Plainsmen post strong showing at Sutherland Invitational
By Emmalee Parsley Stevens
Grant Tribune Sentinel
The Perkins County track and field team competed at the Sutherland Invitational on Thursday, April 16, turning in a solid day highlighted by multiple personal records and a school record performance.
BOYS
On the boys side, Miles Knapp led the way in the 400-meter dash, placing 15th with a time of 58.35 seconds. Alex Cole followed in 18th place at 59.55, while Tyson Schwanebeck finished 26th in 1:05.22.
In the 1,600 meters, Logan Barry earned sixth place in 5:13.47, with Leighton Feyzek taking 10th in 5:24. Jesus Marquez placed 17th in 5:39.59. Feyzek also competed in the 3,200 meters, finishing ninth in 11:57.54.
Luke Minster turned in a strong performance in the 300-meter hurdles, placing fifth with a time of 45.17 seconds.
Perkins County’s relay teams also contributed key finishes. The 4x100 relay team of Knapp, Aaron Ornelas, Spencer Williams and Max Latella placed eighth in 48.98 seconds. In the 4x400 relay, Cole, Williams, Latella and Ornelas finished seventh with a time of 3:51.04. The 4x800 relay team of Barry, Marquez, Feyzek and Carson Green earned a third-place finish in 8:59.29.
In the field events, Alec Reese led the Plainsmen in the shot put with a 12th-place throw of 40 feet, 7.75 inches. Minster placed 15th at 38-6.5, and Schwanebeck was 35th at 28-3.75. In the discus, Minster took ninth with a throw of 123-11, while Reese finished 10th at 121-11 and Schwanebeck placed 28th at 84-7. Williams added a seventh-place finish in the triple jump at 37-5.5.
Girls
On the girls side, Ava Seger placed seventh in the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.03 seconds. Jaymee Harger finished 17th in the 400 meters in 1:21.71.
Distance standout Madison Potts had a strong day, earning second place in the 1,600 meters in 5:54.32 and winning the 3,200 meters with a time of 12:43.86. Savannah Miller placed sixth in the 3,200 at 14:44.36. In the 1,600, Kayleen Jurado and Kinley Bottom finished 17th and 18th in 8:13.30 and 8:24.10, respectively.
Ella Homan led the hurdles crew, placing second in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.16 seconds and second again in the 300 hurdles at 48.84. Macey Cole added fourth-place finishes in both events with times of 18.74 and 53.84.
The 4x100 relay team of Anley Sauder, Seger, Olivia Gengenbach and Alyssa Laber placed fifth in 54.96 seconds. In the 4x400 relay, Seger, Haylea McGreer, Laber and Homan earned third place with a time of 4:36.84. The 4x800 relay team of McGreer, Bottom, Jurado and Miller finished fourth in 12:38.66.
In the field events, Jacqueline Gloy placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 32-9.25. Ryleigh Johnson finished 12th at 28-10.25, and Paige Franklin was 15th at 27-0.25. In the discus, Franklin placed 13th with a throw of 91-0, followed by Gloy in 16th at 85-7 and Johnson in 19th at 81-6.
Cole added a sixth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 4-4. In the pole vault, Paisley Mayer placed seventh at 7-0, McGreer finished ninth at the same height and Gengenbach was 11th at 6-6.
Lauren Bishop highlighted the field events with a third-place finish in the triple jump at 33-2.5 and a seventh-place finish in the long jump at 15-10.5. Sauder placed 12th in the long jump at 14-11.5.
Head coach Shayne Hite said the meet showed progress despite a demanding schedule.
“I thought it was a pretty good day overall,” Hite said. “It was a long day, but I’m glad we went on Thursday. We had 13 PRs by the boys and 15 by the girls, with one school record by Lauren B. in the long jump. We still aren’t where we want to be yet, especially with our runners. We’re trying to work through some nagging injuries and hopefully will be at full strength soon. It’s been a tough week with three meets in just over a week.”
NEXT ACTION
Perkins County competed again on Tuesday, April 21 at Chase County Schools. Results from that meet will appear in a future edition of the Grant Tribune-Sentinel. The Plainsmen will next compete at the Mike Truxal Invitational on Saturday, April 25 at Hershey Public Schools, with the first event scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.