Led by fifth place finishes in the 2000 meter steeplechase, the girls 4x800 meter relay and the shot put, several members of the McDonald County High School boys and girls track teams cracked the top 10 at the prestigious Jock's Nitch/PSU Gorilla Relays held April 9-10 in Pittsburg, Kan.
McDonald County junior Cole Cooper took fifth in the 2000 meter steeple chase in his first attempt at the event. Cooper finished in a time of 7:16.77 while Janzen White, of Joplin won the race in 6:37.54.
Cooper added a 23rd place in the 3200 meter run in a time of 11:04.18, finishing just behind teammate Wade Schmit, who was 19th in 10:46.26. Logan Deblye, of Joplin won the event in 10:06.45.
The girls 4x800 relay of Dakota Bunch, Emily High, Cassidy Dowd and Faith Owens took fifth in a time of 10:25.77. Carl Junction won the race with a time of 9:50.96.
Bunch added a seventh place in the 400 meter run (1:06.16) while Dowd was ninth (1:06.40). Carsyn Spurgeon, of vinita, Okla., was the winner in a time of 57.64.
Bunch also competed in the 800 meter run, taking 17th (2:37.91) while Owens was 22nd (2:40.42).
Donovan Hadley was the Mustangs final fifth place finisher, taking fifth in the discus with a throw of 136-5. Teammates Miguel Carbajal and Elias Gallegos were seventh (124-4) and 20th (109-2), respectively. Dylan Untereker, of Pittsburg won the event with a throw of 148-7.
Hadley also picked up an eighth place in the shot put with a toss of 41-10.5. Gallegos was 22nd with a best of 38-5. The winning throw was 51-0.5 by Chase Johnston, of Carl Junction.
The Mustang boys 4x800 relay team of Connor Underwood, Wes Bethel, Treyton Murphy and Schmit took eighth with a time of 8:43.76. Grove, Okla. won the relay in a time of 8:22.29.
Bethel added a 13th in the 1600 in 4:53.29. The race was won by Luke Murphy, of Lincoln Christian in 4:33.46. Murphy was 24th in the 800 meter run in 2:13.85 and teammate James Walker was 26th in 2:15.72. The race winner was Connor Southard, of Pittsburg, Kan. in 1:59.59.
Just missing top 10 finishes were Jose Santillan (12th, 110 meter hurdles; 16th, 300 meter hurdles), Bailey Rickett (15th, high jump) and Jordan Witt (12th, triple jump; 20th, high jump).
Webb City
A split team competed April 6 at the Webb City Relays, led by Witt's second place in the high jump with a jump of 4-6. Madison Yonker, of Pierce City won the event with a leap of 4-8. Witt added a sixth in the long jump (13-11).
Hadley and Jacob Spurlock led the boys with third place finishes. Hadley was third in the discus (132-0) while Spurlock was third in the pole vault (9-5).
Other McDonald County finishes in the top three included Chloe Morris, third, pole vault, 7-0; Witt, third, triple jump, 30-6; girls 4x200 meter relay (Andrea Creason, Rachel Brown, Riley Rickman and Calvert) third, 2:07.64; and Rickman, third, 800 meter run, 2:50.54.
McDonald County's next meet is set for April 16 at the East Newton Relays.
Sports on 04/16/2015