It was a crazy feeling. I will remember that my whole life. I am going wake up and have nightmares about it. It is an incredible feeling once you clear it,” Isringhausen said. “I almost no heighted. I missed my first two attempts. For a second there, I thought that was going to be it, but then I cleared it. I started getting together and putting my jumps together the way they have been all season.”
Isringhausen went on to win the competition with a leap of 14’8.25 to give him his first gold medal in seven state appearances between track and wrestling.
“It feels incredible. This is something I have been looking for four years now. Between wrestling and track I have been to state seven times, and I have missed it (a gold medal) every year but this year. It feels good to finally come out on top,” Isringhausen said. “For a moment there I (thought) I am going to no height my last attempt at state gold medal, but now that I am done it just adds to the story. I feel like it makes it even better. I came from almost nothing to the top.”
Salem’s Manthey, Webb City’s Decker find success in transition from softball diamond to javelin runway
Throwing javelin is not something many people casually do. That was the case for both Salem senior Savannah Manthey and Webb City junior Dawsyn Decker.
Both were softball players who had never heard of the javelin entering high school.
“First year of throwing my freshman year my coach (said) you play softball so we will have you come out and see if you can throw javelin,” Manthey said.
“I never knew what it (javelin) was,” Decker said. “My freshman year, my coach came after me because I played softball. I was throwing good my freshman year and I just liked it. It just worked for me.”
Both gave javelin a chance and now both are state champions in the event.
Manthey had a tight battle on her hands. She led the competition through her first three throws, but on the final throw of prelims, Bowling Green’s Grace Deters took the lead by just two centimeters.
The Salem senior had the break between prelims and finals to think on what she needed to do to get back on top.
“I was very nervous,” Manthey said. “I PR’ed almost every throw today, so I knew if I just threw like I did I would be ok.”
Her first throw of finals proved to be another personal best flying 140’1 to take the lead back. That throw held up as the event winner.
Decker’s state javelin experience was a bit different. The Webb City junior was dominant posting the four best throws of the competition. Her first throw would’ve been enough to win, but her sixth throw flew the furthest at 139’10.
Stevens’ risk pays off in gold
Evan Stevens took a big risk at the halfway mark of the Class 4 boys 3200-meter run.
The Webb City junior was running stride-for-stride with Festus senior Ian Schram, who already had gold medals in 800 and 1600 along with silver in the 4×800 relay.
Entering the final 1600, Stevens decided to ratchet down the pace.
“I knew Ian and (Hillsboro’s) Josh Allison and those guys have legit kicks, so I knew I had to press down so I could get away,” Stevens said. “From there it was press down in laps 5-6-7.”
From the 1600- to the 2,000-meter mark, Stevens opened up a six-second lead on the field leaving himself alone out front to run the last mile of the race by himself.
“It was tough. I am not going to lie. I just had to stay focused,” Stevens said. “My coach was right over (on the backstretch). I just tried to listen to him and key off what he said.”
Stevens built enough of a cushion to hold off a late charge from Schram who ran a 64.93 on his final lap. Stevens crossed the finish line four seconds clear of Schram in a new personal best of 9:18.66.
El Dorado Springs girls claim bookend gold
The El Dorado Springs girls 3200-meter relay team won the first gold medal of the Class 3-5 state meet on Friday.
They returned on Saturday to claim one of the last gold medals of the meet by winning the Class 3 1600-meter relay. The quartet of Lainey Dody, Neely Schaaf, McKinli Mays and Hannah Klaiber combined to run a time of 4:06.47.
Freshman McKinli Mays ran the anchor leg, but the quartet’s lone senior in Klaiber continued to be the leader of the group.
“Hannah is an amazing leader. She has been there since day one. She has always believed in us, and she has always pushed us every single day in practice and today showed it,” Mays said.
Webb City’s Smith closes career with second gold medal
Webb City senior Grayson Smith knew what was expected of him entering the Class 4 pole vault competition on Saturday. He entered the meet as the defending state champions with the No. 1 seed.
It is a designation that comes with pressure, but pressure is where Smith thrives.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself and then everyone else expecting you to win is a lot of pressure, but I love the pressure,” Smith said.
Smith didn’t enter the event until 14-feet when there was only one other pole vaulter still alive. He cleared the height on his first attempt. He did the same thing at 14’5.5 to win the competition. They moved the bar up to 15’5.75 and Smith cleared what would end up being his final height.
SATURDAY AREA ALL-STATE FINISHERS
Class 5 Boys
1st – Angel Dickerson – Camdenton – 100 (10.44)
1st – Angel Dickerson – Camdenton – 200 (21.53)
1st – Kyshin Isringhausen – Branson – Pole Vault (14’8.25)
2nd – Jackson Cantwell – Nixa – Discus (190’7)
3rd – Kickapoo (Colby Goddard, Kolin Keltner, Kyle Keltner, Tyler Harris) – 4×800 (7:46.31)
3rd – Afton Hopkins – Nixa – Pole Vault (14’2.75)
3rd – Tyler Harris – Kickapoo – 3200 (9:17.52)
5th – Hayden Mays – Nixa – Discus (163’9)
5th – Jayzen Blake – Waynesville – 110 Hurdles (14.55)
5th – Camdenton (Angel Dickerson, Mitchel Sexe, Kyle Eidson, Josiah Ketcham) – 4×100 (42.73)
6th – Tyrese Hill – Neosho – 200 (21.89)
7th – Parker Papa – Kickapoo – 400 (59.58)
8th – Waynesville (Luther Supancic, Tyrell Phinn, Antwone Fowler, Faheem Mujahid) – 4×800 (7:54.14)
8th – Caden Morris – Lebanon – Triple Jump (44’1.5)
Class 5 Girls
5th – Addyson Rebmann – Lebanon – High Jump (5’3.25)
5th – Alaina Norman – Republic – Javelin (127’4)
6th – Faith Chepkondol – Nixa – Long Jump (18’1.75)
6th – Alaina Norman – Republic – Shot Put (38’8.25)
7th – Gracie Troester – Republic – 1600 (5:04.29)
7th – Aryah Moore – Glendale – 300 Hurdles (45.64)
8th – Kickapoo (Parker Papa, Sophia Lowry, Nikki Hamme, Taylor Mayo) – 4×200 (1:44.10)
8th – Joplin (Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert, Brylee Strickland) – 4×100 (54.12)
Class 4 Boys
1st – Konner Poynter – Monett – 300 Hurdles (38.33)
1st – Grayson Smith – Webb City – Pole Vault (15’5.75)
1st – Drew Beachler – Nevada – Triple Jump (45’10)
1st – Evan Stevens – Webb City – 3200 (9:18.66)
2nd – Travis Greenfield – Marshfield – Pole Vault (14’0)
3rd – Marshfield (Marcus Blackstock, Marcus Gritts, Tyce Jones, Dayvion Harris) – 4×100 (42.85)
3rd – Nathaniel Miller – Webb City – Discus (163’11)
4th – Bryant Bull – Marshfield – Triple Jump (45’1)
6th – Marshfield (Marcus Blackstock, Marcus Gritts, Dayvion Harris, Tyce Jones) – 4×200 (1:29.87)
6th – West Plains (William Stauffer, Lincoln Miller, Blake Tinsley, Heston Miller) – 4×100 (43.08)
7th – Brayden Hicks – Marshfield – Triple Jump (43’6)
8th – Jadon Brisco – Webb City – Pole Vault (12’4)
8th – Zach Mitchell – Marshfield – 3200 (9:37.13)
Class 4 Girls
1st – Dawsyn Decker – Webb City – Javelin (139’10)
2nd – Adyson Clark – Marshfield – Shot Put (40’0)
3rd – Dailynn VanDeren – Bolivar – Shot Put (39’5.25)
3rd – Grace Kimrey – Marshfield – High Jump (5’3)
3rd – West Plains (Audrey Oliver, Katie Bowers, Raigan King, Laura Dixon) – 4×200 (1:43.48)
3rd – West Plains (Chloe Luck, Katie Bowers, Raigan King, Laura Dixon) – 4×100 (49.55)
3rd – Abigail McBride – Marshfield – Long Jump (18’4.25)
4th – Abigail Street – Webb City – 1600 (5:08.70)
4th – Brooke Hedger – Webb City – 800 (2:19.17)
5th – Marshfield (Emma Dinkins, Cassie Fishel, Ruby Joiner, Jordan Jung) – 4×100 (49.60)
5th – Isabella Frost – Rolla – 1600 (5:10.24)
5th – Sydney Ward – Carl Junction – 100 (12.21)
5th – Sydney Ward – Carl Junction 200 (25.15)
6th – Tilly Greenfield – Marshfield – High Jump (5’1)
6th – Jessica Mace – Rolla – Shot Put (38’5.5)
6th – Audrey Oliver – West Plains – 300 Hurdles (46.62)
7th – Jessica Mace – Rolla – Javelin (119’11)
7th – Audrey Oliver – West Plains – 100 Hurdles (16.09)
7th – Aniah Rather – Hillcrest – Long Jump (17’8)
8th – Madyson Stewart – Rogersville – Shot Put (37’2.5)
8th – Vayla Smith – Monett – 400 (59.98)
8th – West Plains (Katie Bowers, Audrey Oliver, Drew Harris, Laura Dixon) – 4×400 (4:13.85)
Class 3 Boys
1st – Brett Schwanke – Buffalo – 100 (10.49)
2nd – Brett Schwanke – Buffalo – 200 (21.67)
2nd – Tyson Williams – Lamar – Discus (161’0)
2nd – Canyon Crowley – Fair Grove – 400 (49.01)
3rd – Chase Sorrell – East Newton – 3200 (9:30.77)
4th – Canyon Crowley – Fair Grove – 400 (21.89)
4th – Lamar (Carson Sturgell, Blaine Breshears, Pierce Heins, Ian Ngugi) – 4×400 (3:27.55)
5th – Drew Ripko – Liberty – 300 Hurdles (40.85)
5th – Sean Walker – Buffalo – 3200 (9:34.29)
6th – El Dorado Springs (William Seitz, Braxton Watts, Logan Fisk, Connor Goatley) – 4×800 (8:16.13)
6th – Dominic Shaw – East Newton – Discus (146’6)
6th – Fair Grove (Dylan George, Kellen Lair, Liam Draper, Canyon Crowley) – 4×400 (3:28.58)
8th – Jesse Barry – Strafford – Triple Jump (48’8.75)
8th – Fair Grove (Esais Baird, Kellen Lair, Liam Draper, Canyon Crowley) – 4×200 (1:32.97)
Class 3 Girls
1st – Savannah Manthey – Salem – Javelin (140’1)
1st – El Dorado Springs (Lainey Dody, Neely Schaaf, McKinli Mays, Hannah Klaiber) – 4×400 (4:06.47)
2nd – Kinzie Tomey – Liberty – High Jump (5’3)
2nd – Isabella Renfro – Seneca – Shot Put (39’11.5)
3rd – Makena Hall – Aurora – 100 Hurdles (15.59)
3rd – Mountain Grove (Kylie Roth, Raylee Stenzel, Reagan Hoerning, Jozey Sharp-MacPherson) – 4×200 (1:46.85)
3rd – Cera Eckenroth – New Covenant – 1600 (5:09.02)
3rd – Cera Eckenroth – New Covenant – 800 (2:20.35)
3rd – McKinli Mays – El Dorado Springs – 400 (58.50)
4th – Clever (Jayleign Flood, Kierstin Maddox, Rylee Lansdown, Riley Britton) – 4×400 (4:09.43)
4th – Maliya Clark – Clever – 100 Hurdles (15.91)
5th – Katherine Schaefer – Hollister – 1600 (5:12.40)
5th – Jozey Sharp-MacPherson – Mountain Grove – 100 Dash (12.58)
5th – Elise Ferris – Lamar – Long Jump (17’10.25)
6th – Mountain Grove (Savannah Hellbusch, Raylee Stenzel, Reagan Hoerning, Jozey Sharp-MacPherson) – 4×100 (50.77)
5th – Katherin Schaefer – Hollister – 800 (2:21.55)
6th – Jayleign Flood – Clever – 400 (59.64)
7th – Mt. Vernon (Adalyn Mesicek, Camryn Cornell, Kadence Krempges, Nina Cowherd) – 4×100 (50.83)
7th – Raylee Stenzel – Mountain Grove – 300 Hurdles (47.47)
8th – Makenzie Arthur – Houston – Javelin (118’6)
8th – Jozey Sharp-MacPherson – Mountain Grove – 200 (26.59)
8th – Lauren Thompson – Fair Grove – Shot Put (37’7.75)
