By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With Marshfield set to join the newly formed Ozark Mountain Conference next season, the rest of the Big 8 schools might be glad to see the Blue Jays go.
Marshfield’s girls track and field team completed a dominant run in the Big 8 on Monday with their fifth-straight championship in the conference meet at Mt. Vernon. And it wasn’t particularly close, either, with the Jays besting the field by nearly 70 points after winning by more than 80 last spring.
“I don’t know so much about the pressure of winning conference, it was more about holding the standard we’ve already created with how we compete,” said Marshfield coach Roy Kaderly. “We contributed all over. We had throws, vaults, jumps, hurdles, sprints. Just the whole team.”
“I think it was a good way to finish our run in the Big 8 as we move on to our new conference,” he said. “Come out on top with the girls here in the Big 8 and kind of leave it for whoever else comes up after us.”
Marshfield flashed its depth at the meet, with the Blue Jays only winning four events but scoring in 18, and often with multiple athletes.
Lauren Luebbert won the javelin throw with a distance of 128–08; Tilly Greenfield won the long jump with a distance of 17–07.50; Abigail McBride won the triple jump with a distance of 37–01; and the 4×100 relay of Grace Kimrey, Abigail McBride, Cassie Fishel and Jordan Jung won that event in 49.82 seconds.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MEET
Top-three finishers included Jung (2nd) and Fishel (3rd) in the 100-meter dash; Jung (2nd) in the 200; Cora Johnson (2nd) in the 300 hurdles; Jung (2nd) in the 400; Skylee Lamke (2nd) in the 800; Lamke (2nd) in the 1600; Lamke (2nd) in the 3200; Gracelyn Bull (2nd) and Adyson Clark (3rd) in the discus throw; Greenfield (2nd) in the high jump; Abigail McBride (3rd) in the long jump; and Clark (2nd) in the shot put.
Among those performances were a bevy of PR’s for the Blue Jays.
McDonald County finished second in the team standings and was highlighted by Samantha Dowd, who won the 100-meter dash in 11.93 seconds, and the 200 with a time of 25.15 seconds. The Mustangs also won the 4×200 relay with Ireona Nirka, Corina Holland, Carlie Martin and Dowd winning in 1:47.85.
Lamar’s Abigail Diggs won both the 800 (2:26.20) and 1600 (5:31.61), while Audra Lloyd won the discus throw (133–09). The Tigers won both the 4×400 and 4×800 relays, with Brenna Morey, Diggs, Brooklyn Livingston and Olivia Force taking the 400 relay in 4:14.34 and the 4×800 relay of Livingston, Morey, Mikayla Madison and Diggs winning in 10:37.05.
Aurora’s Makena Hall was a three-time champion on Monday. She won the 100 hurdles in 15.68 seconds; the 300 hurdles in 49.09 seconds; and the pole vault with a height of 10–00.
Monett’s Vayla Smith was tops in the open 400 with a time of 1:00.95.
Allie Johnson, for Reeds Spring, won the high jump at 5–02.25.
Seneca’s top performer was Isabella Renfro, who won the shot put at 37–10.50.
Host Mt. Vernon was led by Rylee Simons’ first-place showing in the 3200 in 12:20.20.
Lamar boys win third title in four years
Lamar head coach Rodney Baldridge was hoping his team would put itself in a good position on Monday, and several pleasant surprises throughout the day ensured that was the case.
The Tigers won the conference championship for the second straight year, and they did so with seven first-place finishes and points coming from 15 events.
“They came out and performed well and we had several guys really step up,” Baldridge said. “We never want to take that for granted. Our kids just have a habit of stepping up and performing big in big meets. I’m proud of them.”
Ian Ngugi was one of the team’s big performers; he won the 100-meter dash in 10.88 seconds and the 200 in 22.47 seconds. Trace Wooldridge won the discus throw (153–07) and the shot put (56–02). Orry Jones won the 300 hurdles in 42.83 seconds, and the Tigers also won the 4×100 and 4×200 relays with Aiden Sheat, Ngugi, Chase Querry and Adam Kluhsman finishing the 100 relay in 43.17 seconds, and Sheat, Kluhsman, Querry and Ngugi winning the 200 relay in 1:30.23.
The 4×200 relay team broke Lamar’s school record in the event, and the 4×100 came close to a season’s best time.
And Wooldridge set a new school record with his shot put, and broke his own PR in the discus, too.
Querry added a second-place finish in the 200 and the long jump; Jack Killmon was second in the high jump. The 4×400 relay of Cameron Bailey, Zandan Baker, Luke Kingsley and Preston Heins was third, and the 4×800 relay took second with Bailey, David Dunham, Ryder Friend and Pierce Heins running.
“It’s good knowing they’re getting ready, that they’re competing well going into the championship series,” Baldridge said. “Our assistant coaches have done a great job in all the different areas. I’m just proud of them all.”
East Newton’s Chase Sorrell led the Patriots with three victories at the meet; he won the 800 in 2:01.35, the 1600 in 4:20.30, and the 3200 in 10:29.54. And teammate Nicholas Shaeffer won the 400 in 51.82 seconds.
McDonald County’s 4×400 relay of Samuel Barton, Ryder Martin, Aidrian Short and Joshua Pacheco brought home gold in that event with a time of 3:28.36.
For Marshfield, Bradley Pruitt won the pole vault at 12–06 and Brayden Hicks won the triple jump with a distance of 45–01.50.
The Nevada boys had two first-place finishes: Kendrick Atkins won the high jump at 5–09.75, and Uche Mba won the long jump with a distance of 22–03.50.
Mt. Vernon’s Braxton Horton won the javelin throw with a distance of 158–08.
Trevor Pinegar won the 110 hurdles in 15.85 seconds for Reeds Spring, and the school’s 4×800 relay of Thomas Holland, Dane Thierbach, Reed Thierbach and Max Hirschi was first in 8:28.84.
Girls team scores
Marshfield 174.5
McDonald County 106
Lamar 81
Nevada 69
Aurora 63.5
Monett 59
Reeds Spring 45
Seneca 36
East Newton 36
Mt. Vernon 29
Logan-Rogersville 17
Hollister 10
Springfield Catholic 8
Cassville 7
Boys team scores
Lamar 127
East Newton 81
McDonald County 77
Marshfield 64
Nevada 60
Mt. Vernon 56
Reeds Spring 48
Seneca 45
Logan-Rogersville 44
Hollister 35
Cassville 35
Monett 29
Aurora 26
Springfield Catholic 13
