ANDERSON -- The McDonald County boys' and girls' track squads opened their 2023 seasons with strong showings in the Ebenee Munoz Memorial Mustang Stampede held Wednesday, March 22, at Mustang Stadium.
The Mustangs finished fifth (out of 10 teams) with 94 points behind Carthage (187), East Newton (105), Cassville (101) and Monett (100).
The Lady Mustangs came in fourth (out of nine) with 93.5 points behind Carthage (197.5), Monett (134) and Cassville (103).
"I think the meet went well," said McDonald County girls' coach Ashleigh Griffin. "It's always tough hosting the first meet of the year because kids always have questions on when to warm up and where to go, etc., and sometimes you're so busy you just hope they figure it out, and they always do."
The Mustangs were led by first-place finishes in the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relay races, a first-place win by Andrew Moritz in the javelin and first-place wins by Joshua Pacheco in the long and triple jumps.
"Senior Andrew Moritz hit a big javelin throw meet one that is only a few meters off his best," said Griffin. "And senior Esteban Martinez ran very well in his events, starting the season with the same times he finished with, so that will be fun to see him build on that this year.
"Senior Hunter Leach ran his 800 and mile faster than he ended the season with," she continued. "Our boys 4x100 relay was 0.7 seconds from a school record and the 4x200 relay was 1.3 seconds from the school record. I could name everyone and say something great they did, but it is nice to see our seniors stepping up and starting off the year strong."
She noted that the boys "need to work on being mentally tough," adding, "They are good, and they are starting to see they are good, but they have to continue to push themselves to improve to reach their full potential."
The Lady Mustangs had good showings in the field events, with Anna Belle Price and Kyla Moore finishing third and fifth, respectively, in the pole vault to go with top-10 finishes by three Lady Mustangs in the discus, shot put and javelin, where sophomore Anissa Ramirez finished first, her sister Analisa Ramirez, a senior, taking second and sophomore Malia Diaz sixth.
"Analisa and Anissa Ramirez started off strong in the javelin," said Griffin. "It's fun to watch them compete."
The coach added that Peyton Cooper "started well in the discus as compared to her first meet last year."
Corina Holland was impressive in a trio of running events for the Lady Mustangs. The junior placed fifth in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200.
"Corina is seconds ahead of this time last year in the 100 and 200," said her coach. "She will be a fun one to watch as the season progresses. And Anna Belle Price ran a fantastic 800 and a personal best for her leg of the 4x400 relay. Our 4x4 is 17 seconds ahead of this time last year. Senior Abby Pagel has picked up right where she left off in the long and triple jump."
Griffin said the coaching staff is pleased with where the squads stand after the season-opening meet.
"As a program on the boys' and girls' side, we are trending in the right direction," she said. "We know what we need to work on and have a starting point to compare to for this season. We obviously are just getting started and are not complacent in our performances or team standings, but it is a great start."
She added that the staff was also happy overall with the home meet.
"We can't put events on like this without the help of our volunteers, so 'thank you' to them," she said. "There was great competition -- big schools, conference schools and small schools that have great competitors -- and I love the junior varsity/varsity setup. It allows a lot of kids to get to see a structure they normally wouldn't."
Bennett Horne/McDonald County Press McDonald County senior Analisa Ramirez finished second in the javelin with a toss of 97-05.25 during the 2023 Ebenee Munoz Memorial Mustang Stampede on Wednesday, March 22, at Mustang Stadium.
Bennett Horne/McDonald County Press McDonald County senior Andrew Moritz won the javelin competition during the 2023 McDonald County Ebenee Munoz Memorial Mustang Stampede with a throw of 151-05.75.
Bennett Horne/McDonald County Press McDonald County students cheer on the Mustang and Lady Mustang track competitors at the finish line during the 2023 Ebenee Munoz Memorial Mustang Stampede on Wednesday, March 22, at Mustang Stadium.