Mac Leet busted out of an early-season funk, clearing 6 feet to win the high jump Tuesday, April 19 during the Warrior Relays in Smithville, Mo.
After setting a personal best of 6-4 in the event as a sophomore, Leet cleared 6-0 for the first time as a junior and led a 1-2 finish for the Pirates in the event with Jon Watts second at 5-10. Leet went on to clear 6-0 again in the KU Relays over the weekend but did not place in the event at the prestigious regional meet.
Watts added a second-place showing in the long jump at 20-1½, just 3 inches back of Kearney’s Marcus Harris for first.
BRYCE MERENESS/Citizen photo
Platte County junior Mac Leet prepares to approach the high jump bar at the Platte County invitational held Tuesday, April 26 at Pirate Stadium.
Platte County also received solid showings from its relays — the 4x200 (Lloyd Lockett, TJ Guillory, Tyler Clemens and Jacob Mundell) winning in 1 minute, 32.96 seconds, the 4x400 (Lockett, Guillory, Watts and Clemens) second in 3:33.81 and the 4x800 second in 8:27.88. Kearney finished ahead of the Pirates in the latter two, edging out the win in the 4x400 by less than a half second in the night’s final event.
Guillory added a third place in the 200 (23.26) for Platte County, while Okwar Jale came back to take third in the 300 hurdles after being disqualified in the 110 hurdles. Dane Rader rounded out the top-three showings for the Pirates with a personal best 47-3 in the shot put, beating out teammate Christian Encarnacion for the medal spot by 9 inches.
Kearney won the team title with a dominating 196½ points, while Platte County was second in the eight-team field with 127.
Platte County’s girls were third overall with 89¾ points coming in behind champion Kearney and Lawson. The Pirates were a quarter of a point better than the hosts for third.
Hilary Mathurin, a senior Class 4 Missouri State Track and Field Championships qualifier last year in the 300 hurdles, set personal bests in three events. She won the 300 hurdles in 49.01 for Platte County, while also putting up her lowest career times in the 100 hurdles and 200.
Platte County junior Tori Farr also set a personal best in the 200 at 27.27 (hand held) to place third after winning the second of three heats.
A sophomore, Tianna Daniel-Dalton set a new career best height in the high jump for a second straight meet, clearing 5-3 at Smithville to win the event. She previously cleared 5-0 for the first time the previous week.
Farr came in a four-way tie for second in the high jump at 4-10.
Platte County’s other victory came from sophomore standout Rebekah Geddes in the 800. She finished in 2:25.44 to edge out Daejah Bernard by just more than a quarter of a second.
Jaycie Stubbs won the javelin at 102-9 in an exhibition event that did not count toward the team standings.
BRYCE MERENESS/Citizen photo
Platte County junior Jacob Mundell, right, hands the baton in the 4x200 meter relay to senior Lloyd Lockett at the Platte County invitational held, Tuesday, April 26 at Pirate Stadium
KU Relays
Platte County’s sprint medley of Mathurin, Farr, Rachel Gilbert and Rebekah Geddes ended up fourth for the Pirates’ lone top-five showing. Geddes placed 13th in the 3,200.
On the boys side, Platte County’s 4x400 team of Lockett, David Fulk, Watts and Clemens posted a season-best 3:25.39, placing third in the sixth of seven heats. Hughston Long, a junior, entered the non-traditional 2000 steeplechase and finished ninth.