‘Dogs’ Duncan all-state at Class 4 Meet

JEFFERSON CITY – Junior Matt Duncan made significant improvement in his second-straight competition in the Missouri Class 4 Championships, finishing 22^nd overall and earning all-state honors on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Hough Park.

Duncan had a time of 16:33 in Saturday’s race for his 22^nd placement. The top 25 finishers earn all-state recognition.

In his first state meet last year Duncan placed 48^th overall.

"This was Matt’s best race of the season and what he has worked for all summer and fall," said RHS cross country coach Don Knapp. "He got valuable experience last year at the state meet and he set his goals higher and was very determined. This is an outstanding accomplishment for an exceptional young runner, and Matt certainly has earned this level with his efforts."

Eric Fernandez was the Class 4 medalist with a time of 15:50. St. Louis University High won the team title with 113 points while Parkway West was second at 118 and the Ozark Conference’s Springfield Kickapoo was third at 143. Another Rolla conference rival, Lebanon, placed ninth as a team with 214 points.

Other top area Class 4 finishers included Kickapoo’s Rick Elliott, second at 15:58; Kickapoo’s Danny Thater, eighth at 16:17; Springfield Glendale’s Ben Chapman, ninth at 16:19; Lebanon’s Jacob Whillock, 30^th at 16:44 and Lebanon’s Michael Weis, 31^st at 16:45.

Potosi defended its state title with 78 points followed by the Ozark Conference’s West Plains with 87 and Cape Girardeau Notre Dame third at 104.

Potosi’s Jacob Swearingen was the individual state champion with a time of 16:00 while West Plains’ Philip Palomino was eighth at 16:40.

Licking placed 15^th in the team standings with 383 points. Herculaneum was the Class 2 team champion with 67 points while Smithville and Osage both finished runner-up with 115.

O’Hara’s Max Storms was the individual state champion with a time of 16:39. Cuba’s Brent Simshauser was 19^th overall at 17:35. For Licking, Joey Bladdick was 48^th at 18:16, Glenn Mordis 122^nd at 19:23, Ryan Settles 136^th at 19:37, Ethan Smith 146^th at 19:53 and Jay Williams 159^th at 21:34. For Dixon Kyle Williams finished 83^rd at 18:45.

College Heights Christian easily won the team title with 17 points while West Platte was second with 76 and Lone Jack third with 163.

Ethan Beaver, of College Heights Christian, was the state meet medalist with a time of 16:51. Vienna’s Trent Blackwell placed 44^th at 18:56 while Laquey runners Riley Rollins was 78^th at 19:33, Brandon Hernandez 80^th at 19:35 and Michael Wilson 104^th at 19:58.

Parkway Central’s Diane Robison was the individual state champion with a time of 18:39. Lee’s Summit West won the team title with 73 points while Eureka was second at 106 and Rockwood Summit third at 127.

Waynesville’s Melanie McVay placed 124^th overall at 22:08. For the Lebanon Yellow Jackets, also of the Ozark Conference, Michelle Hicks was 13^th at 19:55, Katie Abbet 40^th at 20:35, Krenda McClure 48^th at 20:38 and Brianna Ragains 91^st at 21:28.

West Plains won the girls’ Class 3 state title with a team score of 74 while Ste. Genevieve was second at 90 and Branson third at 92.

Natalie Todd of Ladue Horton Watkins was the individual medalist with a time of 19:05. For the state champion West Plains Lady Zizzers, Brittani Johnson was fifth overall at 19:49, Dacey Mitchell 14^th at 20:17, Makenzie Seidel 20^th at 20:29, Olivia McCormick 25^th at 20:35, Sabrina Peterman 34^th at 20:55, Ashley Perisho 45^th at 21:13 and Lauren Robson 51^st at 21:19.

The Mountain Grove Lady Panthers of the South-Central Association placed third overall in the team competition with 114 points. Cuba was seventh as a team with 195. Herculaneum, like their male counterparts, won the state team title with 69 points while Smithville – like the boys’ race – was runner-up with 90.

Lilly Fisher of Pembroke Hill was the individual state champion at 20:10.

Other area places included Kelsie Hutsell of Willow Springs fourth at 20:32, Whitney Coats of Mountain Grove 18^th at 21:26, Kristina Short of Mountain Grove 27^th at 21:37, Amber White of Cuba 32^nd at 21:44 and Paige Kruse of Cuba 51^st at 22:22.

Several Laquey and Plato runners competed in the girls’ Class 1 race. Penney won the team title with 27 points while College Heights Christian was second at 60 and Alton third at 104. Vienna placed ninth with 264 points while Laquey as 13^th at 318.

Emily Beaver of College Heights Christian was the individual state champion at 20:13.

Other area runners finishes included: Deseray Helton of Vienna 38^th at 22:45, Julie Baker of Plato 59^th at 23:42, Simone McGuffee of Laquey 74^th at 24:28, Emily Murray of Laquey 83^rd at 24:40, Karson Peterson of Plato 84^th at 24:42, Devin Michel of Vienna 87^th at 24:48, Josie Lenk of Vienna 91^st at 24:51, Brittany Franks of Vienna 105^th at 25:11, Jennifer Boyd of Laquey 122^nd at 26:14, Rachel Drue of Laquey 124^th at 26:18, Mingee Kent of Plato 130^th at 26:47, Rebecca Garro of Vienna 138^th at 28:07, Shelbee Cowart of Laquey 139^th at 28:12, Ashlyn Helton of Vienna 146^th at 29:21 and Elaina James of Vienna 152^nd at 34:51.

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Rolla’s Duncan, Carlile both place 13^th

JEFFERSON CITY – There were no all-state performances by Rolla High School athletes over the weekend at the Missouri Class 4 Track and Field Championships, held at Dwight T. Reed Stadium on the campus of Lincoln University Friday and Saturday, May 25-26.

The meet was hampered by rainy conditions, particularly on Friday. At one point the meet was stopped due to lightning for more than an hour.

Sophomore Matt Duncan of the RHS boys’ track squad lowered his personal-best time in the 1,600-meter run at the state meet on Friday, but it wasn’t enough for an all-state placement. Duncan had a time of 4:27.89 – nearly two seconds off his previous top time, which was the best time ever recorded by a Bulldog sophomore. He placed 13^th at the state meet.

Senior Taylour Carlile of the RHS girls’ squad also placed 13^th in the pole vault with a leap of 9-0. The girls’ pole vault was supposed to begin at 2 p.m. but because of rain and lightning delays the vaulters had to warm up several times, and the competition did not end until after 6 p.m.

In addition, the RHS boys’ 1,600-meter relay team of Robbie Pettijohn, Ryan Peterson, Tyler Edwards and Terrell Shannon ran on Friday but did not have a time, as it was disqualified.

The Class 4 boys’ team title went to Lee’s Summit North with 70 points while Fort Zumwalt South was second with 52 and Raytown South third with 42. Jefferson City High School won the Class 4 girls’ team crown with 58.5 points while Hazelwood East was second with 54 points and Blue Springs third with 43.

In Class 3 Potosi won the boys’ team title with 63.75 points while MICDS was second with 50 and Ruskin third with 37. McCluer South-Berkeley won the Class 3 girls’ state title with 76 points while Festus was second with 50 and Ladue Horton Watkins third with 40.

The performance of the weekend was probably turned in by Alishea Usery, a junior from McCluer South-Berkeley in the girls’ Class 3 Meet. Usery won three state titles, setting new state records in each. She captured the 100-meter dash at :11.69, the 200-meter dash at :23.78 and the 400-meter dash at :53.55.

Here are the winners in each event, along with other area results:

100-meter dash – Maurice Mitchell, jr., Raytown South, :10.42; 9. Deondus O’Bryant, jr., Washington, :11.14.

200-meter dash – 1. Maurice Mitchell, jr., Raytown South, :20.96*; 7. Deondus O’Bryant, jr., Washington, :22.12; 11. Sam Scott, jr., Waynesville, :22.59; 12. Robert Bollinger, sr., Springfield Parkview, :22.64; 13. Collin Craig, sr., Lebanon, :23.12.

400-meter dash – 1. Maurice Mitchell, jr., Raytown South, :47.60; 5. Deondus O’Bryant, jr., Washington, :49.12; 13. Collin Craig, sr., Lebanon, :51.36.

3,200-meter run – 1. Eric Fernandez, jr., Parkway West, 9:20.73; 10. Josh Buschling, jr., Washington, 9:52.55.

110-meter hurdles – 1. Darius Walker, sr., Lee’s Summit North, :14.04; 4. Kerwin Stricker, so., Washington, :14.68; 6. Solomon Williams, so., Waynesville, :14.98; 9. Lucas Bateman, jr., Waynesville, :15.38.

300-meter hurdles – 1. Darius Walker, sr., Lee’s Summit North, :37.75; 2. Kerwin Stricker, so., Washington, :38.77; 3. Lucas Bateman, jr., Waynesville, :39.12.

4x100-meter relay – 1. McCluer North, :41.55*; 13. Camdenton, :44.50; 15. Springfield Kickapoo, :45.22.

4x200-meter relay – 1. 1. Hazelwood Central, 1:25.62*; 2. McCluer North, 1:25.76*; 6. Waynesville, 1:28.74; 13. Camdenton, 1:32.16; 14. Springfield Parkview, 1:32.18.

4x400-meter relay – 1. Blue Springs, 3:18.63; 5. Washington, 3:22.76; 11. Lebanon, 3:27.82; Rolla DQ.

4x800-meter relay – 1. Ft. Zumwalt South, 7:49.30; 3. Lebanon, 7:53.44; 16. Waynesville, 8:20.53.

High jump – 1. Andre’ McDonald, jr., Park Hill, 6-9; 2. Craig Schultz, Springfield Glendale, 6-8; t-4. Taylor MacFee, sr., Joplin, 6-4.

Long jump – 1. Andre’ McDonald, jr., Park Hill, 23-1 ½; 2. Rickardo Chambers, jr., Waynesville, 22-9; 5. Kerwin Stricker, so., Washington, 21-10 3/4; 13. Craig Schultz, sr., Glendale, 20-9 1/4.

Shot put – 1. Brooks Mosier, so., Lee’s Summit West, 55-10 1/4; 4. Grant Garwood, sr., Joplin, 53-5 3/4; 10. Nick Teer, sr., Waynesville, 50-8.

800-meter run – 1. Darwin Price, jr., Normandy, 1:54.30.

1,600-meter run – 1. Kyle Rood, sr., Ft. Zumwalt South, 4:12.04; 4. Rick Elliott, jr., Kickapoo, 4:15.16; 13. Matt Duncan, so., Rolla, 4:27.89.

Pole vault – 1. Matt Willingham, sr., Cape Central, 15-0; 14. Mike Honeywell, jr., Joplin, 12-6.

Triple jump – 1. Terence Hawkins, sr., Holt, 48-9; 11. Rickardo Chambers, jr., Waynesville, 43-11; 12. Solomon Williams, so., Waynesville, 43-2 ½.

Discus – 1. James Coleman, jr., Marquette, 178-3; 9. Grant Garwood, sr., Joplin, 143-1.

100-meter dash – 1. Alexis Bates, fr., St. Joseph Central, :11.92; 10. Chantel Barnett, fr., Parkview, :12.85.

200-meter dash – 1. Paris Daniels, jr., Normandy, :24.55; 11. Tina Scharpman, jr., Waynesville, :26.42; 13. Katrina Warner, sr., Camdenton, :26.71.

400-meter dash – 1. Paris Daniels, jr., Normandy, :56.10; 11. Tina Scharpman, jr., Waynesville, :59.41 16. Katie Dusenburg, jr., Lebanon, 1:01.16.

800-meter run – 1. Lauren Borduin, jr., Columbia Rock Bridge, 2:12.51; 8. Celia Venezia, fr., Washington, 2:20.87.

1,600-meter run – 1. Lauren Borduin, jr., Rock Bridge, 5:01.77; 14. Rebecca Senn, fr., Kickapoo, 5:26.12.

100-meter hurdles – 1. Tiana Davis, sr., Park Hill, :14.39.

300-meter hurdles – 1. Tiera Jones, jr., Hazelwood East, :43.99.

4x100-meter relay – 1. Grandview, :47.73; 14. Camdenton, :50.54; 15. Glendale, :51.11; 16. Parkview, :53.06.

4x200-meter relay – 1. Blue Springs, 1:42.33; 14. Camdenton, 1:47.30.

4x400-meter relay – 1. Jefferson City, 3:53.20; 13. Washington, 4:09.82.

High jump – 1. Ashley Taylor, fr., Oak Park, 5-7; 7. Mallory Thomson, sr., Parkview, 5-2.

Triple jump – 1. Katy Thomas, sr., Park Hill South, 38-0 3/4; 11. Johannah Bangert, sr., Washington, 35-9; 16. Katie Dusenburg, jr., Lebanon, 33-10.

Shot put – 1. Jasmine Boyer, so., Ft. Zumwalt West, 42-6 1/4; 8. Ashlie Shimmin, fr., Joplin, 40-1 ½; 9. Emily Jones, sr., Joplin, 39-7 1/4.

3,200-meter run – 1. Aimee Bonte, jr., Rockwood Summit, 11:10.23; 5. Brandi Gervais, sr., Waynesville, 11:22.84; 12. Taylor Whitacre, sr., Lebanon, 11:46.16.

4x800-meter relay – 1. Lee’s Summit West, 9:29.03; 12. Lebanon, 9:55.06.

Pole vault – 1. Breanna Bussel, sr., Jefferson City, 11-9; 13. Taylour Carlile, sr., Rolla, 9-0.

Long jump – 1. Shawnte’ Middlebrook, sr., Lee’s Summit West, 18-7; 10. Stephanie Todd, sr., Glendale, 16-8; 12. Johannah Bangert, sr., Washington, 16-0 1/4; 14. Nicky Branting, fr., Camdenton, 15-9 ½.

Discus – 1. Jelani Kelly, jr., Hazelwood Central, 134-6; 7. Emily Jones, sr., Joplin, 121-8; 13. Sheena Carter, jr., Camdenton, 108-10.

100-meter dash – 1. Thomas Brown, sr., Fulton, :10.72; 12. Cody Correll, jr., Sullivan, :11.48.

200-meter dash – 1. Chandler Brooks, sr., Center, :21.98; 12. Matt Gargus, sr., Owensville, :23.04.

400-meter dash – 1. Ryan Blackwell, sr., Westminster, :48.54; 9. Cody Correll, jr., Sullivan, :50.86; 15. Ely Parker, jr., Ava, :52.18.

3,200-meter run – 1. Josh Mathis, sr., Potosi, 9:08.74; 9. Philip Palomino, so., West Plains, 9:48.33; 10. Brad Kintner, so., West Plains, 9:50.70.

110-meter hurdles – 1. Tyler Shaw, jr., Lutheran North, :14.19; 13. Karl Tesch, jr., Mtn. Grove, :15.88.

300-meter hurdles – 1. Richard Lowe, sr., Ruskin, :37.61; 5. Richard York, so., St. Clair, :40.52; 13. Barrett Estes, jr., West Plains, :41.64.

4x100-meter relay – 1. Jennings, :42.56; 7. Owensville, :44.77; 13. West Plains, :44.76.

4x200-meter relay – 1. McCluer South-Berkeley, 1:28.42; 8. Owensville, 1:32.97.

4x400-meter relay – 1. St. Dominic, 3:22.58.

4x800-meter relay – 1. Potosi, 7:56.42.

Pole vault – 1. Mickey Defilippo, sr., MICDS, 15-6; 3. Barrett Estes, jr., West Plains, 14-0; t-5. Richard York, so., St. Clair, 13-0; 10. John Lowe, jr., West Plains, 12-6; 15. Cody Correll, jr., Sullivan, 11-6.

Triple jump – 1. Bryson Banks, sr., MICDS, 47-1.

Discus – 1. Corey Jones, so., Boonville, 165-7; 16. Adam Kay, sr., Sullivan, 110-11.

800-meter run – 1. Josh Thebeau, sr., Potosi, 1:53.46.

1,600-meter run – 1. Josh Thebeau, sr., Potosi, 4:11.17; 11. Brad Kintner, so., West Plains, 4:30.45.

High jump – 1. Josh Sutton, jr., North County, 6-2; 15. Zack Jenkins, sr., Sullivan, 8-0.

Long jump – 1. Bryson Banks, sr., MICDS, 22-3 3/4; 10. Wes Stammers, sr., Owensville, 20-5.

Shot put – 1. Corey Jones, so., Boonville, 56-3; 6. Fred McGee, sr., St. Clair, 53-8 1/4; 10. Jarrod Cahillil, so., Union, 49-3 ½.

100-meter dash – 1. Alishea Usery, jr., McCluer South-Berkeley, :11.69*; 4. Dea Dea Sieckmann, jr., Owensville, :12.32; 14. Alyssa Burkardt, so., West Plains, :13.39.

200-meter dash – 1. Alishea Usery, jr., M.S.-Berkeley, :23.78*; 14. Alyssa Burkardt, so., West Plains, :26.73.

400-meter dash – 1. Alishea Usery, jr., M.S.-Berkeley, :53.55*.

800-meter run – 1. Alyssa Allison, so., Festus, 2:16.25; 3. Makenzie Seidel, jr., West Plains, 2:18.23.

1,600-meter run – 1. Alyssa Allison, so., Festus, 5:06.67; 8. Dacey Mitchell, so., West Plains, 5:17.51.

100-meter hurdles – 1. Tiffani McReynolds, fr., Pembroke Hill, :14.62; 15. Brianna Watson, so., West Plains, :16.92.

300-meter hurdles – 1. Danisa Bennett, jr., Ladue, :43.38; 11. Rachel King, jr., Sullivan, :47.90.

4x100-meter relay – 1. University City, :48.35*; 8. Owensville, :51.61.

4x200-meter relay – 1. M.S.-Berkeley, 1:41.07; 14. Mtn. Grove, 1:49.51.

4x400-meter relay – 1. M.S.-Berkeley, 3:45.78*; 11. West Plains, 4:09.39; 12. Sullivan, 4:10.09.

Pole vault – 1. Tara Diebold, sr., Branson, 12-5*.

Long jump – 1. Katy Roweton, so., Bolivar, 17-3.

Discus – 1. Rickeal Roach, sr., Lutheran South, 152-9*; 6. Mikala Siperly, so., West Plains, 124-6.

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RHS group set for Class 4 Track Meet

JEFFERSON CITY – It’s not a huge contingent.

But the Rolla High School track team is hoping it’s a very successful one it is taking to the Missouri Class 4 Track and Field Championships.

The Missouri Class 4 track meet will be held Friday and Saturday, May 25-26, at Dwight T. Reed Stadium on the campus of Lincoln University.

Rolla will be represented by six athletes in three events.

Senior Taylour Carlile in the girls’ pole vault, sophomore Matt Duncan in the boys’ 1,600-meter run and the boys’ 1,600-meter relay team of Robbie Pettijohn, Ryan Peterson, Tyler Edwards and Terrell Shannon (with Ryan Davenport as the alternate) are the RHS athletes who will be competing..

Those Bulldogs advanced through last week’s Class 4 Section 1 Meet at Parkway South High School in St. Louis. The top four finishers in each event advanced from the sectionals to the state meet.

Duncan placed second in the 1,600-meter run at sectionals with a 4:29.9 – the fastest time for a sophomore in school history. Carlile placed fourth at sectional in the pole vault. In the sectional pole vault the top four all cleared 10-0. A jump-off determined first place, and the winning height ended up being 10-3. The RHS boys’ 4x400 relay ran its fastest time of the season at sectionals at 3:25.3.

Duncan has thrived in big meets. He set his P.R. at the district meet with a second-place finish of 4:31.78. And then bettered it at sectionals.

And he’s now got plenty of experience in big events. Duncan placed 48^th in the Missouri Class 4 Cross Country Championships in the fall with a time of 17:01.8 – one of the top sophomores to finish the race.

"It helps me keep the intensity, going to bigger competitions," Duncan said. "The intensity (at the state meet) will be pretty much the same.

"I’m excited where I’m running now. My goal was to run 4:33 in district and did that."

A pair of runner-up finishes at district and sectionals has indicated to Duncan he’s not that far off a all-state placement in the state meet if he runs his race. The top eight finishers receive all-state recognition.

"I want to have my best time of the year," Duncan said. "I should be able to do that. It’s the best competition of the year.

"If I run my best time I would be happy. Just being there as a sophomore is what I wanted. A P.R. is really what I want."

And if that occurs the key for Duncan probably will be the cross country endurance he has.

"I think my strong point is the second half of the race," he said. "A lot of kids give up in the second mile. I thought I ran the third and fourth lap better than some kids."

It’s likely going to take a personal-best vault for Carlile to place high in the rugged girls’ pole vault competition this weekend.

And she’s made a habit of setting those this season.

Carlile broke the school record in the pole vault a few times this season, including in the season’s first meet.

Her school mark now sits at 10-3, set at the Rolla Classic. If she hits that again she should be in the hunt for an all-state medal.

"I’m really going to try and shoot for 10-6," Carlile said. "I will try to beat my best. The last time I was up there (on the Lincoln University track) it was snowing on the way up and I got 9-6."

Carlile says she’s not going to worry about the state’s top competition...she’s trying to compete against herself.

"Jefferson City (High School) is amazing," she said. "They have one girl who is at 11-6 and one who is at 11-0.

"I’m doing it for me...a personal-best for me."

And it may not be her final pole vault competition.

"Washington University is trying to get me to enroll in the spring semester and pole vault there," she said. "I’m enrolled at (St. Louis University) for the first semester.

"We’ll see."

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6 Bulldogs advance to state track meet in 3 events

ST. LOUIS – The Rolla High School track team advanced five members of the boys’ squad and one member of the girls’ squad to the state championships through the Missouri Class 4 Sectional 1, held Saturday, May 19 at Parkway South High School.

Sophomore Matt Duncan in the 1,600-meter run and the boys’ 1,600-meter relay team of Ryan Peterson, Tyler Edwards, Robbie Pettijohn and Terrell Shannon as well as senior Taylour Carlile in the girls’ pole vault were the RHS athletes who advanced to the Missouri Class 4 Track and Field Championships, to be held Friday and Saturday on the campus of Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

The top four finishers in each event advance from sectional competition to the state meet.

Duncan placed second at sectionals in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:29.9 – the best time by a sophomore in RHS history. The RHS boys’ 1,600-meter relay team was third with a time of 3:25.3 – its fastest time of the season.

Carlile was fourth in the pole vault with a mark of 10-0. The four qualifiers all vaulted 10-0 and the places were determined by missed attempts. The final two vaulters had to compete in a jump-off to determine first place. The winner cleared 10-3.

All six Bulldogs will compete on Friday in the state meet. Carlile will vault at 2 p.m. on Friday while Duncan runs the 1,600-meter run at 2:45 p.m. and the 1,600-meter relay team competes in a preliminary heat at 6:30 p.m. The 1,600-meter relay finals are set for 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

Just missing state qualification were Lindsey Crutcher, who placed fifth in the girls’ 400-meter dash at :61.7; Ryan Peterson, who was fifth in the boys’ 400 at :50.9, and Ijeoma Okafor, who was fifth in the girls’ 300-meter hurdles at :47.4.

Placing sixth for RHS at the sectional meet were Tyundra Miller in the girls’ 200-meter dash at :26.8 and Matt Reeves in the boys’ pole vault at 12-6. Montoya Marshall was seventh in the girls’ shot put at 33-10 ½ while Jasmine Rector was eighth in the girls’ high jump at 4-10.

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RHS track competes in wet Hickman Relays

COLUMBIA – The Rolla High School boys’ and girls’ track teams competed in the Hickman Relays on Tuesday, April 24.

There were no team scores. All events were relays. There were regular running relays and medley relays of varying length distances. Hurdle times were added together for a relay time, and field event performances were added together for an event total.

The six schools entered in the meet were Rolla, Columbia Hickman, Columbia Rock

Bridge, Jefferson City, Mexico, and Fulton. There were four different divisions at the meet – varsity boys and girls and junior varsity boys and girls. Medals went to the top three finishing schools in each division in each event. Rolla had four event winners and the four Rolla squads earned a total of 105 medals at the meet.

Rolla boys’ varsity hurdlers did not count as a relay since there were not three to add together – but Tyler Edwards ran :16.11 in the 110 hurdles, and Brad Harris ran :16.18 in the 110 hurdles and Harris also ran :44.28 in the 300 hurdles. The varsity boys 4 x 800 team of Duncan, Bassett,

Almekinder, and Witt ran 8:48.9 and finished fourth overall but did not place in the meet due to a disqualification.

The meet was stopped for rain and everything was storm delayed for more than 30 minutes during the middle of the competition, and then the meet was eventually restarted. During the final event of the meet – the girls’ pole vault – competition was stopped again due to rain and weather. There were still four competitors jumping – three Jeff City vaulters and Taylour Carlile of Rolla. The event was not finished, and was then determined to not be continued due to the weather conditions.

Here are Rolla results:

JV – Girls High Jump – Paige-Rector-Maples…………….…………..13’ 0"

JV – 100 Hurdles – Okafor – Kafka-Duda – Rager………………..…..54.26

JV – 300 Hurdles – Okafor – Kafka-Duda – Rager……………………2:41.1

Var. – Sprint Medley – Fore-Pettijohn-Shannon-Peterson…………..1:37.2

JV – Sprint Medley – Davis-Paige-Passini-Giddens………………….2:08.1

JV – Sprint Medley – W.Settles-Jer.Bassett-Burrell-Kordes…………1:51.2

JV – Discus – Black-Feakes-Kleeschulte………………………………156’ 3"

JV – Shot Put – Wright-Fowler-McAllister……………………………...105’ 9"

JV – Triple Jump – Okafor-Giddens – Kafka-Duda……………………83’ 11"

JV – Triple Jump – Okafor-Wade-Martinez…………………………….99’ 5"

JV – Long Jump – Paige-Giddens-Cottrell……………………………...38’ 6"

JV – Pole Vault – Warren-Hofheins-Kofoed……………………………26’ 6"

JV – Pole Vault – Croft-Smith-Bennett………………………………….12’ 6"

Var. – Pole Vault – Carlile-Fryer-Villeme…………………………….….24’ 0" – rain stopped event

JV – Long Jump – Warren-Martinez-Wade……………………………..43’ 6"

JV – 1600 Medley – Anderson-James-Giddens-Dobkins…………….5:25.3

JV – Shot Put – Black-Feakes-Kleeschulte……………………………..68’ 5"

JV – 1600 Medley – Burrell-Kordes-Myers-Wilbanks………………….4:14.2

JV – 4 x 100 – Paige-Davis-Anderson-James………………………….57.8

JV – 4 x 800 – Dobkins-Williams-Hook-Smith………………………….12:39.8

JV – 4 x 400 – Myers-Murphy-Bassett-Fitzgerald………………….…..3:51.7

Var. – 4 x 400 – Peterson-Edwards-Pettijohn-Shannon……………….3:33.2

Var. – Sprint Medley – Grayson-Rodgers-Miller-Crutcher……………..2:00.34

Var. – Pole Vault – Rechtein-Reeves-Melton……………………………35’ 6"

Var. – Shot Put – Barnes-Allison-Kilby…………………………………..113’ 1"

Var. – 4 x 800 – Sandquist-M.Fraley-Janke-Ramsay…………………..10:58.7

Var. – 1600 Medley – Miller-Rodgers-Crutcher-Sandquist…………….4:45.3

Var. – 4 x 100 – Grayson-Rodgers-Miller-Crutcher…………………….53.0

Var. – Distance Medley – Hagni-Janke-A. Fraley-M. Fraley…………..14:35.3

JV – 4 x 800 – Myers-Fitzgerald-Abdelsalam-Wilbanks……………..….9:47.2

JV – 4 x 200 – Kafka-Duda –Rager-Passini-Maples……..…………….2:00.12

JV – Distance Medley – Havens-Myers–Lane-Hayes –Ruder…………14:12.5

JV – Distance Medley – Dobkins-Bennett-Hook-Williams…………...…16:47.5

JV – Discus – Arthur-Boyer-Okafor……………………..………………..208’ 9"

Var. – Discus – McIntyre-Hunt-Riley…………………………..…………199’ 7"

Var. – Shot Put – Marshall-Hunt-McIntyre………………………………..89’ 2 ½"

Var. – 1600 Medley – Adams-Fore-Gillis-Bassett…………………….…3:59.4

Var. – Distance Medley – Back -Gillis-Almekinder-Duncan……..……..11:47.7

Var. – 4 x 200 – Adams-Drallmeier-Edwards-Harris………………..…..1:37.48

JV – High Jump – Mitchell-Armstrong-Warren…………………………..14’ 10"

JV – 4 x 100 – Kordes-Settles-Bassett-Murphy………………………….51.74

6th Place

Var. – Discus – Barnes-Miller-Craghead…………..……….…………….247’ 10"

Var. – 4 x 100 – Fore-Pettijohn-Adams-Drallmeier……………………….45.9

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RHS track in Osage Freshman-Sophomore Meet

OSAGE – The Rolla High School boys’ and girls’ track team competed in the Osage Freshman-Sophomore Relays on Thursday, April 19.

The event had been scheduled for earlier in the season but was backed up due to weather.

No team scores were kept at the meet. The RHS boys had three event winners and 24 medals early while the Lady Bulldogs had two second-places and a total of 25 medals.

Here are Rolla meet results:

1st Place

1600 Meter – Justin Bassett…….5:01

400 Meter – Dillon Gillis…………56.16

4 x 400 Relay …………………….4:03

Mylhan Myers, Dillon Gillis,

Ryan Davenport, Pat Murphy

2nd Place

Long Jump – Heath Warren…….17’ 4"

200 Meter – Ryan Davenport…...25.7

3rd Place

Pole Vault – Heath Warren……….9’ 6"

400 Meter – Mylhan Myers……….58.9

4 x 100 Relay………………………47.7

Kaleb Kordes, Ryan Davenport, Ridge Burrell, Wes Settles

4 x 200 Relay……………………..1:47.8

Kaleb Kordes, Ryan Davenport,

Ridge Burrell, Pat Murphy

4 x 800 Relay……………………..9:53

Colin Fitzgerald, Mylhan Myers, Dillon Gillis, Victor Lane-Hayes

5th Place

Pole Vault – John Hofheins……….8’ 6"

100 Meter – Wesley Settles………13.29

6th Place

Shot Put – Trevor McAllister………31’ 6"

High Jump – John Armstrong………5’ 2"

Pole Vault – Kylie Croft………….6’ 6"

3200 Meter – Emily Williams…..14:29

800 Meter – Susie Dobkins……..2:52

High Jump – Jasmine Rector…….4’ 6"

Discus – Candice McIntyre……….68’ 1"

4 x 800 Relay……………………...12:45

Susie Dobkins, Emily Williams, Becky Smith, Jasmine Rector

4 x 200 Relay……………………….2:10

Meghan James, Mallory Norman, Brooke Giddens, Marice Davis

4 x 400 Relay……………………….5:01

Susie Dobkins, Alexandria Rager, Brooke Giddens, Jasmine Rector

Long Jump – Paige Cugletta……….13’ 5"

100 Hurdles – Alexandria Rager…...19.9

4 x 100 Relay…………………………60.5

Alexandria Rager, Mallory Norman, Meghan James, Marice Davis

300 Hurdles - Marice Davis…………60.4

100 Hurdles – Marice Davis…………21.1

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Two 1st-places for RHS track at Capital City Relays

JEFFERSON CITY – A pair of girls’ first-place finishes highlighted action for the Rolla High School track team in the Capital City Relays, held Saturday, April 14 on the campus of Lincoln University.

Rolla placed sixth as a team in the girls’ meet and 10^th in the boys’ meet.

In the girls’ team standings Jefferson City High won with 254 points followed by Hannibal with 120 points, Columbia Hickman 78, Jefferson City Helias 76.5, Quincy 71, Rolla 60, Wentzville Holt 36, Columbia Rock Bridge 35, Hazelwood Central 22.5 and Hazelwood East 10.

In the boys’ team standings Jefferson City High won with 178 points followed by East St. Louis with 160, Hazelwood East 106, Hickman 68.5, Hazelwood Central 62, Helias 49, Rock Bridge 39, Wentzville Holt 38.5, Quincy 26, Rolla 25, Hannibal 19 and Berkeley 6.

Montoya Marshall won the girls’ shot put for the Lady Bulldogs with a put of 36-1 – more than three feet better than the second-place finisher.

Also finishing first for RHS was the 4x200-meter relay team with a time of 1:51.94. Names of the relay members were not available.

Placing second for RHS was Tyundra Miller in the 200-meter dash with a time of :28.4. Also in the 200-meter Rolla’s Amanda Rodgers placed seventh at :29.33.

In the pole vault Taylour Carlile finished fourth for RHS at 9-6 while Rebecca Fryer was sixth at 7-6.

Also fourth was Lindsey Crutcher in the triple jump with a leap of 31-1 while Ijeoma Okafor was eighth at 30-1 ½.

RHS relay teams placing fifth were the 4x120-meter squad at 1:21.96 and the 4x100-meter squad at :53.59.

Okafor was also eighth in the 300-meter hurdles at :53.03.

The Bulldogs got fourth-places finishes from Matt Duncan in the 1,600-meter run at 4:41.85; from Ryan Melton in the pole vault at 11-6, and Brad Harris in the 110-meter hurdles at :16.52.

Also in the pole vault Morgan Rechtien was sixth at 11-0.

Finishing seventh for RHS were Cameron Fore in the 100-meter dash at :11.94; Tyler Edwards in the 300-meter hurdles at :43.04, and the 4x100-meter relay team at :46.03.

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‘Dogs’ Carlile wins at Girls’ Night Out

SPRINGFIELD – Senior Taylour Carlile of the Rolla High School girls’ track team had another strong effort in the pole vault, posting the Lady Bulldogs’ lone first-place finish in the Girls’ Night Out Meet held Wednesday, April 4 at JFK Stadium.

No team scores were kept in the 12-team meet.

Carlile won the pole vault with a vault of 9-0.

Rolla’s throwers’ relay team (4x100) of Candice McIntyre, Anne Villeme, Rebecca Fryer and Susie Feakes was third at :62.3.

Also for RHS, Lindsay Crutcher was fourth in the triple jump at 30-5. Also fourth was the 4x200-meter relay team of Crutcher, Felicia Grayson, IJ Okafor and Amanda Rodgers at 1:54.

Placing sixth for Rolla were Villeme in the pole vault at 7-6; Okafor in the 300-meter hurdles at :52.1, and the 4x100-meter relay team of Crutcher, Grayson, Tyundra Miller and Rodgers at :54.24.

Fryer was eighth in the pole vault at 7-6, as was Montoya Marshall in the shot put.

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RHS track competes in dual meet with Helias

JEFFERSON CITY – The Rolla High School boys’ and girls’ track teams competed in a dual meet against Jefferson City Helias on Thursday, March 29.

In the boys’ meet Rolla won with 75 points followed by Helias with 70. Helias won the girls’ meet 72-68.

Several of the Rolla regular competitors were unavailable due to spring break.

Rolla is to compete in a freshman-sophomore meet at Osage on Tuesday, April 3. On Wednesday, April 4 the RHS girls compete in the Springfield Girls’ Invitational and on Thursday, April 5 the Bulldog boys are to compete in the Springfield Boys’ Invitational.

Here are Rolla’s results:

110 Hurdles - Tyler Edwards - 16.5

300 Hurdles - Tyler Edwards - 42.4

100 meter - Robbie Pettijohn - 11.7

200 meter - Terrell Shannon - 23.9

400 meter - Ryan Peterson - 52.8

1600 meter - Matt Duncan - 4:52

3200 meter - Matt Duncan - 10:57

4 x 100 Relay - 46.8 - Robbie Pettijohn, Cameron Fore, Ryan Davenport, Clay Adams

4 x 400 Relay - 3:45 - Robbie Pettijohn, Tyler Edwards, Terrell Shannon, Ryan Davenport

Pole Vault - Matt Reeves - 12' 0"

Shot Put - Connor Barnes - 39' 4"

100 meter - Cameron Fore - 11.9

400 meter - Diilon Gillis - 57.4

300 Hurdles - Brad Harris - 44.8

800 meter - Alex Back - 2:21

4 x 200 Relay - 1:47 - Ridge Burrell, Patrick Murphy, Jeremy Bassett, Wesley Settles

4 x 800 Relay - 9:18 - Emitt Witt, Alex Back, Kyle Almekinder, Michael Wilbanks

1600 meter - Justin Bassett - 5:07

400 meter - Colin Fitzgerald - 60.1

800 meter - Emitt Witt - 2:24

200 meter - Clay Adams - 24.7

3200 meter - Justin Bassett - 11:33

Long Jump - Cameron Fore - 17' 6"

Triple Jump - Morgan Rechtein - 34' 10"

Discus - Connor Barnes - 105' 0"

High Jump - Matt Mitchell - 5' 0"

100 Hurdles - Ijeoma Okafor - 17.5

300 Hurdles - Ijeoma Okafor - 51.9

100 meter - Phylicia Grayson - 13.6

200 meter - Phylicia Grayson - 28.3

400 meter - Lindsay Crutcher - 65.8

Triple Jump - Lindsay Crutcher - 30' 5"

Pole Vault - Taylour Carlile - 9' 0"

Shot Put - Montoya Marshall - 34' 9"

1600 meter - Mattie Fraley - 6:03

3200 meter - Caitlyn Sandquist - 13:35

4 x 800 Relay - 11:29 - Cailtyn Sandquist, Anne Fraley, Mattie Fraley, Susie Dobkins

200 meter - Ijeoma Okafor - 29.5

800 meter - Susie Dobkins - 2:54

4 x 100 Relay - 60.1 - Brittany Passini, Meghan James, Brooke Giddens, Alexandria Rager

1600 meter - Caitlyn Sandquist - 6:14

200 meter - Brittany Passini - 32.4

3200 meter - Anne Fraley - 13:50

Long Jump - Paige Cugletta - 13' 2"

High Jump - TIE - Jasmine Rector, Samantha Maples, Paige Cugletta - 4' 2"

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Another meet, another school record for Carlile

WAYNESVILLE – Another meet, another school record for senior Taylour Carlile of the Rolla High School girls’ track team.

For the second time in a week Carlile set a new RHS record in the pole vault during Rolla’s second meet of the season. On Thursday, March 22 Carlile broke her own school mark with a winning jump of 10-0 in the Waynesville Open.

On Monday, March 19 Carlile broke the two-year-old school mark with a jump of 9-10. On Monday, jumping alone, Carlile cleared 8-6, 9-0 and 9-6 before hitting 10-0 on her third try at that height.

There were no team scores kept at the Waynesville Open and teams could run as many athletes in each event as they wanted.

In addition to Carlile’s winning vault, other first places for Rolla came from Montoya Marshall in the shot put with a 36-6 – the second-best put in school history – the 4x100-meter relay at :53.3 and the 4x200-meter relay at 1:53 for the girls and Matt Duncan in the 1,600-meter run at 4:54, Brad Harris in the 300-meter hurdles at :44.8, Morgan Rechtien in the triple jump at 37-2 and Ryan Melton in the pole vault at 12-0 for the boys.

Four other school were involved in the meet – Waynesville, Lebanon and Licking.

Here are Rolla’s results:

100-meter dash – Cameron Fore :11.4; Clay Adams :11.9; Wes Settles :13.3; Ryan Davenport :12.5; Jeremy Bassett :13.2

200-meter dash – Clay Adams :25.2; Ridge Burrell :27.8; Jeremy Bassett :28.1; Ryan Davenport :28.4; Wes Settles :28.8.

800-meter run – Dillon Gillis 2:21; Michael Wilbanks 2:27.

1,600-meter run – Matt Duncan 4:54; Justin Bassett 5:13; Ryan Marshall 5:32; Dillon Gills 5:35; Eric Schrantz 5:41; Victor Lane-Hayes 6:37; Blake Davis 6:57; Taylor Havens 7:13.

High hurdles – Brad Harris :16.55

300-meter hurdles – Brad Harris :44.8

Pole vault – Ryan Melton 12-0; Matt Reeves 11-6; Morgan Rechtien 11-0; Cheidozie Okafor 10-0; Heath Warren 9-0.

Triple jump – Morgan Rechtien 37-2; Juan Martinez 29-10.

Long jump – Cameron Fore 17-8; Ethan Dobkins 17-4; Joe Settles 13-1.

Shot put – Connor Barnes 40-9; Ethan Fowler 37-5; Paul Volkmer 34-5; Matt Wright 39-3; Allen Kilby 38-8; Kevin Phelps 35-2.

Discus – Nick Craghead 107-6; Paul Volkmer 103-0; Connor Barnes 99-10; Kevin Phelps 86-0.

High jump – John Armstrong 5-4; Ethan Dobkins 5-4; Matt Mitchell 4-10.

200-meter dash – Tyundra Miller :29.0.

800-meter run – Tori Hagni 2:39; Caitlyn Sandquist 2:48; Anne Fraley 2:57; Susie Dobkins 2:58.

1,600-meter run – Mattie Fraley 6:18; Anne Fraley 6:42; Emily Williams 6:55; Elizabeth Hook 7:56.

3,200-meter run – Emily Williams 14:55.

High hurdles – Claire Kafka-Duda :18.5; Alex Rager :18.98; Ijeoma Okafor :19-0; Mallory Norman, :21.35.

300-meter hurdles – Alex Rager :59.7; Mallory Norman :67.1.

Pole vault – Taylour Carlile 10-0; Rebecca Fryer 8-0; Anne Villeme 7-6; Kylie Croft 6-6.

Triple jump – Ijeoma Okafor 30-11; Lindsey Crutcher 30-10; Brooke Giddens 28-1.

Long jump – Claire Kafka-Duda 13-11; Brooke Giddens 12-2; Perianne Tucker 11-11.

Shot put – Montoya Marshall 36-6; Kelsey Hunt 27-4; Stephanie Michael 21-5; April Riley 23-2; Morgann Kleeschulte 22-7.

Discus – April Riley 72-5; Kelsey Hunt 68-10; Candice McIntyre 60-11; Morgann Kleeschulte 60-4; Desiree Beard 44-11.

High jump – Samantha Maples 4-6; Jasmine Rector 4-4.

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Carlile’s record vault highlight’s RHS track opener

ROLLA – A school-record performance from girls’ senior pole vaulter Taylour Carlile highlighted the meet for the Rolla High School track squad, as the RHS boys’ and girls’ teams opened the 2007 season by hosting Waynesville and Salem in a triangular meet Monday, March 19 at the Rolla Community Track.

Rolla won the girls’ meet with 85 points while Waynesville was second with 75 points and Salem third with 15. In the boys’ meet Waynesville won with 92 points followed by Rolla with 70 and Salem 11.

Carlile wasted little time in claiming the RHS girls’ pole vault record, vaulting 9-10 on Monday to break Kristy Carter’s two-year-old mark of 9-6.

"She’s been close to it for some time," said RHS track head coach Don Knapp. "And she’s going to break it again this year. I think she can get to 10-0 before the season is finished."

Here are Rolla’s results:

In addition to Carlile’s sparkling vault, other first place finishes for Rolla came from Ijeoma Okafor in the 100-meter hurdles at :17.52; Lauren Ramsey in the 800-meter run at 2:53.67; Clair Kafka-Duda in the long jump at 14-5; Lindsey Crutcher in the triple jump at 31-8 ½; Jasmine Rector in the high jump at 4-6; the 800-meter relay team at 1:52.92, and the 400-meter relay team at 1:02.36.

RHS second places came from Brooke Giddens in the triple jump at 28-7 and long jump at 12-11; Kafka-Duda in the 100-meter hurdles at :17.78; Phyllicia Grayson in the 100-meter dash at :13.10; Tyundra Miller in the 200-meter dash at :27.96; Caitlyn Sandquist in the 3,200-meter run at 13:28; Rebecca Fryer in the pole vault at 7-6; the 3,200-meter relay team at 11:21.39, and the 1,600-meter relay team at 4:31.48.

Lady Bulldog third places came from Sandquist in the 1,600-meter run at 6:04.48; Tori Hagni in the 400-meter dash at 1:06.62; Susie Dobkins in the 800-meter run at 2:57; Emily Williams in the 3,200-meter run at 15:47; Anni Villeme in the pole vault at 7-6, and Okafor in the triple jump at 28-7.

RHS fourth places came from Candice McIntyre in the discus and shot put, Alexandria Rager in the 100-meter hurdles and Kafka-Duda in the triple jump. Rolla got fifth places from Miller in the 100-meter dash, Mattie Fraley in the 800-meter run, Amanda Rogers in the 200-meter dash, Elizabeth Hook in the 3,200-meter run, Kylie Croft in the pole vault, April Riley in the discus and Kelsey Hunt in the shot put. Lady Bulldog sixth places came from Mallory Norman in the 100-meter hurdles, Rogers in the 100-meter dash, Fraley in the 1,600-meter run, Hunt in the discus and Fryer in the shot put. RHS seventh places came from Jenny Bennett in the pole vault and Emalea Black in the discus. Desiree Beard was eight in the discus, as was Villeme in the shot put.

First places for the RHS boys came from Matt Duncan in the 1,600-meter run at 4:55.84; Ryan Peterson in the 400-meter dash at :52.49; Kyle Almekinder in the 3,200-meter run at 11:35.20, and Matt Reeves in the pole vault at 12-0.

Rolla second places came from Morgan Rechtien in the pole vault at 12-0 and in the long jump at 17-6; Brad Harris in the 110-meter hurdles at :15.75; Tyler Edwards in the 400-meter dash at :54.17; Emitt Witt in the 800-meter run at 2:22.71; Justin Bassett in the 3,200-meter run at 11:44; Morgan Rechtien in the pole vault at 12-0; Paul Volkmer in the discus at 110-9; the 3,200-meter relay team at 9:28.38; the 800-meter relay team at 1:39.01; the 400-meter relay at :46.01, and the 1,600-meter relay team at 3:44.44.

RHS third places came from Connor Barnes in the discus at 101-9 and in the shot put at 39-2 ½, Alex Back in the 800-meter run at 2:24.55; Ryan Melton in the pole vault at 11-0; Ethan Dobkins in the long jump at 17-3, and the 400-meter relay team at :55.80.

The Bulldogs got fourth places from Edwards in the 110-meter hurdles, Bassett in the 1,600-meter run, Harris in the 400-meter dash, Robbie Pettijohn in the 3,200-meter run, Chiedozie Okafor in the triple jump, John Armstrong in the high jump and Nick Craghead in the discus. Rolla fifth places came from Juan Martinez in the triple jump and Jake Drallmeier in the shot put. Sixth places for RHS came from Colin Fitzgerald in the 400-meter dash, Matt Ruder in the 800-meter run, Kevin Phelps in the discus and Matt Wright in the shot put. Cameron Fore was seventh in the 100-meter dash whole Okafor was eighth in the discus.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to compete again on Thursday, March 22 in a meet at Waynesville.

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Bulldog track set to open season

The Rolla High School boys’ and girls’ track team will begin the 2007 season on Monday, March 19 by hosting a triangular meet against Salem and Waynesville at the Rolla Community Track.

Here is a look at the boys’ and girls’ squads by veteran RHS track head coach Don Knapp:

The 2007 season will be some what different than some previous seasons.

For the first time in many years, Rolla Track team has no returning All-State athletes from the state Track meet. Some Coaches call these type things a re-building year. We are calling it a learning year. The 2007 squad has much potential, and could develop athletes to the state meet level by the end of May.

Graduation took a lot of talent from the Bulldog Track squads. Gone are two-time state champion and nationally-ranked jumper and sprinter Chantae McMillan (now at the University of Nebraska), multiple-time all-state distance runner Kimi Shank (now at Missouri Southern), senior sprinter Andrew Claxton, senior mile runner Brian Gehrlein, and district champion pole vaulter Logan MacCash. All are doing college sports, but their loss leaves the Bulldogs with many gaps to fill.

The running Bulldogs welcomed back 41 letter winners for 2007, with 9 of those athletes competing at the state semi-final sectional, and the team has outstanding numbers to develop all the event areas and balance the team scoring. For 2007 there are 123 athletes on the squad this spring. With 83 of that total being freshmen and sophomores, the squad is very youth-oriented. The juniors and seniors, while outnumbered, are providing very good leadership and leading by example. Their previous experience in the sport will help the younger athletes develop throughout the 2007 season.

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, all the returning state meet qualifiers from last year are young. The girls 4 x 200 relay team that went to state last year had 3 freshmen and 1 sophomore. One of the girls (Ashley Thomas) moved out of Rolla district, but Junior Lindsey Crutcher, and sophomores Phyllicia Grayson and Tyundra Miller are all back. Crutcher also placed high at sectionals in the triple jump and she narrowly missed going to the state meet in that event also.

The girls’ squad returns most of the state level 4 x 200 relay team, and with the addition of sophomore Amanda Rodgers, look to be very good this season. Lindsey Crutcher will run several relays and open sprints, as well as do the triple jump. She will be among the leading scorers for the team this spring. Phyllicia Grayson and Tyundra Miller will do relays and open sprints. Expected to also run relays with that quartet is freshman Ijeoma Okafor, who has looked very good in the early practices. This will be a strong scoring area for the Lady Bulldogs. Other sprinters are: Brittany Passini, Alexandria Rager, Meghan James, Mallory Norman, and Kelsey Anderson.

The boys’ squad returns top sophomore Cameron Fore, who ran exceptional times last year as a freshman. With a year to build on, he should be one of the leading sprinters in the area. Joining him are senior sprinter Clay Adams and 1^st year senior runner Jake Drallmeier –– who is a very welcome addition to the team. His athletic talent will allow him to do sprints, run relays, and be one of the better shot putters on the squad. Terrell Shannon and Robbie Pettijohn will help this trio on the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relays, as well as seeing duty in open events. Other sprinters are: Ridge Burrell, Jeremy Bassett, Wesley Settles, Kaleb Kordes, Patrick Murphy, Stephen Kofoed, Ryan Davenport, and Daimon Lotz.

The girls’ hurdle squad graduated seniors Katie Windmiller and Angela Hundt, so these events will be mostly new runners to the squad. The team currently has 5 girls in these races –– Ijeoma Okafor, Claire Kafka-Duda, Alexandria Rager, Marice Davis, and Mallory Norman. All have done well in practice so far.

The boys’ hurdle squad emphasizes quality along with quantity. Senior Brad Harris and sophomore Tyler Edwards have looked very good so far in practice and they are running better times so far than a year ago. This should be a strong scoring area for the boys’ team. Freshman Darryeon Miller is learning from the upperclassmen and showing progress.

This is the most numerous group in track this spring. Coach Brock Roweton has over 40 athletes throwing the shot and discus.

The girls’ squad this year is lead by Montoya Marshall, who earned All-District and narrowly missed being a state qualifier at the sectional meet last year. She could pass all those marks this spring as well as the RHS shot put record. She is joined by Kelsey Tucker, Candice McIntyre, Latasha Webb, LaAunsha Briggs, Jessica Reeves, Stephanie Michaels, and pole vaulters Anne Villeme and Rebecca Fryer. The many freshmen throwers are: Desiree Beard, Cody Alcorn, Emalea Black, Talisha Cox, Susan Feakes, Shiniqua Glover, Kelsey Hunt, Meagan Jackson, Morgann Kleeschulte, Steffanee Malchert, Rachael Marler, Diana McNece, April Riley, and Latasha Storment.

The boys’ shot put group includes 3 year letterman Matt Wright, new throwers Connor Barnes, Cody Allison, and Jake Drallmeier, along with returning throwers Ethan Fowler, Sean Bowers, Paul Volkmer, Kevin Phelps, Cheidozie Okafor, Jake Trione, and Nathan Miller. Freshmen Throwers are: Herman Martinez, Trevor McAllister, Trenton Boyer, and Cole Arthur.

The main discus throwers added to this group are Nick Craghead, Allen Kilby, Chiedozie OKafor, Paul Volkmer, Connor Barnes, Kevin Phelps, Jake Trione, and Nathan Miller.

Taylour Carlile returns as a 3 time All-District pole vaulter, and she is the # 3 lady vaulter in RHS school history –– with her eye on moving to # 1. She has jumped near the school record already in practice, and she should be among the best vaulters in the middle of the state. She is joined by teammates Anni Villeme and Rebecca Fryer from last years’’ squad, and both look improved over last year. Both Villeme and Fryer are also doing the Shot Put this spring, which should help the team in another event area. New to the vaulting group this year is JoyLynn McGowan. Promising freshmen this year are: Kylie Croft, Becky Smith, and Jenny Bennett.

Seniors Ryan Melton, Matt Reeves, and Chiedozie Okafor are joined by sophomore Morgan Rechtein in a terrific battle for the top spot. All 4 have taken turns looking the best in practice so far. This is traditionally a strong event for the Bulldogs, and this group looks capable of keeping the tradition going during 2007. Younger and developing vaulters are: Jon Wade, Ethan Dobkins, Heath Warren –– all back from last year and showing improvement. Freshmen vaulters are: Joesph Settles, Stephen Kofoeds, Adam Lewey, and John Hofheins.

With the graduation of Kimi Shank and Sierra Radford, the girls’ distance runners look to seniors Caitlyn Sandquist and Lauren Ramsay for leadership. So far in 2007, these senior girls have shown the way and are already running ahead of their best times a year ago during March. They are joined by juniors Anne and Mattie Fraley, and Elizabeth Hook. Sophomore Tori Hagni teamed with this group on the 4 x 800 relay that earned All-District last season and made it to sectionals. The group hopes to improve on last year and attack the 10:00 barrier in the relay. Joining this group are new runners: Iris Russell, Liz Janke, Susie Dobkins, and Emily Williams.

The boys’ distance squad has many new faces, lots of runners, and talent to go with their group. Matt Duncan returns as the top miler, and along with Kyle Almekinder in the two mile, that dynamic duo should run many fast races. They won’t be alone. Running with them everyday in practice are: Justin Bassett, Matt Ruder, Eric Schrantz, Dillon Gillis, Monty Abdelsalam, Dan Cook, Ryan Marshall, along with freshmen Taylor Havens, Victor Lane-Hayes, and Blake Davis. Joining senior Alex Back will be Emitt Witt, Ryan Peterson, Colin Fitzgerald, Mylhan Myers, and Michael Wilbanks in the 400 & 800 races. These two groups will comprise the 4 x 800 relay squad throughout the spring track season.

Ranking in the top 20 nationally and jumping distances we are not likely to see again, Chantae McMillan has graduated. But that doesn’t mean RHS has no talent in these areas. Lindsey Crutcher was All-District last season in the triple jump, and should improve on that distance this year. She will be joined in the triple jump by Ijeoma Okafor, Brook Giddens, and Clair Kafka-Duda. Added to that group for the long jump are Hillary Nelson, Janelle Cottrell, Perianne Tucker, and Paige Cuglettea. High jumping for the Lady Bulldogs this year will be Hillary Nelson, Jasmine Rector, Samantha Maples, and Paige Cuglettea.

Bringing lots of speed and plenty of talent from the track to the sand will be Cameron Fore. Along with his other events, Fore looks to lead the long jump for the bulldogs this spring.

Helping score for the team in other jumping events is pole vaulter Morgan Rechtein. He is leading the triple jumpers in practice, and doing the long jump as well. Other horizontal jumpers

Include Juan Martinez, Ethan Dobkins, John Armstrong, Jonathan Jackson, Nathan Ely, Ryan Hopper, and John Hofheins. Doing the high jump this spring are: Ethan Dobkins, Jonathan Jackson, Matt Mitchell, Ryan Hopper, and John Hofheins.

Joyce Knapp –– Works with all the jumping events and also the pole vaulters. She does meet management for the Bulldogs and has coached the team for 16 years.

Don Knapp –– Works with pole Vaulters and hurdlers primarily. Also helps with other events and does meet and team administrative work. He has coached the Rolla track teams for 26 years.

Aaron Bartle –– Works with the sprinters and sprint relay teams. He has coached track for 15 years in St. James and in Rolla, and he is a former Rolla track and cross country athlete.

Brock Roweton –– Works with the throwers and does all the team strength training. He has coached track in Rolla for 2 years after coaching in Pierce City and in Springfield.

Cyndi Kinder –– Works with the distance runners. This is her 1^st year coaching in Rolla, but she has previously coached the sport in both Bourbon and Owensville. She is a former Rolla track and cross country athlete.

Here is the RHS 2007 track schedule:

March 19...Waynesville, Salem, 3:30 p.m.

March 22...at Waynesville, 3:30 p.m.

March 29...at J.C. Helias, 4 p.m.

April 4...Springfield Girls’ Invitational, 3 p.m.

April 5...Springfield Hillcrest Boys’ Relays

April 14...J.C. Capital City Relays, 11 a.m.

April 20...at Owensville, 4 p.m.

April 24...Columbia Hickman Relays, 4 p.m.

April 28...Rolla Invitational, 9 a.m.

May 3...Ozark Conference Meet, tba

May 12...District Meet, tba

May 19...Sectional Meet, tba

May 25-26...Missouri Class 4 Championships at Jeff. City

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