Before storms moved through much of the HOPL area last weekend, the track teams were busy hosting two meets on Tuesday.
South Barber
The Chieftain track teams hosted a large Invite last Tuesday. Norwich won the girls’ side with 97 points. South Barber finished tied for fourth with 50 points. The South Barber boys finished fifth, six points behind Cunningham.
Paige Koblitz won the long jump by more than two inches at 14-9.25. Koblitz also took the gold in the triple jump by 13 inches at 32-5. Moira Kimmel finished third in that event at 30-2. Keeli Hostetler placed third in the 800m run in 2:40.46, half a second from the silver. Kassidy Clark just missed a medal in fifth place in the shot put at 30-1, 16 inches from third. The ladies’ 4x100m relay team finished second in 55.79.
Peyton Yandel picked up several points on the day. He won the 100m dash in photo finish by 0.01 seconds in 11.71. It was not as close in the 200m dash as Yandel earned a silver in 23.91, 0.22 seconds from the gold. In the field, he helped the Chieftains with a silver medal in the long jump at 18-11.5, more than a foot from the gold. He finished sixth in the triple jump at 37-5, three inches from fourth place. Luke Yearout won the javelin by more than seven feet at 160-11, a top ten throw in Class 1A. Yearout got the bronze in the shot put at 40-8, two inches from the silver. In the mile, Peyton Reeves finished fourth in 5:25.56.
Norwich
The Eagle track teams were among a handful of schools participating in Tuesday’s invite at South Barber. The Lady Eagles won the meet with 97 points, beating Caldwell’s 91 points and Fairview’s 75.5 points. The Norwich boys finished with 12 points in ninth place, 15 points behind Caldwell.
Mackenzie Klaver and Bailey Poe continue to scorch the track. Klaver won the 100m dash in 13.09, 0.34 seconds faster than Poe in second. The duo also dominated the 200m dash where Klaver won in 26.84. Poe finished in 27.61. Klaver has the second best times in Class 1A in both events. Klaver has the best 1A hurdle times in the state. She dominated those events for two more golds. Alecia Henson finished second in the mile in 6:22.43, and third in the two mile in 13:51.06. In the throwing events, Hayley Polijansek finished second in the discus at 100-10, and third in the shot put at 31-5.75. Brandon DePriest led the boys with a silver medal in the 400m dash in 54.94, half a second from the gold, and a fourth place finish in the 200m dash in 24.59.
Cunningham
The Wildcat tracksters were in action Tuesday at South Barber. The Cunningham boys finished fourth of 14 teams with 53 points. The Lady Wildcats also finished fourth, tying South Barber with 50 points.
Hunter Hope had the lone gold medal for the boys, clearing 11-6 on the pole vault, the same height as the next competitor. Only three vaulters in Class 1A have done better. In the sprints, Jordan Schaller finished third in the 100m dash (11.87), and the 200m dash (23.97). He also finished fourth in the javelin with a throw of 133-9. Luke Panek placed third in the two mile in 12:23.91, four seconds ahead of teammate Luke McAdam.
Kelsey Ricke claimed the lone gold for the Lady Wildats, winning the mile by more than 30 seconds in 5:49.18, the fifth-best time in 1A. She also took the silver in the 800m run in 2:39.46, missing the gold by four seconds. Brooke Kerschen finished second in the high jump at 5-0, the same height as the winner. She also finished second in the 300m hurdles in 51.78 for a top 1A time, losing only to the best time this year in Class 1A. In the 100m hurdles, Kerschen finished third in 17.91.
Stafford
The Trojan track teams had a successful showing Tuesday at South Barber. The Lady Trojans finished third with 57 points, trailing only Norwich (97) and Fairview (75.5). The Stafford boys tallied 44 points for sixth place.
Samantha Sosa vaulted a foot higher than everyone else for first place at 8-0. Kristen Lumpkins dominated the two mile, winning by 34 seconds in 13:06.11. She also won the 800m by nearly four seconds in 2:35.90, the fourth best time in Class 1A this year.
The McClures saw plenty of success for the Stafford boys. Dustin won the mile in 5:00.68, three seconds ahead of Derek. Dustin dominated the two mile by 42 seconds in 10:59.55, and finished second in the 800m run in 2:09.34.
Fairfield
The Falcons hosted a five-team invite on Tuesday. Brandy Burns remains a top competitor in Class 1A in the hurdles, winning the 100m even by more than two seconds in 16.68, and taking the 300m hurdles by more than three seconds in 51.00. The Lady Falcons picked up three silvers in the sprint events. Paige Soellner finished second in the 100m dash (13.84) and the 200m dash (28.90). Anna Schwertfeger finished second in the 400m dash in 1:07.56. All three of those losses came against the same runner in Hailey Davis of Haven. Lacey Buckwalter had similar success in the distance events, again trailing Haven with a silver and bronze medal. She finished the 1600m in 6:23.34 for third, and the two-mile in 13:24.53 for the silver. Schwertfeger’s triple jump of 32-0.5 was good enough for gold by more than six feet. She finished second in the discus at 102-1. Caitlyn Owens finished third at 91-05. Owens finished second in the javelin at 121-8.25 behind reigning state champion Kristin Waters, now in 2A.
P.J. Lewis took home the lone gold for the Falcon boys, winning the javelin by less than two inches at 136-4.25. He also captured the bronze in the 300m hurdles in 48.24.Cannon Burns finished second in the 400m dash for the boys in 54.84, less than half a second from the gold. Ryan Ewy cleared 5-4 for third in the high jump, six inches behind the top two finishers. Aaron Ewy threw the shot put 37-10 for third place.
Burrton
The Chargers were the other HOPL team in action at Tuesday’s five-team meet in Fairfield. Caleb Hurst won the mile by 15 seconds in 5:00.11. He finished second in the 800m run in 2:19.72. Trae Lane won the two-mile by more than a minute in 10:57.56, the seventh-best time in 1A. Lane showed off his speed in the 400m dash in third place (59.31). Kris Lane won the 300m hurdles by more than a second in 45.37, and finished second in the 110m hurdles in 18.50. In the throwing events, Brady Fernandez won the shot by 0.25 inches at 41-4.25. He picked up a second gold in the discus by more than six feet at 126-09, and finished fourth in the javelin at 128-01.
Sara Brambillia led the Lady Chargers with a silver medal in the triple jump at 25-10.25, more than six feet from the gold. Brea Hurst finished fourth in the discus, 25 inches short of the bronze medal.
