ARMA — The Wildcats swept the team championships at Thursday’s Three Rivers League meet in Arma with Yates Center capturing the boys’ title and Marmaton Valley winning the girls’ crown.
YATES CENTER
Yates Center was led by their usual trio of outstanding distance runners with sophomore Hadley Splechter earning three golds as juniors Colin Bedell and Jordan Smith raked in the points behind him.
Splechter, Bedell and Smith finished 1-2-3 in both the mile and two-mile runs.
Splechter finished the 1600-meter run in 4:59.23 with his teammates following closely behind as Smith took second with Bedell in third.
Splechter opened up more of a gap in the 3200-meter run with a 9:47.5 while Bedell took second with a 11:26.88 and Smith finished third with a 11:27.02.
Splechter also won the 800-meter run with a 2:09.16 while Smith finished right behind him for second.
The trio teamed with Kobe Forsyth to win the 4×800 relay with a 8:35.54.
Levi Cooper also had a strong meet for Yates Center with a victory in the 400-meter dash by running a 52.67.
Cooper also helped the 4×400 relay which captured another first-place finish. Cooper finished second in the 200-meter dash.
Other top finishes included third place showings by Thayne Smith, Quin Lowder and Austin Crabtree in the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles respectively.
The Wildcat 4×100 relay also finished second.
On the girls’ side, freshman Jaylee Catron led the squad by taking second in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles.
The Wildcats finished ninth as a team.
CREST
The Crest girls’ took second as a team with sophomore Camryn Strickler leading the charge by sweeping the hurdle events.
Strickler ran a 17.88 to win the 100-meter hurdles and posted a 51.74 to cruise to a victory in the 300-meter hurdles.
Senior Laurel Godderz added to the team’s medal count by placing second in the javelin and third in the discus.
Cassie Bowen (high jump) and Breyanna Benjamin (triple jump) each added an individual third.
The 4×100 realay team of Strickler, Benjamin, Regan Godderz and Karlee Hammond also finished third.
Lancer freshman Billy Lyda stole the show for the Lancer boys — who took sixth as a team. Lyda was able to win the 100-meter dash with a 11.02, but his best showing of the day came in the 200-meter dash.
Lyda ran a 22.29 to break a 20-year shool record and win the event.
Caleb Stephens added a second place finish in the high jump.
MARMATON VALLEY
The Wildcats ran away with the girls’ team championship with 115 points compared to 65 for the second-place Lancers.
Freshman Bailey Griffith was the team’s leading point-getter with first-place finishes in the triple jump with a 35’8.5 — teammate Kyla Drake was second with a 31’10.5” — and the 200-meter dash with a 27.49.
Griffith also finished second in the 100-meter dash and long jump.
In additional to her runner-up mark in the triple jump, Drake won the high jump and took third in the 800-meter run.
The Wildcats added another title by winning the 4×800 relay.
Junior Shelby Yoho was a workhorse for the Wildcats as she ran all the long-distance races. She took second in the 3200-meter run and fourth in both the 800-meter run and the 1600-meter run.
Senior Brooklynn Newman was second in the shot put and fourth in the discus.
Megan Ensminger took third in the long jump.
The Wildcat boys picked up a pair of individual golds and finished seventh as a team.
Will Holman won the discus with a throw of 120’5.75” and Trent Vest won the long jump with a 20’0.5”.
