Track and field roundup: Bluejays boys, girls take 1st at West Platte Early Bird meet

West Platte swept the West Platte Early Bird race on Thursday, March 21 at Rudolph Eskridge Stadium in Weston.

The boys had 230 ½ points to easily beat North Platte’s 105-point tally, while the Bluejays girls had 235 ½ and had little trouble holding off DeKalb, which was second with 116 points. The North Platte girls took fifth place.

The two local schools swept the pole vault event with West Platte’s Alessia Licalsi winning the girls and Tyler Meadows taking first for North Platte.

In the javelin, West Platte’s Lea Moose won it with a heave of 99 feet, 9 inches, while teammate Daire Stelljes was second and North Platte’s Jessica Meadows took third.

The Bluejays swept the top three in javelin with junior Rylan Richardson winning at 129-8, followed by Jacob Brown in second and Zachary Scroggins took third.

West Platte took the top four spots in the 800 run with Lindsay Goodwin winning, followed by Katherine Tharp, Sophia Rush and Kaitlynn Groom. Max Davies won the boys 800 run, with North Platte’s Ty French and Tyler Meadows coming in behind the Bluejays’ standout.

Davies also won the 1,600-meter run, edging North Platte’s Zach Lee, while Davies claim first in the 400 ahead of teammate Quinn O’Malley.

Ryan Borylo had a trio of firsts for West Platte, winning the 100-, 200-meter dashes and then the high jump. In the 200, teammate Cole Vandel was second and North Platte’s Chance Chesnut took third. North Platte’s Chance Murphy was second and Vandel took third in the 100.

Vandel added a first in the triple jump, while O’Malley was third, while Vandel also won the 300-meter hurdles. O’Malley won the long jump, a spot ahead of Borylo.

Mikenna Peters swept the hurdles for West Platte, winning the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

West Platte girls also won the distance event with Isabella Clark winning the 3,200 and Rush winning the 1,600, edging North Platte’s Savannah Lingle.

North Platte got a pair of wins from sophomore Maddie O’Neill in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. The Panthers also won the girls 4x100-meter relay.

After a runner-up finish in the 1,600, Lee won the 3,200 for North Platte.

West Platte had plenty of second-place finishes. That includes: Matik Heskin in the 110-meter hurdles; Faith Stevens in the high jump; Stelljes in the long jump; Peters in the triple jump; Amanda Lowell in the discus and shot put; Scroggins in the discus; Brown in the shot put; and Gretchen Raney in the 200 dash

North Platte’s girls and boys were the 4x400-meter relay runners-up. The boys were Chesnut, Chase Chesnut, Matt Carter and French. The girls team featured Madi Deboard, Trinity Wrightfield, Alex Stewart and O’Neill.

Thirds went to Heskin in the 300; North Platte’s Brittnie Deppen in the shot put; West Platte girls in the 4x400 with Peters, Raney, Goodwin and Lea Moose; North Platte’s Nelson McCracken in the discus; West Platte’s Richardson in the shot put; West Platte’s Melanie Waters in the 400 dash and the West Platte 4x100 relay team of Raney, Josie Raney, Lexie Smither and Tori Norman.

North Platte and West Platte are both at the Smithville Invitational Wednesday, March 27. It was scheduled for Friday, March 29, but it was moved up to avoid potential weather.

Bob Thorpe Invitational

The Park Hill track and field team took part in the Bob Thorpe Invitational on Friday, March 22 at Ray-Pec High School in Peculiar, Mo.

The Trojans took fourth on the girls side and eighth on the boys.

Park Hill had a trio of second-place finishes, two from LaShunda Tapp. The junior was the runner-up in the shot put (40 feet, 7 ½ inches) and the discus (120-8).

Abigail Fette and Avery Blakley finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,600-meter run.

Freshman Cynne Smith took third in the 400.

The Trojans boys didn’t have a top-three placer. 

Park Hill South hosted a small meet with Park Hill, Oak Park, Winnetonka and North Kansas City on Tuesday, but the results were unavailable before press time. The Trojans and Panthers are both at the Staley Relays on Friday.